Of Tribble to Toad

16th August 2020

Hello,. Sunday agian. Half way through August in fact. And what week it has been.

It's been a physically stressful week: I knew it was going to be but the heat only made things worse. And although things wound down on Thursday evening, I'm still feeling the effects - no matter what the brain says, the body admits it isn't 21 any more. First thing on Monday Andrew (who had taken time off work to join me) and I hared off south to meet up with the low load trailer at Midsomer Norton. Now, I know you're thinking to yourself that I've always said I don't talk about commercial jobs, and that's right, but this one has been outstanding for so long that it has been in various magazines so it's scarcely a secret. The object was to collect their EE 0-6-0DH which is coming up to me for a vacuum brake fit. Adam arrived about 45 minutes after us, and the loco was loaded and away in reasonable time, despite the heat.

The only hiccup was that Andrew had said on Sunday had I put the ramps in the van? and I'd thought he was refering to those big wooden bitz wot you saw last week but no, he'd meant the short steel ones that haven't (yet) been welded to the Mk3 ramps. Never mind, a bit of timber each side did just as well. On Andrew's master schedule, this loco was to be unloaded Monday afternoon to make a flying start on Tuesday, but with the slightly later start from Midsomer than he'd hoped, and the heat (which is not favourable to tyres when a 48ton loco is sat on them) it was Tuesday morning before we were at Rowsley to offload and set off for the next job north. In this case though we were joined by Jagger, which gave us an extra pair of hands.

That second loco was duly collected and arrived at Rowsley on Wednesday morning. Once unloaded Adam and his Dad, Ian, opted to return home as although the 650hp Mercedes tractor had twin bunks, it didn't have a shower and they wanted a change of clothes. We went home for a late lunch and long, cool drinks. Plans got changed again Wednesday afternoon: initially Adam and Ian were taking the Merc back down to Midsomer early in the evening, but some kind soul closed the M5 so instead they arrived first thing Thursday and by the time Andrew and Jagger caught up they were almost loaded. From which you can deduce that I stayed behind to catch up on some paperwork and then after an early lunch headed down to the shed and fired up Ludwig Mond. Well actually first I drained 5 gallons of diesel out of another loco as Ludwig's gauge was indicating just above E and I didn't fancy finding out just how accurate it was, and added 5 gallons of mixed coolant as the 2 stage coolant level detection had been giving a first stage warning for a couple of weeks. The warning light extinguished but came on again after a mile or two so clearly it had only been just enough. Anyway, pushing a short wheelbase flat wagon of Ben R's, Ludwig trundled up to Rowsley and I realised that I had left my camera back at Darley Dale, but on arrival there as Dom B and a colleague working on the north end signalling installation so I am indebted to him for some pictures of me at work.

I moved the two locos aside in case we needed to pull the wagon off the trailer, but when everyone arrived, it rolled easily down and a train of sorts formed up to return to Darley Dale. The van is a former APCM van for bagged cement, that the S&&D Heritage group had decided was 'out of period'. It is a strange mixture of ancient and modern - plywood construction, roller bearings, spring hangers and other parts welded from profiles then rivetted to a channel frame. Yet it is vac braked, not air, and has an Empty/Loaded changeover valve that apparently switches it over from a smaller vac cylinder to a larger one

Friday was definitely time to recover, but I had parts to collect up in Sheffield so journeyed thence only to start a migraine on the return leg. On Saturday Andrew was off to collect grandson but I was at the shed where Alistair L and his son were back continuing work painting Charlie.

For a while I started tidying up tools we'd left out after clearing out Ashdown's cab and running plate, but then I caught movement out the corner of my eye and a moment later a toad scurried for cover under a rather dirt-encrusted compressor. It couldn't actually get under the compressor though, so after leaving its bum and back legs out for all to see, it turned around, backed in and faced me presumably ready to make a rapid get-away if I became too inquisitive.

After a while I left it, and when I returned it had gone, outside or into some quieter, darker corner of the shed I know not. Later on, I had been drilling holes in profiles for brackets of various sorts and wandered out the back for a break and found an enthusiast looking over the gates. It transpired he had been hoping for a ride on the EVR but they were fully-booked, so he'd left wife and family at Matlock Bath and come to see if there was any action here. (I've been asked by quite a few people this week whether trains are running, particularly while unloading things at Rowsley, but having heard nothing official from PR management all one can voice is a diplomatic apology.)  He hoped to get up to Rowsley and see the Class 50s, but by the time I'd given him the (socially distanced) tour his wife was on the phone after his whereabouts. Trouble is, the Donations tin didn't gain anything either.

Later in the afternoon I took a slitting disc to the padlock on one side of the cement van and gained entry. Andrew had said not to bother as the padlocks were case hardened steel. They looked rather cheaper Italian products to me and sure enough they were easily chopped up.

Today I woke up with the certainty of having had another migraine overnight: Andrew and I got down about lunchtime and started a long and involved shunt to reposition things, using both Ludwig and Charlie. The PCV, which is due to leave before too long and must be emptied, came over to the shed, Ashdown came outside and its casing doors were refitted, while RS8 and a commercial job came inside for work to continue irrespective of weather.

Together we fired up Ashdown and did a test on the compressor build-up as we think it's a bit poor and wanted to have figures to go over with the manufacturers. Andrew then cracked on welding up various brackets and things, and late in the afternoon Ben R arrived to assess the complications of repairs required to the 'new' cement van. It is up to me, of course, to get lighting and 110V outlet(s) installed within the van and thus make its interior bright enough for its planned function as an engine repair area, while Andrew decides what to do about the flooring, as the turnover stand has little steel castors and won't take kindly to such uneven-ness.

And that's about it. Lots of activity - maybe a bit much for the temperature - and progress on a number of fronts. Next week Andrew is away but hopefully I'll be here, migraine free and with lots to say. See ya then.