GCR Firing Course: Day Four...

Evening all. Regular readers will be fully aware that I do enjoy what us footplate folk know as 'steam heat season'. It's just so atmospheric to be around steam at this time of year. However, what it also is is cold, wet and miserable! Today I was back at the Great Central Railway for day four of the very enjoyable 2022 firing course. The session today revolved around the rule book and was quite heavy going in some aspects. Outside, three locomotives were in service: 78019, 48305 and 92214. I managed to quickly snap 92214 simmering on No2 road outside the shed as she was being prepared for the day's Christmas diner. I tell you what, it was cold today...really cold. A thick frost hadn't cleared much throughout the day and the bitter temperature looks set to continue throughout the week. As I say, it's atmospheric at this time of the year but my god do days like this make you long for the Spring! Cheers all and Merry Christmas...

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.

A Black Five Heads North...

On this sunny but very cold Thursday afternoon, we were treated to the sight of Black Five No44871 returning north to Carnforth. The engine appeared a little behind time and she seemed in a hurry as the driver opened up under Spencer Bridge and the engine came striding past us. It wasn't long before she was off into the distance, throwing white steam over her shoulder on her way towards Rugby. A pleasant way to break up a Thursday afternoon at work! Cheers all and Merry Christmas...

Please note that the above image was taken from land outside of the NR boundary fence.

Statfold's Santa Express 2022: "Fiji" at Christmas...

"Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even" and so on and so forth! Here we are again: it's Christmas! Today I was booked to crew 1912-built Hudswell Clarke "Fiji" on a morning turn at the Statfold Barn Railway with good friend JB. It had been some years since myself and John had been on a footplate together and so today provided a good excuse for us to combine our efforts again. We arrived in the usual convoy at the Statfold gates a little before 06:30, ready to be let in. After signing in and reading the notices, I wandered out onto the apron at the back of the roundhouse...

"Fiji" was resting warmly outside the roundhouse doors, with our tail engine for the shift (Peckett "Harrogate") stabled just behind her. Both engines were still nice and hot from last nights efforts and wouldn't take much bringing around this morning, despite the almost frosty conditions. Having checked the firebox and smokebox, I confirmed the water level of half a glass in the boiler. It was then time to gently rake through the remains of yesterdays fire. Statfold still burns the very smoky Shotton coal which is fabulous in every regard except for the smoke. It lights well, burns well, gives good heat, rarely clinkers and provides little ash and this latter trait makes clearing the grate very easy. Grate cleaned, I grabbed some wood before lighting some pre-soaked rags on the shovel to start the embryo fire. Here we go...

Despite the cold morning "Fiji" started singing almost immediately as the wood fire began to take hold. The huge balloon stack (designed to reduce sparks) was soon emitting a reassuring plume of smoke steadily skyward...

Whilst I prepared the fire, John was making his way around the 0-6-0 tender engine with the oil cans. As usual on a cold morning like this, the oil was a little reluctant to flow! As steam pressure gently rose, we completed our morning prep by ashing out and giving the engine a good clean. As we left shed, we were grateful for the Great Western-style weather sheet (or tarpaulin) that had been fitted to the tender. This would provide a welcome relief from the sharp winds that cut across the Statfold fields...

Washed and changed, we dropped "Fiji" back onto the waiting five-coach train and waited for the lights to be hooked up. "Harrogate" was already in place on the rear of our first departure. This move would be an ECS job, running via Cogan Halt to Oak Tree to then hide away prior to the first 'big entrance' of the day...

It was a changeable morning weather-wise. A cold but clear start had opened up into a cloudy and drizzly couple of hours which would later dry up. The wind however was pretty constant and so, to prevent any soot in the cab, I decided to make up the fire well up the door so that the larger fire could be managed with less need to open the door. Here, "Fiji" prepares to depart Strawberry Park with the ECS...

The format for the Santa Express in 2022 is much the same as last year. All trains depart from Strawberry Park and passengers then alight at Oak Tree for their Santa experience once the train has run via Cogan Halt. The train then returns to Strawberry Park as ECS and makes the 'big entrance' into the platform to collect the next load of passengers. The timetable this year sees departures at 25-minute intervals which certainly keeps you moving! As usual, all trains are top and tailed by two steam locomotives, with "Fiji" and "Harrogate" being the main choice.

