Of snow and gronk

14th February 2021

Something of an interlude.

If you're here looking for reports on progress on the locos in Andrew's collection, then you may be a little disappointed. Monday I was off to South Wales: first stop was the Barry Island railway, from where Andrew had purchased a vac exhauster and some 08 brake rigging, the latter to provide a couple of workable slack adjusters for D9500's future. Then it was over to meet up with Adam and Ian to load our first gronk of the week. For various reasons that has to be done out of 'working hours' which this time of year means in the dark, then head back north hotly pursued by the wagon.

First thing Tuesday it was out to aid the unloading 'Watch out for the icy bits' warned Adam, and sure enough I was the only one to slip over.

Wednesday I was trying to catch up on paperwork again but nonetheless got out to Matlock and then Ashbourne to get more kerosene for the shed space heater. (Can't find anywhere in Matlock or Bakewell that stocks kerosene.) Thursday at last I managed to get a day in the shed, various other activities got a bit of time, including assembling a gizmo I'm developing for handling rails. Claire was the main recipient though with new laser cut spacers being added to door catches and locks, and the rad protective grille being trimmed and refitted. Andrew and I popped back in the evening and did a bit of welding, but it was bitterly cold and not conducive to long periods.

Originally Andrew had planned Friday off to go collect grandson, but a transport job meant that I would have to be over that way on either Saturday or Sunday, so instead it was agreed that I would collect grandson and in exchange he would pop up into the frozen wastes of the North East to assist Adam and Ian loading a Sentinel at Wolsingham. Even that became a close call as his 'day off' got changed by dint of on-line meetings and when he got free after lunch it was to find that his car battery had succumbed to the cold! Nevertheless he made it and late in the afternoon here is a 34ton Sentinel loaded and ready to roll in apparently artic-like conditions.

So at 06.00 Saturday morning I was heading out, destined for Great Yarmouth. The loco arrived at 09.10 to find nobody there yet: I got there at 09.30 and shortly after the vehicle was admitted and parked up awaiting the 'nod'. The unloading of the Sentinel and reloading of our second gronk of the week (I've said that some people won't take my transport business seriously until they've seen us moving a gronk, and I was holding back on my next 'ad until I had a (good) photo to use: now I'm spoilt for choice, we've been shifting them since last October) took rather longer than anticipated, not helped by temperatures hovering around zero and a strong wind that had nothing but us in its path.

I left site at about 3.45 and had collected grandson and was back home by eight pm. Andrew meanwhile after buying a new battery and fitting it, had spent some time at the shed, doing some fabrication and starting on static air testing Claire, but it looks as though the straight air brake valve needs changing as it is leaking through.

Today it was his turn to be off early as he had to oversee a GBRF 47 take 3 of the EMR class 360s in one rake out of Kettering, and I would have headed down to the shed on my own but for 2 things. One I was still tired by yesterday (a quck tally last night showed that I had racked up just under 1000 miles on business last week - I did that regularly 30 years ago but I'm rather out of practice) and two, whilst I was twiddling thumbs in Great Yarmouth, I could have had a Covid jab, but had to pass as I wouldn't be around. Steph however had one, and reacted a bit to it overnight, turning into a full-blown migraine. So I had a watching brief over grandson until Andrew returned, after which I popped down but only to get things ready or tomorrrow. For yet again I must be out at silly o'clock to get down south and assist unloading the gronk at its new base.

So you'll forgive me if this report is not as long as usual. What's in store for this next week? I've no idea: a bit less shivering with cold I hope. Will I have lost my place for a Covid jab? Dunno that either, though I see an interesting study that suggests that asthmatics are less represented amongst covid-sufferers than logic says they ought, and suggests that possibly some of the medications we routinely take, which include mild steroids, may be having a beneficial effect. Or maybe it's just that my lung capacity and peak flow are so poor that I don't breathe enough virus in in the first place! And so with that hostage to fortune I'll say cheerio and hope to be back with more to say next week. See ya then.