Going Great Central: Back Out With The Standard 5...

"73156 in the down loop alongside the 11:10 DMU departure"

Evening all. Today I was rostered to once again work the B2 turn at the Great Central Railway. I worked a B2 during February (my last go on retiring 9F No92214) and today would see the same format taking place but with a different engine. I had heard during the week that myself and driver Charlie were rostered aboard the ever popular Standard 5 No73156 of 1956, an engine that I haven't been out on since October. This morning's 08:00 book on was once again very gentlemanly, though I arrived a little early as usual. Dragging my mound of kit from the car, I wandered past the crew for the B1 turn and their steed: No6990 "Witherslack Hall". Old Batesy was shining up the cab as I sauntered by, heading for the signing in room...

Signed in and notices read, I headed out to the waiting Standard 5 on a damp No1 road. The rain had been pretty persistent overnight and it would do its best to continue this trend throughout our prep. Karl (a member of 73156's support team) was already busy polishing up the rods and wheels on the fireman's side...

Though the engine had had a fair warming fire the night before, it had been a very cold (and wet) night so it was best to get the fresh fire going as soon as possible. Overalls on, I quickly headed into the firebox to give the grate a brush down prior to throwing in some coal. Efforts made in the morning will always serve you well later on in the day, or at least you'd hope that they would! I always try to start with as clean a grate as possible, with this mantra in mind. Karl kindly collected me two barrows of wood to top my freshly added coal. It was then time to light up some rags and get a blaze going. The resulting smoke was soon blowing westward on the keen wind...

With the weather not brilliant outside and Karl doing a great job on the bottom end, I decided to give the cab roof a polish. The smoky coal we've been burning lately had taken its toll on 73156's usually very clean cab roof and so a spruce up wouldn't hurt. Driver Charlie meanwhile was going around the engine with the oil cans. Between the three of us, we prepared 73156 for our two booked round trips...

As our off shed time neared, we prepared to pull forward in order to empty the ash pan. There was only one fly in the ointment: a diesel had taken the Hall's place over No1 road pit and so we were stuck until a repair job on it was complete. Soon enough however, 73156 was ready to drop forwards to ash out...

Pan done, shed fitter Tom joined us to complete 73156's FTR (fitness to run) exam. With a clean bill of health, we were given permission from the signalman to leave shed and top up the tender on our way to the starting signals at Great Central Road bridge. Here, the 4-6-0 was held until the 11:10 DMU had cleared platform two. Our first train wasn't until 12:00 and so we had plenty of time to shoot the breeze...

With the DMU having departed and disappeared along the up line, the down loop starter moved to the 'off' position, allowing us to run out to the totem pole at Beeches Road bridge. There we waited for No6990 to return with the 10:15 departure, the stock from which would become our 12:00 train. A little behind time, the Hall rolled in from Leicester North before we were given the road to set back onto the waiting stock. Once in the platform and coupled up, we were joined on the footplate by one of our two footplate riders for the day (we had two booked footplate passes today). Amazingly, I knew the family in question, back from my days organising the old miniature do at Statfold...small world! Departing Loughborough on time, 73156 steamed easily on the run to Leicester North. Here there was the (now common) extra 15 minutes added for footplate visits, which Charlie facilitated whilst I took a breather...

The run back to Loughborough was equally as free steaming, as 9/10 runs with this engine are (unless you've got an issue!). Due to a points failure at Loughborough we had to run into platform two, briskly run round and then prepare to depart as ECS for the totem pole. The empty train would then be propelled back into platform one in order to clear platform two for the approaching DMU. Below, an impatient 73156 waits for the train to be declared empty before we complete the shunt move...

And as if by magic, we were soon stood waiting time in platform one! Both of today's trips were partly 'Fish and Chip' jobs, with the food served following arrival at Leicester North, hence the headboard adorning the smokebox...

Due to the gentlemanly nature of the B2 turn, we still had 25 minutes to ourselves after completing the shunt move. This gave me time to gradually rebuild my fire in preparation for our 14:15 departure. Below, 73156 barks southward along the Leicester section, on the approach to the A46 bridge near Thurcaston...

After a normal run round at Leicester (without the extra time) we returned to Loughborough and arrived bang on time. Once uncoupled, we topped up the tender at the column before dropping back down to our morning location on No1 road. With the smokebox checked and the fire cleaned, it was time to fill the boiler and leave 73156 for the evening, stood alongside the rather unsightly but very useful Class 153...

"Day's end for 73156"

And that, as they say, was that! I must thank Charlie and Karl for a pleasant day out with 73156: good company on a good engine is always worth having. 73156 herself never disappoints...we just need a few more coaches behind her! Cheers...

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