Of delaying traffic

26th June 2022

If the price of fuel is really putting people off making journies, I'm not seeing it.

Another busy week and I've got an early start tomorrow so I'll try and keep this succinct. First off, although the website told us that our new transducer for the Hatramm would be with us on Monday, Monday came and went with merely an e-mail from Germany advising us that it had been packed and was being despatched. Meanwhile I was sketching out the software for the smart relay and clarifying exactly how the old system operated so as to get the wiring and software entirely correct before installing it. Too late for last week's instalment Matt sent some pictures over from the endoscope of its peep into the innards of Ludwig Mond's engine. Here's what we think caused the knocking noise, whatever it was is embedded well into the piston crown. Suggestions on a postcard please, to...

Wednesday however Andrew had the day off and we drove over together to Crewe, cross country so as to avoid the traffic delays around Stoke or Leek or Buxton. On arrtival I rang Adam., who was in one such traffic delay on the A50, so was about 20 minutes after our planned time, with Ian along not in the cab but driving the escort vehicle. I had had a worried call from Adam the day before, after asking me the dimensions of the carriage underframe we were due to collect (I sent him a copy of my drawing in CAD): he told me that the 'Doll' trailer didn't seem to extend that far. We'd worked from Doll's official information: Adam rarely if ever extended it. It turned out that the last half-metre fought every millimetre of the way.

Following my drawing he had laid out the 5ft rails from the newly delivered deck fabrication but didn't understand just how the ramp would be created. We however had a pair of 20inch rails ready to span the gap and their ends could then be timbered up and linked to our standard ramp configuration.

As this was a trial run we had yet to sort out a winch: so Crewe kindly propelled the chassis (an LNW carriage belonging to Ben Riley) most of the way up the ramp, until they were concerned that they might buffer lock, at which point we hooked on the tractor unit and pulled it the rest of the way.

Despite Adam's later-than-planned arrival I had hoped to be moving by noon and we were indeed ready to go before but he headed off to the adjacent Tescos for a sandwich.

Getting out from the Heritage centre and round the roundabout was an exercise in delaying traffic. We turned the other way, and retraced most of our outward route as far as Congleton then took the A54 towards Buxton, before cutting more east to Flash village on the Leek road, after which Andrew took over and guided me on some more remote lanes south of Harpur Hill until we picked up the Buxton-Ashbourne road and back to Darley Dale. A cup of tea was partaken and then we headed down to Rowsley. A mark of how much better things are today was that we were authorised to start Tom and shunt the incoming carriage chassis, so by the time Adam arrived the Sentinel was standing just inside the Peak Rail gates. He had run out of hours coming up from Derby so had had to stop for a 30 minute break: consequently my estimate of his arriving a 15.00 was twenty minutes out.

Without a winch to control it we adopted a push-me-pull-you technique. Adam hitched to the chassis at the Bakewell end with a chain and with Tom pulling it from the Matlock end with a long sling, we gently controlled it so far down until Tom could come back forward to the bottom of the ramp and couple up; whereupon Adam detached and I took it down the rest. The ramp was dis-assembled, and they headed back to base. For us the job was only half over, as it was to be parked down the Engineers Sidings on the other side of the Works train, and required about an hour of shunting before everything was back in its place and Tom returned to its stabling point.

An interesting comparison between buffer heights of the well-loaded mess carriage (left) and the unloaded chassis (right).

Thursday had me up with Tom again, this time on a formal inspection with Peak Rail's Mark Sealey, identifying a few minor defects to be attended to but otherwise paving the way for me to carry out driver familiarity and competencies. On Friday I was again on software writing and general admin but got a late afternoon call from Andrew to the effect that he'd picked up some timber blocks but could I meet him at the shed and help unload? That didn't take long but he had heard that Mr Waterman's 47 had finally left the East Lancs so we headed off to try and find where it was.

And we almost ran into it, rolling in to Bakewell down the A6 delaying a long traffic queue behind it including 3 lorries with earthmovers on. Rather than turn round and follow, Andrew drove at breakneck speed along twisty back roads hoping to get in front by the Youlgreave turning, but no, they were just ahead so we turned around again and returned to Darley Dale via Stanton in the Peak. When the 47 had been unloaded it was Tom who dragged it around to the Rowsley loco shed.

And so to the weekend. We had decided that a couple of my commercial jobs needed blitzing and that's how it has gone. The Hatramm though did get its new transducer and I cabled back to the next junction box, but intermittent heavy showers put me off going for the smart relay installation.

Various parts were refitted to the engine in D1387, then attention turned to the front casing section, infilling the bottom and re-cutting the aperture as the new radiator is higher than the old. By late afternon that was finished, the original Hudswsell grille backmarked and drilled, and as the paint dried quickly we bolted it together before going home.

On Sunday Andrew headed off first thing to the Quorn swapmeet, but spent nothing of any significance. Meanwhile with much banging Matt straightened out some damage to the duct that fitted on the front of the rad, and pop-rivetted rubber strip all round to minimise air recirculation behind the grille, which was duly bolted up.

The torque converter was then refitted meaning that at last I can sort out a prop-shaft, having confirmed the true length between the mating faces. Outside I had had a static air line to the Alstom loco which I had had running a couple of weeks ago but gave worringly high readings on engine oil and converter oil pressures. The casing doors are pneumatic (you can raise then manually but air is much easier) and with them up you have a roof over your head should it rain and plenty of space to access.

With some pipe and fittings I detached the electric senders and substituted old-fashioned pipes and mechanical gauges. The batteries too needed a charge so were given a long boost. By five pm we came back to the loco and with Andrew watching the gauges, we fired it back up and both mechanical gauges gave consistent answers:so consistent that Andrew insisted on finding to more gauges and verifying that the results were correct. They were, suggesting that the long idleness of the electric senders had resulted in their becoming FUBAR'd. A major air leak on the main valve manifold needs urgent attention, but with static air I was able to confirm that both the gearbox and clutch were operational. It's getting nearer to that loco moving under its own power again.

Even while I've been writing this blog I've had to break off and try to salvage the plan for this week. The first move acheduled for Monday had already to be postponed, so instead we've brought the second move forward but the third move planned to follow that has had to be put off as some vital paperwork hasn't been received. If I could re-arrange the 5th move in its stead that would be good and save some empty mileage after finishing the 4th. And if this sounds like I'm juggling plates you're about right. Will it all work out? Come back next week and find out. See ya then.