After running to Oak Tree with the ECS, we topped up our tender with water before waiting time on departure to collect our first passengers. We took the opportunity for a quick crew snap as who knows when these pairings will happen again? My last official turn with John was June 17th 2018, according to the blog records. That was a much warmer day aboard GWR 4575-Class No5542, not far from here on the withered arm. I've known JB for many a year, mainly due to his long association with a railway a few of us used to frequent. A craftsman of 16mm coal fired steamers, John (at the sprightly age of 78) still drives at Statfold but has retired from the big stuff. He's a good friend and a great laugh, often demonstrating his ready wit and cracking one liners...

From 78 and 30 above to 68 and 20 below. Here we are aboard something a little bigger than "Fiji". Yes, it's 1937-built LMS Black Five No45379 which we had on loan for a steam gala back at the old place a decade ago. Look how much thinner I am! Funny how time passes. But, despite everything, you have to remember the good times. Back then crewing a main liner was a rare treat, thankfully not so rare these days...

"John and Sam Aboard 45379" (Pic - D.Hanks)

No doubt dreaming of his glory days driving "Kolhapur", John takes "Fiji" along the bottom straight towards Cogan Halt with another Santa Express...

My forward view from the fireman's seat aboard "Fiji"...

The headlamp on "Fiji" is often used at night or in poor weather like this mornings drizzle. It adds further atmosphere to the already twinkling lights of the train. It too is steam powered, with electricity generated from a steam generator mounted on the fireman's side. I do like "Fiji" and her interesting looks...

Throughout the morning my wedge continued to burn through and I added to it as and when required. Steam and water levels remained strong throughout the morning and we had no trouble with irritating blowing off. With the regulator open the smoke would clear to a light grey haze which is just what you want...

On an early afternoon departure, "Fiji" steadily leaves Strawberry Park...

Our crew change to the afternoon crew was due at 13:55 and for our final trip with "Fiji" she was on the tail of the train. This gave me a chance to make sure everything was shipshape ready for the next crew. At Oak Tree we gave the engine another splash of oil and slacked the cab floor down to tidy the place up...

And there we go, job done! We handed over a free steaming "Fiji" to Nigel & Joey at Strawberry Park ready for the afternoon/evening session...

I have one more Statfold Santa Express turn for 2022: Sunday 18th December on the PM shift with "Harrogate". John however is done for the year and I must thank him for a pleasant and comical morning aboard the Hudswell Clarke. It's always nice to spend a shift with your mate! Thanks to Alex for rostering us and thank you all for reading. Finally, of course, Merry Christmas to all...

44871 Steams Southward to Southall...

Talk about a wet day...it's been a wet month! This afternoon in pouring rain, 44871 graced us briefly with her presence as she passed the EMD at Northampton, bound for Southall. The Black Five is off to the smoke to do a couple of jobs before returning north in a few weeks time. As a hardy bunch of us waited on the grass, 44871 appeared out of the gloom right on time. The signal was still on for her route, meaning that the engine had shut-off and was slowing to a stand at the board...

As soon as the signal cleared, 44871 summoned her strength and took her support coach away southward. I'll probably see her again when she comes back!

Please note that the above images were taken from land outside of the NR boundary fence.

The Last Hurrah 2022: Back Out With 78018...

The end of the GCRs main season (although the railway never actually ceases to operate as such) is signalled by the annual Last Hurrah gala which traditionally takes place towards the end of November. I was lucky enough to bag a third man turn for this one, on the morning shift with John and Andy aboard 78018. Our sign on was a very early 05:15 and I'll admit that I find it much harder to get out of the door at that time these days than I used to! I met up with Andy at the engine, having signed in and read the notices. He kindly allowed me to prepare the engine from the fireman's perspective this morning. Having checked the smokebox and firebox, I cleared the grate of the warming fire before lighting the new one. Smoke first thing is quite normal...

78018 stands on No2 road at the shed having just been lit up...

We had two trips to do today, of which one was fired by myself. The first train was a full line passenger to Leicester North and back, with the second being a local out to Rothley and then a return to Lougborough with the Minerals train. Here, 78018 feathers at Rothley carriage sidings on our second run, waiting time for our light engine trip to Swithland bang road to fetch the Mineral wagons...

