Tyseley: A Midland Intruder On The 'Polar Express'...

Good evening all. Another pleasant day spent at the former 84E at Tyseley Locomotive Works, helping on and around 7029 "Clun Castle". The engine is currently at rest, ready for her outing to the Bath Christmas Market next Sunday. We have three Christmas excursions lined up for December, as well as an intensive program of 'Polar Express' workings out of Moor Street. Due to "Clun"s big commitments elsewhere and the retirement of last years 'PE' engine "Rood Ashton Hall", the TOC has brought in a welcome visitor to help out. My task this morning involved finishing up some cleaning on "Clun". She was pretty much gleaming already, having spent weeks being buffed up by various hands. The Tyseley engines have a reputation for their immaculate appearance so we never disappoint on that front!...

Whilst the Castles slumbered inside the shed, out in the damp November air stood the visiting Midland engine: Black Five 45305. Operated by the 5305 Locomotive Association, the Stanier 4-6-0 is usually based at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway. Much like the 84E team, the 5305 LA insist on a sparkling appearance and so 45305 was immaculately turned out for todays duties...

The 2019 program of the Birmingham 'Polar Express' started earlier this week, with trains now operating every Thursday - Sunday evening up until Christmas. I'm told that most trains are well sold, building on the success of last years trips. Rather than the usual Santa Special format, the 'Polar Express' offers more of an on-train theatrical performance, working through various scenes from the popular 2004 film with much singing and dancing. The Black Five would work the train in the Birmingham direction, proudly wearing the home-made headlamp to give it a slightly more American vibe. A Class 20 was coupled to the rear of the stock, ready to haul the engine in the opposite direction when required. Here, 45305 sits beneath the starting signal which is already in the 'off' position in readiness for departure early on in the afternoon...

I tagged along with the 'Polar' on todays first round trip, really just to say I'd done it again in 2019. Myself and a few others had a quick ride behind "Rood Ashton" last Christmas for the same reason! It's a steady run to Moor Street of only a couple of miles, mostly along the goods line which is restricted to 15mph. At Moor Street, the Five came to rest alongside a Chiltern Railways unit...

Crewed by Ray and Phil, it wasn't long before my puppy dog eyes got me invited up for a look in the cab. Despite being a Western fan, I've always had a soft spot for the Black Five. As with the outside of the engine, the cab on 45305 was very clean...

These LMS machines were masters of their job; the true go anywhere, do anything locomotive of their region. I will admit that I was green with envy, and Phil knew it! I'd love to be up here crewing this old thing...

Having drooled over the cab of the 5MT for long enough, I returned to the staff coach for the short and steady ride back to Tyseley. 45305 is an Armstrong-Whitworth example built in 1936 and spent most of its working life in North-West England. Bought for scrap by Drapers of Hull following withdrawal in 1968, the fate of the engine seemed sealed. However, the yard owner: Alderman Draper: decided to save one of the 742 locomotives cut up at his yard for the future and, simply because it was the cleanest, chose 45305. The engine is still owned by the Draper family and is now named "Alderman A E Draper" in memory. She is certainly well looked after and it was a pleasure to see her today. At Tyseley, I alighted ready to watch the 4-6-0 steam back off towards Moor Street with the returning 'Polar Express'...

By now the time was knocking on and the cold damp air was starting to bite so, having cleared away my dirty rags from "Clun", I decided to head for home. I'll next be at Tyseley next Sunday for the Bath job and I'm actually really looking forward to it. I thought I'd end with a few lyrics dedicated to the 5MT:

"Well you're up and you're groping for coal

For the fire had blinded your eye

Feel the boilers need and the fireholes greed

As you blacken the sun and the sky

She goes hammering over the hill

And you're bloody near roasted alive

Like a hound of steel riding runaway wheels

There's a devil astride a Black Five"

(Black Five - David Goulder)

Tyseley: Drain Cocks And Steam Rollers...

