Of Heroes in a Half-Tramm

17th July 2022

...with apologies to Ninja Turtles everywhere.

Peak Rail has not been running into Matlock (main line) station this year, rather terminating at Riverside so permitting a single loco to run the trains rather than top'n'tail. But the platform used when it does go there had become rather unkempt, and recently volunteer working parties had de-weeded the platform, filling 6 or 8 builders bags with the results which had been stashed behind the running in board so as not to be unsightly. Late Monday afternoon, Mark Sealey turned up at Darley Dale, John T manned Riverside 'box to set the line to the other station and advise Derby Control, and the Hatramm boldly went where no Hatramm had gone before. It became the first Peak Rail train to go into Matlock station this year.

To be honest it was something of a non-event, with departure and return to Darley Dale occupying only 30 minutes or so. The builders bags were dragged across the platform and swung on to the deck of the Hatramm and we set off back just after an East Mids train had arrived in the other side.

Tuesday morning and at ten past six I was on the road. Phil was driving for me as Adam is on holiday, and had taken the trailer down to Blunsdon (Swindon & Cricklade) Monday night and was expecting me first thing Tuesday morning. As it was it took longer than I'd expected, plus I got lost in Tadpole village (again) so it was about ten to ten when I finally rolled in, to find Phil tidying up as a taxi had cut across him on the M1 the previous evening and his resultant emergency stop had shifted anything loose forward a bit. Mr Luffman's 03 was ready and waiting and was soon aboard, but with only two of us, and the heat beginning, it took a couple of hours to complete.

One of my readers asked after the fuel consumption on the way down, and to be honest, running late, I hadn't paid that much attention as I'd driven in, but it turned out to be 51.3.

Phil reckoned it was 'only an hour to Midsomer Norton - well maybe an hour and a half' which I thought optimistic but pushed ahead via Melksham and Radstock (a place, like Harlow, that needs a few more road signs on how to leave it) taking 90 minutes in the van, but had another 60 to wait until Phil arrived. The heat was quite oppressive by now but the S&D people kindly produced additional bottles of water. The incoming 03 was unloaded and Andrew's 03 took its place. Andrew's went down in black livery and numbered 03 901 reflecting its uniqueness as a diesel hydraulic with a 350hp Cummins, but is now in green and carrying its old D2128 number. A couple of months ago it suffered a seizure, whether this is an engine seizure or a transmission failure we don't know, and the travelling time to/from and limited facilities at Midsomer Norton did not engender the likelihood of an easy diagnosis, thus the opportunity to bring it back was grabbed though it will return as soon as repairs have been completed, whatever they may turn out to be

It was coming up 5pm before I set off back north. Phil had to take the main A37 road from west of Midsomer up to the edge of Bristol and then M32 - M4 - M5. I decided to strike due north, used the A39 for a bit then direct for Keynsham and the Bristol ring road to get to the M32 as I figuered there'd be an abnormal load clogging the A37. I made it back to Darley Dale just before nine pm, but overall had pulled the fuel consumption back up to 52.3 for the day.

Wednesday, and after exchanging tractor units for the following job, Phil arrived at Rowsley to unload the 03. Once again the heat was an issue, plus waiting so as to get the Hatramm up from Darley Dale to pull the dead 03 away from the ramp. Plus dropping off all those builders bags. There used to be a photo on the Railway Herald website showing this loco on a passenger turn leaving Darley Dale for Matlock (Riverside) around 1992. Thirty years on: I wonder...

After a quick lunch I headed up to Hope Cement works, finding Phil resting in a layby in the Hope Valley as he was too early. This was the job we had had to drop last week when the tractor air suspension did a wobbly, and was glad to have fitted it in as soon as possible after. The Barclay 0-6-0 stored here was once a NCB shunter and was on its way to Barrow Hill for even more component recovery. Loading commenced at 4pm and despite the heat, Phil and I have been reducing the time taken and we were back to loading in about an hour and a half.

Barrow Hill kindly agreed to leave the gates unlocked so that Phil could overnight on the loading pad, and I headed home. Thursday morning and again an early start, though with not so far to go I was still late thanks to road works in Chesterfield. I had ordered a new wire rope for the Highfield gears winch which we're going to deploy shortly, which would be on a pallet and got the usual helpful text from the carrier 'we are going to deliver your parcel between 09.00 and 17.00. Not in? Then...' Steph was out assisting a friend whose mobility is impaired, Andrew had popped out for half an hour for a doctor's appointment and yes, the carrier turned up at home and phoned me while I was shifting rails at Barrow Hill. Still he had a tail lift and a pallet truck, so left it outside the house.

