Going Great Central: 'DATEX' With 73156...

"A shining 73156 stands ready for action on No1 shed road"

This morning I was rostered to work the A1 turn at the Great Central Railway, alongside driver Dave. This involved a 05:30 sign on at Loughborough shed and, as usual, I arrived a little early to make sure that I wouldn't be late. Walking into the quiet shed yard, I trudged alongside our booked locomotive: Standard 5 No73156 of 1956...

Having signed in and read the notices, I wandered back out to the locomotive and clambered up into the cab. The engine had worked the evening diner last night and so still had 40psi on the clock and a full pot of water. Peering into the hot firebox revealed a nice, even bed of ash and this was quickly cleared with the aid of the rocking grate. Driver Dave passed by the cab at this point and we exchanged our "good morning". Moving forward to the smokebox, there was the usual tiny molehill at the foot of the door: just enough to cover the bottom of a bucket. This is thanks to the engine's effective self cleaning smokebox. (The ease of this morning's prep was a far cry from my morning with 78019 a couple of weekends ago). With everything done and all checks made, I could spread the bed of coal across the fire and replace the baffle plate before lighting up. As soon as the lit rags hit the grate, she sang...

Once the rags were burning atop the layer of coal, I threw in a pallet or two's worth of dry wood and shut the doors, leaving the engine to sort its life out. ("A watched pot never boils" as they say). Soon enough there was a reassuring plume of smoke rising steadily skyward from the chimney. The class 153 units stabled in No3 shed road in the shot below still look out of place to me but, hopefully, their arrival is the start of a potentially lucrative enterprise of main line driver training...

It wasn't long after lighting up that the team of engine reps arrived. The lads from the Bolton Steam Locomotive Company take great pride in their fine machine and keep her looking her best at all times. Their efforts were much appreciated this morning...

After an easy prep (thanks to the Bolton boys), myself and Dave got changed into our smarts before backing 73156 up for coal. We then left shed on time at 08:45, taking water at the column before doing a quick coach slip from platform two to platform one. Once safely stabled at Great Central Road bridge, we awaited our DATEX participants. DATEX is the GCR's version of a Footplate Experience course, dubbed Drive A Train Experience. These courses, like the diners, are very popular and provide a much needed income to the railway. 

Today we would work a Bronze course, involving a round trip to Leicester North light engine with two participants, each driving half of the journey. Right on time, the DATEX host brought our two participants down to the engine and they duly joined us on the footplate of the waiting 4-6-0. We left Loughborough on time at 09:30, swapping the participants at each station stop so that each would get to drive the different sections of the railway. This also adds variety as the line is mostly downhill coming back from the southern end. After a steady run there and back, I'm pleased to say that both of our trainee drivers left the footplate having had a great time. It's always nice to see someone else enjoying something that we perhaps occasionally take for granted. Our next move was to collect our coaches from the up through and take them to platform two in readiness for the 11:10 passenger departure...

For our second (and final) trip we were joined by two of the lads from the engine's group as they rode with us to Leicester and back aboard the mighty class 5. This engine is a fine beast: always free steaming and always very much on top of the job. She's arguably far too powerful for the trains here, particularly when they're only five coaches. She's like a supercharged Black Five and you can imagine that she'd be a fine contender for main line activities. Fair enough she has no bonnet and she wasn't built at Swindon...but you can't have everything! Here, 73156 waits patiently with the returning 11:10 working at Leicester, as right time nears...

The return run to Loughborough was just as enjoyable and 73156 steamed freely as I attempted to keep her quiet ready for handover to the incoming crew. Once at Loughborough I was relieved by fireman Chris and the Standard 5 was soon chuffing away into the distance in readiness to work the 13:00 Sunday lunch diner. I must thank driver Dave and the Bolton lads for a pleasant morning out aboard the mighty 73156: very enjoyable. Thanks all for reading...

Please note any views or opinions expressed in this blog are merely personal and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person, group or organisation.