Hi all. Today was, yes you've guessed it, another volunteer Saturday at the former 84E. With most of the decorating now completed after a mad few months in the new house, I have a little more time to creep out in search of steam. When I arrived a little before 10:30 (I'm getting worse at these early starts by the week!), Phil was already lighting up his 1925-built Aveling & Porter steam roller "Louise". The engine was being made ready to have the canopy roof removed for repair and I think Phil was also doing a last hurrah kind of thing before some heavy winter maintenance ensues. Leaving the roller crackling away to herself, Phil showed me some jobs on 7029 "Clun Castle" that I could complete today. In the running shed area, 7029 was standing alongside elder sister 5043, who is now missing her outside steam pipes...

I was put to work cleaning up the drain cocks for 7029. The inside ones had been done already so I had to do the six from the outside. There are three mounted to each outside cylinder: two for the cylinder and one for the valve chest. I remember somebody once telling me that the middle one drained the center of the cylinder bore...

The drain cock casting has a screwed plug on the back which allows access to the inside. The front end has a spring with a spacer and split pin which holds the plunger in the closed position when the drain cocks are to be closed. The thread is for the drain cock pipework to be attached which then ejects the condensate forward of the cylinders. The drain cock linkage from the cab is connected so as to press the plunger inward to open the cocks. Here is a fully cleaned up drain cock, upside down of course. The mounting holes for the cylinder studs can be seen...

This kind of work is really just a light maintenance/house keeping task. Over time, the drains (particularly when engines sit for a while) can become clogged up and need a bit of a clean out and brush up. It's an easy job to do with a cuppa' to hand...

The finished result later in the day: three of the drains ready to refit...

If any built up dirt gets behind the plunger when the drain is open, then they will probably pass when they're closed. You don't want to be hissing around the network sounding like an old eight freight in the last days of the Midland region! With the drains refitted to 7029, I headed outside to see how the roller was getting on. The canopy roof had now been removed and the engine was going topless...

Phil kindly let me take the F-Type for a couple of laps of the car park, although I did insist he put it in bottom gear as I'm not entirely confident on these things. I could just see me ploughing it through a nearby parked car if it got away from me! Nevertheless, I managed to go round nicely without bashing into anything. When they settle down they're actually quite nice to drive. I would never say that you can step straight off a railway engine and onto one of these, or vice versa in fact. They are very different machines entirely, but interesting in their own way. I couldn't resist a few blasts on the Great Western whistle...still big kids at heart! With that it was pretty much time for home after a worthwhile little day at 84E. Cheers all, Sam...

Tyseley: The Pipes, The Pipes Are Calling...

"From glen to glen, and down the mountain"...no, that's enough of that actually! Today, having briefly escaped from the decorating, I was over at the former 84E of Tyseley Locomotive Works. Upon arrival, I was glad to find the two roller shutter doors on four and five roads slightly open, giving a good bit more light. I was today tasked with another cleaning job, getting "Clun" ready for her next appearance on the Bath Christmas Market special on December 1st. The mechanical lubricator on the front drivers side of the engine has quite a lot of copper pipework which, when cleaned up, looks a real treat. So today, armed with Autosol and plenty of clean rags, I set to work gently cleaning up the pipes. Currently retired Hall Class No4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" was giving "Clun" a bit of a stare out from her resting place...

The various pipes which stem from the lubricator feed the cylinders, valves and regulator. The 'original' Castles carried the five-glass hydrostatic, which "Defiant" still carries. 7029 & 5043, being later double-chimney versions, carry the mechanical alternative. As you can imagine, you have to be very careful cleaning these pipes. They are fairly strong but any damage could result in a leak, which may lead to a loss of oil to crucial components. On the main line at the speeds we run at, this could be catastrophic so the words "be careful" are forever etched on the mind during jobs like this! Though a bit fiddly, the pipes came up well...

I always feel that it's these little touches that give the 84E engines their reputation. Some have commented that the engines were never this clean in their working lives. This is probably quite true, but these days we have more time to look after them. The Tyseley fleet doesn't spend week after week on the road, meaning that we have time in between to keep them sparkling. Later in the day, the final result...

My last job today, as with any brass or copper polishing, was to apply a thin coating of Vaseline to prevent tarnish. I don't particularly like this job as the Vaseline itself does dull the finish slightly, although I'd rather that than see it all bright green with condensation marks next week! Roll on our December 1st outing with the gleaming Castle. Let's hope the valleys aren't hushed and white with snow!...