Meanwhile the loco was unloaded and HNRC staff moved it away from us. Last week I accused one of their fitters of not returning my Stanley knife: I was wrong, he had, I found it, albeit rather sticky and oily, back in a draw in my toolbox. With the loco off and Phil on his way that was it for the transport side for the week, which was a good thing as I was feeling rather tired after several hundred miles and hot days.

Friday involved a quick sprint up to Sheffield and Rotherham (54.1 mpg going up, but stop/start around Sheffield brought the whole trip well down below 50). In the afternoon I finally got a little time in the workshop - sufficient to drill two holes, break an M4 tap in one trying to thread it, break said tap off flush trying to extract it with pliers, and break a drill trying to drill it out. Not an auspicious occasion.

We have had a major shunt around at Darley Dale. The 2HAP has moved nearer to the end of Road 1 ready for its imminent departure. This has brought the two german flat wagons nearer the shed where we can get things off with the forklift, and the Lister power pack I brought back from Bristol some months ago now was lowered back to ground level ready for servicing and deployment. The weather forecast inferred that Saturday would be more suitable for doing anything out of doors than Sunday, but the shed was more pleasant to work in though we did so some jobs outside while we could, though sadly did not find time to look into the 03 and ascertain what has actually occurred. Back inside I had bought a quantity of flex conduit and tees from the wholesalers on Friday, so made a start on the engine wiring for 1387. You saw the junction box last week. Traditionally I have always run four or five 20mm conduits from such a box to various strategic points on the loco: it was the way Thomas Hills did it. This time I have taken but two 25mm flexes out for all the sensors and switches, dropping to 20mm only towards the extremities. Turns out to be far easier threading individual cables through 25mm than 20 and the rather larger junction box than I normally use (bought for something else but found unsuitable) aside from containing the starter contactor has also proven a tidier job.

By Saturday evening most of the flexes had been laid out and clipped, and the first few cables threaded through. The idea is that the lower cables on each post go to the engine, whereas the uppermost cable is the one to the control desk, so if it is ever neccessary to lift out the whole power unit, the desk-bound cabling can be undone, the cable glands disconnected and the engine wiring can remain intact. I hope I won't be around for it to be done, however. One of Matt's jobs for the day was to drill the flywheel housing for a 5/8 UNF tapping over the flywheel ring gear. The mag pick up will screw in and provide the signal for tacho, etc in the control desk. Whether his measuring or his maths were slightly out I don't know, but his first hole was somewhat adrift but guided him as to where it should be. The second attempt was on the money and ironically the first one had the unforeseeen benefit of providing a sighting as to where the tip of the sensor was. Normally you screw it down until it hits something, then turn it back a touch and lock it off. This time we could see the gap and, determined to make it look as if it was intentional, the wrong hole was also tapped and plugged with a short bolt.

Before the heat built up on Sunday I went out the back and installed a new battery master switch on the Lister set. There was nothing physically wrong with the old one except that we didn't have a suitable key for it and our test runs last week had involved me holding it closed with a bolt in lieu. A spare single pole switch I'd recovered from Claire, if I recall correctly is now mounted and functioning without external assistance. Back inside, the hydraulic motor was re-assembled to the Highfield winch and a start made on fabricating a new bracket for the driver's brake valve, which it appears never came from Blaenavon with the loco. Under the desk the old battery tray -  a peculiar design as it does not form a solid bottom to the cupboard but was sized to accomodate the batteries Hudswell fitted and so is too small for the modern 12V batteries we use - was removed and for the moment enables access to the parking brake disc and speedo drives instead of trying to squeeze down next to the propshaft. Most of my day though, has been sat straddling the torque converter, threading wires through flex conduits and crimping them off on to the studs at the Junction box. Here's a couple of shots of the work in progress.

In the end, the two incoming multicores are on the right, the outgoing flex conduits at left, and a third final one added at the bottom for the conection to the starter motor. I am rather pleased with the result. We had a visit from Owen E, a loco driver and active in the National Wagon Preservation Group. Tony S was over working on his Baguley railcar, trying to figure out why the fuel gauge reads 3/4 full at one end but clearly the other is working but getting a duff signal.

Phil will be out driving for me again this next week - a ferry van to collect then for him a trip over the sea to Wight (a crane-on job so no need for me to go too). I might get an extra day or two in the workshop, especially if the weather breaks. Come back next week and find out. See ya then..