It was refreshing to see plenty of people out and about today for the Last Hurrah, which featured five locomotives in steam plus 'Iris' the visiting lightweight railcar and a couple of diesel locos. The star of the show was undoubtedly 78018s sister 78019. No19 was released into service this morning following some running in after a lengthy overhaul. I managed to capture this shot of the Darlington built pair as fresh out of the box 78019 passes us by at Rothley. Both are a credit to the GCR and their owning groups...

After the above shot was taken we were released from the siding and sent bang road (on the up) to Swithland to collect the Minerals train. Once we'd taken this back to Loughborough we were relieved by 78018s afternoon crew. I must thank John and Andy for another very pleasant morning at the GCR. It's always enjoyable...

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.

An Unusual Combination: The Black Five and the Streak...

Working right next to the Northampton loop line really does have its benefits sometimes. We are lucky enough to get a wide variety of steamers passing by my work, as anything that goes to or from London from the Midlands or the north tends to pass us by on its way there or back. This afternoon saw quite an interesting consist heading southward: a rake of ECS hauled by not one but two locomotives. The combination was also quite unusual as it consisted of a Stanier Black Five and a Gresley A4 Pacific. 45231 "Sherwood Forester" and 4498 "Sir Nigel Gresley" came strolling past in the pouring rain on their way to Southall for some upcoming jobs. The Black Five was leading (no doubt to allow the A4 to use her corridor tender against the train) and both were blowing off as they sauntered past Northampton EMD. "Sir Nigel Gresley" (currently the only operational Gresley A4) looked very smart in a plain wartime black livery...

"Sir Nigel Gresley" was also minus her record holder plates as in her current wartime guise this event hadn't happened yet! 4498 was of course the postwar speed record holder for steam, achieving 112mph in 1959 on Stoke Bank, following in the footsteps of all time record holder 4468 "Mallard". Two record holders from the same class of locomotive must have surely cemented their place in history. As with all main line jobs, the experience was over in seconds and soon all we could see were the tail lights of the Class 47 ticking over on the rear of the train as the duo headed off into the distance. I had to go through my blog archives to find out when I last saw 4498 (then 60007: her BR guise) in steam. It turns out that it was 2009, as proven by this grainy shot from a dimly lit Platform 6 at Nuneaton on a February evening...

It was nice to see an A4 in steam again, particularly as she is likely to be the only operational one for some time since the retirement of "Bittern" and "Union of South Africa". Until the next blog post, take care and cheers all...

Please note that the above images were taken from either none-NR private land or public areas.

GCR Firing Course: Day Three...

The firing course at the Great Central is certainly flying by and here I am writing the day three post. Day three involved an 05:30 sign on for all candidates as we took on the roles of the engine crews to prepare the three locomotives rostered for the day. Instructors were wandering around shadowing the various candidates and we were also given practical assessments on lamp preparation and gauge glass changes during the morning. Each of us were given a role to perform on our engine which could be either for a driver or a fireman. I was asked to complete the driver prep on BR Standard 2 No78018. Meanwhile, 92214 and 48305 were being prepared by other candidates and are snapped here on the shed frontage just after sunrise...

Over the next few hours we busied ourselves around our engines before their crews arrived to take them off shed. 78018 is pictured here, ready to go...

Once the three engines had departed the shed it was time for us to catch a train southward to walk the signals and track layouts of both Swithland and Rothley. Later in the day we returned to Loughborough to complete another written exam before signing out at around 14:30. Thanks to the instructors and the rest of the firing course lads for another pleasant day. Here's to the next one! Cheers...

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.

GCR Firing Course: Day Two...

Evening all. I'm writing this post having completed day two of the Great Central Railway's 2022 firing course. Today involved another heavy classroom session, including powerpoint presentations, video resources and written exams followed by a full walk through of the track layout and signalling arrangements at Loughborough station this afternoon. Once again, today was a very engaging and informative experience, very much unlike the serious lack of training we were subjected to at other places not far from here. Talk about wishing you'd done something years ago! I've included one quick snap from today which sees 78018 resting on No2 road on the shed frontage. The engine was given a warming fire this afternoon in preparation for four round trips tomorrow on, I'd guess, a DATEX. Cheers...

