Of road works, bridges and gates

25th August 2019

I am indebted to Andy H for much of this weeks pictorial content as I cannot multi-task like I used to and taking pictures while also packing timbers on ramps and driving locos on and off them is a bit beyond me.

I did say last week that you'd have a whole edition free from RS8, but that's not going to work out as in practice the left hand side casing doors went away with Andy H as a homework project and so have been receiving attention at the Wortley Top Forge, where he is a trustee.

So here's a photo of their progress and we'll move on to what really happened last Monday.

First thing in the morning (by my standards anyway) Andy H and I were on our way to Leicester to collect Claire. It was to be the first move of my trailer after which we planned to get it into the yard at Darley so that we could get on with mods to make it more loco-friendly. Sat on the back of it were two packing cases which were originally loaded to Andrew's old trailer but were too heavy to lift off (manually) so were transferred to mine when Andrew's was sold.

Claire was looking a little forlorn: it had been out of use for a few months for various reasons and its batteries wouldn't start it, but we'd brought down a slave set and soon had it running although the exhaust, thanks to an unintended hole, was exiting in various other places than the stack. We moved the loco round to where it was to be loaded and waited for the vehicle to arrive.

In the meantime we wandered down with Andrew's laser measure to check the actual height of the 'low bridge' that obstructs the easiest route from UKRL's depot. The bridge itself turned out to be an inch or three over 14ft, but the safety beam that Network Rail had installed to protect it only gave us 13ft 9. Eventually the lorry arrived and manouvered into position.

The ramp was soon constructed and Claire was driven up into position and made secure. Then the tractor unit re-connected and we height-sticked the loco: 14ft 1

Yes, it would pass under the bridge but no, it would not clear the safety beam on the far side! We couldn't even quite achieve it by lowering the air suspension, so nothing for it but to head out through the housing estate.

Sounds simple, huh? Well, for starters it meant reversing up the slope that marks the depot entrance road, appearing like the sun over the horizon.

Then along a narrow road and right up a one-way street (the wrong way) - thank heavens for rear wheel steering, as the second man can guide the trailer while the driver concentrates on other things.

Andy H and myself were on traffic duty, eventually my blocking the road with my van as the trailer backed across the crossroads in front as far as it could, the driver jack-knifed the tractor unit to swing it round 90 degrees and off down the next road with parked cars on either side,

Believe me it wasn't easy and a lot of irate drivers were hooting behind me until we finally could let them through. Residents were at their doorways photographing our progress (probably for evidence in case they could claim scratches on their cars parked outside) as we sidled down this narrow road and out onto a main road at the bottom, where we had to go wrong side around a traffic island which was too close to get right back in before.

A bus driver let us out, but probably regretted it. At the next lights the lorry went through and I waited a round, and couldn't find it, so as we had anticipated being back for lunch and it was now well past, we dashed back to Darley Dale for sarnies.

Around three-thirty the lorry arrived at Rowsley and we commenced unloading. About 15 years ago I was doing the same thing, when Claire - then painted black - arrived at Rowsley after restoration work at Long Marston and a brief interlude on loan to RMS Locotec. We used it for some incidental footage of our antics for Scrapheap Challenge in 2004. But today it was simply a matter of driving it down to Darley Dale, with Harvey C acting as our designated pilotman.

We reached Church Lane without incident. I was a little apprehensive by now as I had finally noticed that the fuel gauge was reading Empty and the Cummins engine was acting a little strange. But although one gate was readily released, Harvey was having difficulty with the key for the other lock and I went to join him. We searched everywhere. Harvey rang everyone he could think of. Everyone seemed convinced the key must be in the box somewhere (it wasn't on Harvey's 'master set') but nothing worked. After half an hour we had no option but to take a hacksaw to it. (Later I found out that on the previous day the original lock had failed to yield so had been destroyed as train time neared. The only replacement to hand had but one key, so that key had been afterwards taken to Darley Dale! 'Harvey should have known' insisted my informant. Given that Claire's arrival had been arranged last week, it seemed to me that Harvey should have been informed!).

By the time we rolled into Darley Dale platform, the trailer was in the yard and the tractor unit had departed. We parked Claire up and did the same.

I've had another of those weeks when what I planned to get done took second place to keeping a customer satisfied by running round getting something off, fixed and back on again. In this case it was off Tuesday and back on Thursday, but on the latter I was somewhat annoyed to find that my route in, which had had no warning signs up on Tuesday, was now closed by roadworks and forced me to take a 4 mile diversion when I was anxious to get in and get on. I assume the repairs were classed as emergency but it is still galling to find no warning until just before and thus no chance to re-plan my route (and so avoid another pestulance of roadworks which I was now loathe to return past). I say all this because on Thursday afternoon I was also due to take Steph and grandson to Chesterfield station so was working against the clock. The train was due at 17.03 so we set off (for a journey which on a good day can take as little as 25 minutes) at about 16.10. I opted for the 'back way' at Chesterfield as traffic was heavy turning up to the town centre, but I came around a bend to find the route closed by roadworks. I took a right and proceeded to drive 1-2 miles until I found a left hand turn which took me in the direction I wanted and left again on to the A632 - which was queuing for nearly a mile to the temporary lights at the end of that same roadworks which had forced me to divert!

Tempers were now getting short: we still had tickets to collect on arrival and reserved seats arranged. In the end we made it at about 16.50 and guess what - the train was already twenty minutes late and lost another 12 by Darlington.

So all alone on Friday I was back to the shed but joined by Andy H for various tasks including maintenance on the trailer ramp. But it was notable for one event. When the forklift arrived it had struggled on the loose ground where the track had been freshly relaid. Until recently it had therefore been confined inside the shed where concrete was more to its liking. Recently those two pads cast outside enabled it to sample fresh air, but like a caged animal it yearned to be given its freedom. If it was to assist us in mounting the winch, etc to the trailer it had to be given a chance, and so the train was drawn back and we shook off its restraints. Off it went into the wide blue yonder, returning with the two crates that had been living on the back of the trailer and finally with the 4 stillages that we had tipped off a lorry some months ago. We may have to watch it after wet weather, but for now it is free to roam with the other rubber-tyred beasts - at least as far as the gate.

Alistair L and his son arrived during the afternoon and continued the painting of 03 901s cab: they were back again on Saturday to finish the job, just leaving me a few electrical tasks to carry out before it leaves for Midsomer. I'll leave you with some pictures of their handiwork, drying in the heat of Saturday evening. Many thanks guys.

So what does this week have in store? Not much I hope: I could do with a few days relative quiet. Will I get it? Come back and find out. See ya then.