Of a four day week

7th May 2023

Anotrher 900 mile week, though 500 of them were in one day. Three more locos moved, plus work on locos nearer home.

So, with the 03's day of glory succesfully completed, it was time to turn to more mundane activities. The target was 873 'Bagnall the Barclay' up at Rowsley. Andrew had envisgaed B-the-B becoming the regular works (etc) shunter for Peak Rail, but first it needed a thorough service, adjustment to the front left spring and an alteration whereby you no longer needed a small screwdriver to start it. So off I trotted up to Rowsley, fired up 873 and brought it over the pit. Andrew joined me to get on with the service side of the job, while I investigated the desk to remove the keyswitch for which there was no key in order to substitute a rotary switch. I intimated a couple of weeks ago that Barclay locos were in my view shall we say, a little basic. Nonetheless I assumed that if you removed all the bolts around the instrument panel it would permit you to pull it forward and thus work on components and wiring mounted thereon. This comfortable assumption was reinforced by some of the fixing bolts being missing, i.e. it had been off before.

But no, although the side pieces proved to be bolted only to the panel, the pressure gauges were all conected by rigid pipework and the panel therefore would not, could not, budge. Nor could I reach in through the side as big 4inch pressure guages or speedo and tacho dials obstructed access. Nothing for it but to go into the front casings and see if it can be accessed from that side. And yes it could, provided I was prepared to squeeze between stop cock handles, various pipes, balance on a frame stretcher and work with my hands rather over my head and with direct line of sight/access obstructed by the exhaust tail pipe. The proximity of said pipe had obviously raised the adjacent temperature and so having detached the keyswitch from its little mounting plate, pushed it through into the engine bay side and released the wires from the switch connectors, I realised that the wires were fairly rigid and would not be easy to persuade into new screw clamps. Indeed, the insulation was so hard that there was no way with my wire strippers could I bare any more copper conductor and bending the wire to a new shape was not going to be easy. But first I must mount the new switch, and as the hole in the desk was too big, and that in the old mounting plate too small, I had no option but to open the latter up, though fortunately there was a bit in the tool box that, mounted in the battery drill, enabled this to be done without too much loss of fingterips. Back went the plate and the 'operator' of the new switch passed through, Andrew holding it while I, balanced on my frame stretcher, carressed by stop cock handle and various pipes and with my hands up above my head, endeavoured to clip the contact assembly on to the operator and secure it all in place.

If I thought it was then going to be plain sailing, I was sadly mistaken. With pliers I tried to force the stiff wires into the connector cavities on the switch unit and tighten the clamp screw, only for the cable to come out when checked for security. Normally I would use a forked crimp, but I hadn't the right size nor could I bare any more copper to ensure a good crimp. Conscious that we needed to be finished before the steam loco came back on shed, I pressed on and will admit that my temper was becoming frayed. Eventually I decded to extend the wires, made up two short extension pieces with forked crimps on their ends and long enough to reach the old wires where they prefered to remain. It only left me to get these to join the old wires and the bullet type connectors I had brought up were succesfully crimped on and stayed on.

Andrew meanwhile had drained the old oil, changed the filters, secured the bypass filter that we fitted weeks ago and substituted two new hoses that were longer than the originals, then jacked the front left corner of the loco and having got the weight off the spring hangers, wound down the nuts with the impact wrench ('Big Mak') so that the loco, de-jacked, now sat 30mm higher and the front left axlebox no longer lay at the top of the hornguide. I had also brought up two of the new plates planned to clad the underside of the desk and he clamped one of these and marked it for drilling and cutting to fit.

When the steam loco returned we weren't quite ready (and two scrap wagons sat in their way so they pushed them back in the siding for us) but by the time the loco had been disposed we were ready to invite Mark S and Tom D and show them how to start, stop and drive it. Although there remains a lot to do, (we want to re-enable the two speed Wiseman gearbox and sort out a few other issues such as a clutch control valve that is leaking badly) it is functional and I hear has been performing shunting duties during the week.

Tuesday and I'd arranged to meet Adam and Ian at around 11 o'clock near Embsay but I was a little behind schedule (maybe 10 minutes or so) when Adam phoned to advise he was rather later still and would be there about 1 o'clock. Loading at Embsay is at the former p/way yard near Bolton Abbey and when I arrived the loco was standing in splendid isolation and two gentleman in a BMW were guarding it.

They seemed a trifle unimpressed at my admission that things would be later than anticipated (maybe they had had experience of other hauliers who are better at making excuses than getting to site when they say) but I endeavoured to assure them that we would complete the task and in the end they were sufficiently reassured to depart site to deal with something else while I waited. The E&BAR was running and the track adjacent was on a significant gradient, so I had plenty of warning of the approach of Austerity 'Cumbria' (which I think was in RMS Locotec's works towards the end of my employment there) but less so when it came back a while later.

Adam and Ian arrived at ten to one, and I went top the top of the lane to guide them off the A59 and in to the yard. The two gentlemen having returned, seemed happier at the the sight not only of Adam's 4 axle trailer (T3) but that it was kitted with rails and winch, (though the latter had been raided for now from T1) and as we built up the ramp that we would not be attempting to drag the loco on with the tractor unit. The loco was duly loaded and secured and at twenty past two I was leading them back up the lane and out on to the A59, ready to warn oncoming vehicles.

