Of sadness and success

8th September 2019

Anything look familiar?

A lot of pictures this week. Is it because my typing finger is tired, or the 'muse' has left me? Well, let's not go into that, but I have had a day with good weather and no specific work in mind, but we'll get around to that later.

Monday was a return to Tunstead. As Andrew had borrowed my van over the weekend I had to wait for him and then go down to the shed and load up, so it was nearly 10 o'clock before I arrived, but Andy H had been busy and apart from finding the keys and pumping out the pit, one of the engineers was in discussion with him. Our moans last time about how the 'Tarmac involvement' had largely subsided had been taken to heart and a meeting arranged for later in the day. Andy H had brought up the lh side casing doors with a first coat of yellow applied, and fairly quickly we decided to trial them in place with the finished air cleaner panel and see how they fitted. So here's RS8 with its casing doors looking like they're finished.

About 2pm an informal meeting took place, exploring the possibilities of how to ensure Tarmac gets something back for all their input over the last couple of years. As Andy H put it, we could take the loco away saying 'so long and thanks for the fish' (A Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy refrence if you're unsure) but really we want to see Tarmac gain some Brownie points. It would be nice to do a tour of the quarry system, maybe posed with 'Dovedale' (one of the generation of locos, like Cheedale, that superceeded RS8) one of the current Hunslets and maybe a 66 posed in the background. The various managers agreed and went off to follow-up on various aspects. Andy continued painting: I had a few things to do up in the cab, including re-jigging the throttle detection valve so it was operated by a spring, but the longer I was up there, the less time Andy had to paint things like the tread plates and handrails, so in the end I vacated the cab so that he had unrestricted access.

The day fnished a little early but I had a rendezvous to pick up some concrete troughing which will form that additional slot drain we've been planning. Later in the week I had a call from one of the managers at Tunstead - Rail Traffic were happy for us to bring RS8 onto their quarry tracks and pose the other locos, and a source of steel balls for the front ballast weights had been identified. Another meeting is planned for tomorrow with Tarmac's publicity depart in attendance.

I had arranged that on Friday I would slip back down to Midsomer Norton to carry out a few minor jobs on 03 901 ready for its gala debut, and Barrie P of the S&D group arranged for me to stay with one of their senior men at his house in Cheddar. On Thursday though news came through of a sad occurrence, which I'll come back to later, and Andrew's plan to join me on Saturday was scrubbed. So anyway I loaded up the van on Friday morning and ambled deown to Midsomer Norton, where 03 901, now disguised as D2128, had received some sprucing up by keen S&D members. The side rods and buffer beams had received fresh red paint, and the wheels had been scraped of the stubborn muck which had resisted our steam cleaner years ago. They were steadily polishing it with Autoglym. I went into the cab floor and found a disconnected wire in the junction box which I hoped would restore all the rear codelights, but in the event one red at each end still didn't function and closer investigation showed that the resistors for the LEDs had burnt out, presumably I'd used the wrong wattage, so that will have to await a return for new boards. I also found the handbrake was in need of adjustment and restored it to full function. The throttle has always been reluctant to return properly to idle, so I adjusted the spring tension, and with teas and talk that about completed the day.

It is many years since I went through Cheddar Gorge. I was probably about grandson's age and had it in mind that the caves were part of the Gorge. I can remember Wookey Hole clearly but either my memory is at fault or someone has moved it away from the gorge so as not to compete for the tourists. Either way a very pleasant evening ensued with Matt C and his wife and after a hearty breakfast we returned to Midsomer.

At every other gala event that I have been to with Andrew's locos, it has always been me called on to drive and whilst I enjoy it, it is tiring and stressful. For once 'D2128' was being driven by S&D members leaving me the freedom to wander around. But first the works train had to be moved out of the Up platform and parked at the very end of the track, for which the EE Stephenson was fired up and I was invited to take a ride. Phil was driving (he who threatened to paint 03 901 in green) and down the line we went.

I use 'down' here as in Up and Down parlance, for in reality it is a climb of 1 in 47 or 1 in 52 all the way from the platform ends and the EE, having had its fuel pump screwed down to limit the engine to 1100rpm and thus its ability to exceed the 10 mph speed limit, plodded slowly all the way. It is rather like taking a thoroughbred horse and neutering it. Parked up at the far end, roughly a mile from Midsomer, left us with on the face of it a long walk back, but a phone call to confirm we had cleared the token section brought forth a cab - with loco attached - in the shape of Joyce, the Sentinel 200hp steamer which has been painted to represent the two later 200hps with worked at a nearby Radstock pit.

But a Sentinel has a large vertical boiler in the cab, with little enough room for driver and fireman. Four of us was a squeeze with hot pieces in close proximity!

Back at Midsomer the 03 was started and it was apparent that my ministrations with the throttle linkage had actually raised the idle rpm rather than reduce it, so I donned overalls and quickly reset it down. The first train was due away at 10.30: I took up position by the line and photo'd it as it left, making a noise, someone said, reminiscent of a Deltic.