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.

GCR Firing Course: Day One...

Afternoon all. I have just returned from day one of the 2022 Great Central Railway firing course and I'm pleased to report that I found it both engaging and rewarding. The GCR offers a firing course each year, running between October and February, which is applied for via letter. Applications are considered and candidates are then chosen in preparation for the course start. I have been lucky enough to make the grade for the 2022 course, along with six other fellow candidates. Day one included a full day of classroom learning with topics taken from a written curriculum. This was quite a change for me. Having been originally used to a nameless railway where there is zero training (or indeed experience) on offer, it was very refreshing to be a part of this course which is delivered professionally and with a wide variety of resources at hand. The course is aimed at teaching individuals regardless of previous experience and I only wish I'd had this at my disposal the first time around. Oh well, you live and learn! Anyway, a great day one and now we look forward to day two! Cheers...

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.

GCR: The Autumn Gala - Ivatt Round Two...

This morning I arrived at the GCR base at Loughborough at around 06:30 to take part in another cleaning turn. The occasion was the GCRs annual Autumn Steam Gala and every operational steam locomotive was running, alongside two visiting engines. The two visitors were the NELPG J27 No65894 from the Moors and the Ivatt Class 2 tank No41312 from the Mid Hants. After my cleaning turn it was time to jump into the pits and shovel out some ashes but before that I managed to sneak a quick snap of the flagship Western engine No6990 "Witherslack Hall". "Witherslack" is currently in the shed receiving attention as she needs some boiler repairs amongst other bits and bobs. Rumour has it she is hoped to appear again later in 2023: let's hope so because a railway without a Western engine is like a day without sunshine!...

After the pits were emptied, Simon kindly arranged for me to have another unexpected turn on Ivatt Class 2 No46521 with Ashley and Andy. I wasn't rostered for anything today but would of course never turn down an extra turn! We took over the engine in the early afternoon in preparation for two round trips: one full line passenger and one local out to Rothley and then minerals back. Here, 46521 simmers quietly in the down loop at Loughborough, awaiting her next move. Our stock was still out up the line...

Andy kindly allowed me to fire the two round trips and, having been out on 46521 last weekend, I was hopeful all would be well. The tender had plenty of the Welsh dust in it, but not a lot of lumps. However, with right time nearing, I had to add coal to thicken the firebed and get some heat back in her. By the time I'd made my fire up it was clear that we were in for a bit of a rubbish outward trip, despite the water level and steam pressure being strong as we departed Loughborough. On a gala day you can't afford to hang about so once you've set sail you need to keep time otherwise everything else suffers. Though I managed to keep my water level up, my firing efforts were not having the desired effect and by the time we reached Kinchley Lane on the approach to Swithland Viaduct we were on our way 'down the nick'. I'm never ashamed to say it, I was 'down the nick'. ('Down the nick' is the common term for an engine struggling for steam). Nevertheless, onward we marched.

To be fair we kept plenty of water and we didn't have to stop for a blow up but it still wasn't the best performance. Luckily, thanks to having experienced this situation before, I could see the issue with my fire now that I'd had time to get my head in the game. There was plenty of coal on the grate and it was mostly in the right places, so it wasn't a question of quantity or a hole in the fire. The high quantity of slack however had cooled the fire and restricted the air flow from underneath the grate. A rake through with the iron turned the chimney immediately black as the volatiles began to burn off with the sudden surge of oxygen. The steam pressure was immediately affected (thankfully positively) and by the time we'd drifted away from Rothley through the slack near the carriage sidings, things were looking up. As Ashley dug the engine into the climb away from the section signal, the engine was approaching the red line again and things had significantly recovered. From then on, with a hotter, cleaner fire, we couldn't stop her steaming. Here she is on our second trip, at Rothley carriage sidings...

The returning second trip was far more leisurely as we were pulling the windcutter minerals. All GCR freight trains operate to a 20mph limit so you go a bit steadier with those. Upon arrival at Loughborough it was time to depart the engine after an interesting two trips with Ashley and Andy. Thanks both for a great time and thanks Simon for arranging it. Next Saturday is firing course day one. Cheers...

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.