Wednesday and this was the tiring one. Up early and on the road back to the Colne Valley. Adam had said 10.00 but I was a bit late and he a little later, but eventually we were all on site. The loco's new owner and colleague were waiting for us with cameras and drone: you can see some of our exploits on youtube (here) but not the difficult bit. Unlike unloading the 08, there was no loco and barrier vehicle and as the loading pad slopes upwards and there is no way to get topside of it, there was nothing for it but to start the loco up and drive it - still tethered by the winch - until it left the deck and encountered the ramp, down which (and this at least was 'down') we could safely winch him until his front axle was safely on CVR metals.

This was a bit of driving that even seasoned Ruston drivers might find challenging, but the loco's new owner, armed with printed A4 instructions and only his second time of driving it, succeeded valiantly though he did have a bit of wheelspin and gave the winch rope a hec of a tug or two! We packed up and went on our way, Adam down the A120 to get to the M11 and thence the M25, me for variety taking an alternative way to Dartford. Late in the afternoon I arrived at Shepherdswell and opened up the level crossing to park and wait Adam's arrival. I had assumed they were not that far behind me but I turned out to have some time in hand. A second security gate across the line was still closed, but eventualy a volunteer walked up the bank from the station to open it. 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' I greeted him but he didn't know the refrence.

Access to Shepherdswell can only be made from one end, and a minor road it is but quite busy. Eventually, after others had arrived and confirmed that it had been spotted on the A2 it was obvious that cars had seen something large approaching and Adam's tractor squeezed by and lined up. Our prize, another 08, had been brought up from the station and was winched aboard, secured and we started to make our departure. There is of course, nowhere to turn round - we have merely swung off the road at the level crossing -so there is no option but to back out, and move forwards a hundred yards in to the edge of the village where a side turn is sufficiently wide enough to execute a 3 pointer. T3 being longer and 4 axled than T1 is of course, not as manouverable and to cap it all a Ford Fiesta was parked just where we needed to go. EKR members went door-to-door and the owner was located, explaining he'd left it there as it had 'no clutch' but got it moved anyway. We got turned around and Adam reckoned he had enough hours to make it to Clacket Lane Services (M25) I headed home, racking up just over 500 miles.

Thursday, and an easy day as I only had to meet Adam at Barrow Hill to exchange one 08 for another. The latter we had moved before, though I didn't recognise it as when last aboard it had 3 axles, side rods and such.

Friday, and Adam had said to meet him at 11.00 but I was still a few miles away when at ten to he rang to say the car park gates were locked. I rang ahead but could only get voicemails. By the time I got there, they'd found someone who was looking for a key plus a contractor whose transit van was straddling the unloading area. Welcome to Tyseley. Unloading is at a gateway which is barely wide enough to get trailer and tractor unit through, thus we normally deploy the extension hoses so the tractor can park some way away from the winch on the trailer, but all the space inside has been occupied by sleepers, coal and bits of loco such that putting the tractor anywhere is problematic and when we have succeeeded, I can barely squeeze between loco and tractor. As I am building up the ramp somebody walks up and says 'Enjoyed the blog this week Pete, good to see the 03 back in action' turns and walks away leaving me surprised and bemused.

The 08 is rolled down and it is removed by another 08 with a barrier wagon in between.

We begin the task of turning the rig around in the car park and depart north.

Saturday and it's back to the shed. Andy M is with us again and by agreement he and I will concentrate on the Hudswell while Andrew resumes cutting operations on the Fowler. Andy goes after air leaks and changes the converter pressure sender for another of the right range. I fit the speedo scales to the instruments and change a blue LED in one of the parking brake buttons for a yellow one. On test the blue LED and blue lens were very dark, doubtful if you could see them in sunshine. Logically I want a brighter white one but as I don't have one to hand I'll try a yellow and see if I can make a green colour appear! That awaits a test to prove whether it works. We switched the shop air line to the parking brake emergency feed and with the piston rod extended, I manufactured up a connector to make the spring-apply/pressure release brake function, though for now it is left detached until we're ready.

Sunday, and my plans for a prompt start were thwarted when a WeTransfer email arrived and I downloaded a new Stuart Graves video entitled 'A day in the life of Pete Briddon' though I doubt if he will try to market it under that title, it features the 03 at work last weekend at various places along the way. The stills I used last week are from it and will give you a flavour of what is included. Anyway, we finally got down and after a bit of a shunt, got the Janus out again. The plan was to adjust the seperate field excitation resistors to improve the rather lack-lustre performance, and this is achieved by removing the covers from the generators and slackening the clamps before sliding them along the resistors (which are wire wrapped around an insulator wrapped around a brass tube, look like an old electric heater and glow the same if you overload them) to change the resultant used section. By the end of the afternoon the loco was behaving better than hitherto but still not like a Janus should. As the manual is a trifle vague on the realities of adjustment we shall have to make enquiries. Andrew continued practicing his gas cutting skills on the Fowler and depositing the resultant pieces in the scrap bin. Parts are being put aside for those groups that have reserved them.

And that's about it for this week - as promised, no mention of the Coronation (although our Coronation has received a new tarp and will shortly be covered over again). But I suppose thanks to this over-publicised event we get another 4 day week and another day when I can work in the shed without customers ringing or expectations of being out on the trailer(s). I imagine you'll celebrate the extra free day too. Until the next time, See ya then.