Of a fare-Huds-well

13th September 2020

Like I said, first thing Monday we were off to Shillingstone to meet up with Ashdown and though we didn't set off quite as early as I was lead to expect, we nonetheless arrived at about 12.15, and found some of the their volunteers strategically placed on the main road ready to guide the low loader in. It transpired that they had assumed our ETA was that of the low loader, which at that time was still south of Blanford Forum. They had put out cones and other bollards to try to discourage parking, but drivers of big 4 x 4s seem to be oblivious of such things and when Adam arrived, it was a squeeze to get around and past one such example.

Shillingstone has an industrial estate that has grown up next to the station, which at least means that there is a fair amount of room to swing the vehicle around and back through a temporarily removed fence in order to line up with a temporary unloading point.

Lots of Shillingstone's volunteers had turned out to watch. As usual, Andrew had me drive the loco down the ramp, not as easy with a diesel-mechanical as it is with a hydraulic. so it was a succession of steps, about 3 or 4 feet at a time, down to the permanent way. On these occasions I like to sound the horn a long blast on arrival: this time it was rather longer than I had expected as the horn valve, not much used of late, decided to stick! Now, my role, so far as I was aware, was to carry out driver familiarity training with the loco, and I gained one such student in the cab with me, but part of our contract was also to uplift a chassis of a Polish type 0-6-0 tank and transfer it from the 'running lines' to a disconected plinth where its overhaul could easily progress with interruption.

So my first task with Ashdown was to collect the Dogfish ballast wagon and, using it as a barrier, push the chassis on to the trailer. My companion was of course watching what I was doing so it wasn't wasted time. I returned the ballast wagon to the 48DS Ruston and was about to start 'proper' training when I was summoned to aid the unloading of the chassis, which involved the winch, and when gravity was no longer effective, their excavator.

With winch rope re-stowed, I returned to Ashdown and soon had my trainee driving Ashdown up and down, and becoming more confident in its handling. Adam and Ian set off back north: Andrew and I meanwhile carried on with Ashdown until volunteers started wrapping up and heading home. A locksmith came over to count up all the locks, etc required to prevent individuals prying into things when the station is not manned. They added fuel to the tanks and learned their way around oiling places and where everything was to be found. They found to their delight that the cab radiators really did work (the 48DS has none) and I found, somewhat to my surprise, that all 4 air wipers worked without argument (they can be so much bother).

Finally we took our leave, thanking them for their tea and pasties. We arrived home well after 10pm so Tuesday was a bit of a slow day. Wednesday had me running down to Nottingham to collect a load of nuts and bolts Andrew had picked up on ebay, and Thursday was a red letter day, for both Andrew and I managed to get our hair cuts at the Darley Dale barbers. Thanks to Covid, I had missed the sheepshearing season this year and when the barbers re-opened (appointments only to minimise numbers) there seemed little point in joining the stampede. But things have quietened and we sat side by side, so my mad professor look is gone again for now.

We have been storing bits for the Ivatt Diesel group now at Wirksworth and as we endeavour to empty the PCV before its departure, I had a van full of bits to go across, and after 2pm on Friday was agreed. While loading the dmu gearbox in the foreground, we were able to employ the new weighing device that Andrew had again bought through e-bay, finding it to be 221kg. This weekend, well, after committing so much time to Ashdown Andrew was giving me a hand on some commercial jobs that have been lagging rather behind.  (Andrew did though head out this morning to a swapmeet for railwayana, but was back in good time, saying it was much smaller than Quorn and he hadn't bought anything.) What with mounting compressor bases, exhaust systems, transmission coolers and radiators it has been a very productive weekend but not the sort of thing I put on here, so you'll have to take my word for it. We did at least manage to complete the list of things that I had hoped that we would achieve last week (but knew we wouldn't). As we were coming home tonight, Andrew's boss (not me, nor Steph) invited him to go out to a derailment as part of his on-going training with a certain train operatng company, so he's out and won't be back until late. I look forward to the gory details.

Anyway, that's it, loads of work to get on with , and another weekend on the horizon. I'll be here again next Sunday, virus permitting. See ya then.