As the train passed someone started waving at me from a doorway of the leading carriage - I couldn't think why so ignored it. Overalls were no longer required so I changed back and tried to blend in.

When the train returned the waver sought me out - it was Phil G who had come down from Humberside specially. The arrangements at Midsomer had been carefully thought through. Only the 'Down' line goes the full length. The Up line goes part way then joins the Down in a turnout which is not yet commissioned, so the two were worked effectively as seperate single lines. The Down was occupied by two Mk1s with whatever loco or combination of locos the Timetable required, while the Up line contained a train of coach, wagon and Queen Mary brakevan. Generally this was timed to depart a few minutes ahead of the Down train, and the verandahs of the brakevan formed excellent viewing platforms for photographers as the Down train forged its way by with appropriate noise.

And in case Midsomer became quiet when both trains were away, the recently refurbished Wickham, with its Reliant Robin engine, provided short rides up and down the yard.

So there was always something to see, even without the Museum, or the other items of interest - the plinthed PO wagon, the WW2 Pill box or the Anderson shelter. The Catering was limited to the Mk3 carriage in the yard, but put on an excellent menu which Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Indeed the whole day went well, with me largely chilling out and picking the best angles to photograph the 03, as you can see.

Towards the end of the afternoon, Phil made his excuses and headed north: the 03 was on the Up train so I had a ride behind it, then the Sentinel came off and headed back for disposal and the 03 transferred to the Down train with the 08 at the rear.

It was time for a final run up towards Chilcompton. I rode on this train too, a little sad that I wouldn't be there on Sunday but relieved that nothing untoward had happened and I hadn't had to leap into action as a flying fitter.

One of the S&D men who seemed to be in charge told me it was the busiest Saturday they had ever had, and certainly the numbers of visitors had been impressive. Pete Nicholson was there for Railway Magazine. Somebody recognised me for having taken him around the shed at Darley Dale months before. Another recognised Phil and me from an Appleby Frodingham tour (even though it is now 3 years since the 03 and Sentinel left Scunthorpe). I was asked if the 03 'had ever worked on British Railways' tracks'. No, I didn't know how to answer that either - in the end I smiled and assured him it had even been allocated to Bristol Bath Road for a while (from Jan '73). I heard another 'expert' tell his friends that Joyce 'must be a fireless because he couldn't see a funnel'! An S&D member politely put him straight!

Around 5pm I headed north, getting back to the Briddon Country Pile at 9pm, and as a matter of interest, with an overall 51.3 mpg. Andrew had spent Saturday with Jagger at the shed, tidying up. This was the plan on Sunday, but with the autumn HST event on at Rowsley, we assumed there would be the odd enthusiast around hoping to see what was here. Andrew claimed he hadn't had any yesterday (but he had been inside most of the time) but we had several today and a few quid in the Donations box. Phil G stopped off on his way back and spent most of the day with us, professing my trailer to have been a very good buy and extolling its good points. (He's a Trailer Fitter and qualified HGV driver, so knows his stuff - having taken delivery of 2 new tyres for it on Wednesday I needed to hear that!) Claire was fired up and drew the train back, enabling the forklift to be driven round and start moving some materials from the north side to less public places on the Matlock side.

Much of my time was taken up with guided tours, so Phil's presence was particularly useful. Having put the train back, Claire started acting up and finally died up the yard and was brought back to the shed by James. It may be it has finally run out (but dipping the tank this week showed over 7 inches of fuel) or maybe we had a blockage somewhere. I'll try to address it this week. Next Saturday is the Maid Marian Loco Fund AGM: I haven't decided whether to go yet: I'll see what this week brings.

And so back to the sad news of the week.

TERRY DAY 1970-2019

In ‘Of bits and Tits ‘ (26th May) I wrote how one of our friends was concerned over ‘dark masses’ on his lungs. That friend was Terry Day and he succumbed to cancer last Thursday. Terry hailed from Darlington and was a Plant Fitter by trade. Andrew and I came to know him when he joined RMS Locotec, and found his practical good sense much to our tastes. When Andrew was given a three week slot to get 14 901 repainted at Elsecar, it was Terry who mucked in and helped every night, and he did many other tasks on a loco he christened ‘The Deviant’. His humour was definitely non-PC. When we needed all the help we could get in laying the concrete floor of the shed, Terry took time off and was in the thick of it. We will miss him. He died at home with his partner, sister and daughter close at hand. RIP.

I've spent some time in this edition looking at how another railway organises an event, so let's continue that theme for a moment. Here's Ian Drummond, Chairman of the TRPS, writing in the September issue of Talyllyn News: 'By convention the Chairman of Council serves for a maximum of three years, and I wholeheartedly support the concept of the time limited term. It stops someone from dominating the Society to the exclusion of others, and enables fresh faces as well as new ideas to come forward and have their opportunity.' What a pity this policy is not de riguer in other groups. Ah well. I'll be here next week, will you? See ya then.