Of trains, cranes and taxis

25th June 2023

Weather-wise, it has been a little variable. On Monday Phil and I were over to Telford, to pick up the first half of a class 108 destined to form up again at Rowsley.

It's maybe time for some background here. When Andrew and I first started our involvement with Peak Rail back - well around 2002 - there were dmus on the railway though I don't remember any actually in service, restoration work was going on and I understood that the owners had reached agreement with PR that they could build an extension on the Derwent side of the main shed at Rowsley into which they could lay a siding and work on their vehicles under cover. What went wrong with this partnership I don't know but I can guess, and they were declared PNG at Peak Rail and invited to remove their vehicles, which they did. Later on, after Mike Thompson, owner of Austerity 0-6-0ST Lord Phil, came to the line and was made CME, Roger Hallatt explained to him that they really needed 3 steam 0-6-0s (2 in service and one under 10 year overhaul) but they only had the one, the loco we today call Royal Pioneer. (We actually had had 2, the other being an 0-6-0T we knew as Zebedee, but Mrs Statham decided its overhaul was too expensive and sold it, allegedly keeping the entire proceeds within the plc although the loco had been half-owned by the PRA). Anyway, Mike went out and bought two 0-6-0s and started to overhaul them. She then said how she'd like a dmu for off-peak traffic so he went out and bought one of them too. But then he committed a cardinal sin. He took an interest in the marketing of Peak Rail and so became at odds with Mrs Statham, whose daughter Clare had responsibility for marketing at the Matlock office. Result, Mr Thompson's relations with Mrs Statham deteriorated and he was ordered to remove all his property from Rowsley.

Do any of you see a pattern emerging here? Peak Rail needs a dmu for off-peak operation but couldn't manage to stay friends with their owners. Actually add another parallel - knowing that the dmu group had planned a lean-to at Rowsley I initially proposed the same for our shed but Mrs Statham claimed that everywhere at Rowsley was 'spoken for' but we could have Darley Dale. Later, as he supervised track laying for us, I chatted with Roger Hallatt and admitted that my business degree was specialising in Marketing. I agreed to do a generalised paper and as I gave it to him it did strike me that Mrs Statham might take a dim view of it. That would have been about September 2014 and by December our relations with her had gone from cordial to icy cold. So anyway Peak Rail needs a dmu for off peak, and though we have managed to avoid the 'every heritage railway needs a Pacer' philosophy a first generation dmu is more in keeping, and if the railway gets to extend to Rowsley village, where what is left of the trackbed is barely enough for track, platform, and run-round, it could act as a shuttle into a (planned) island platform back at Rowsley South.

Monday morning was hot. We got there for about half-nine, Phil just before me, and set about loading the first half on to the Doll trailer. As usual when there's just two it takes a little longer - and when it's so hot that you're dripping with sweat that you have to stop and grab a quick drink a little longer still - but by around noon Phil was on his way and after a final check around I set off to follow. Although Phil's route involved the M54, the M6 toll, the M42 and the M1 mine was more direct or should have been had it not been for the A5 being closed around Cannock forcing a diversion on me. Still I was back in time I thought to have a relaxing cuppa at home before I would need to turn out to assist Phil through Bakewell. In fact, when I received Phil's call it was not to give me a 30 minute warning to paralyse Bakewell but to let me know he was sat on the A617 having had a blow-out and waiting for the mobile tyre fitter. Thus his ETA through Bakewell moved back to around 6pm, and Andrew was able to assist in getting the low loader wrong side of the roundabout. Like I have said in these pages before, it is amazing what you can do if you don hivi, though Andrew did get a gobby 4x4 driver who had his mobile to his ear and didn't like being told what to do, though did aquiesce when confronted with the HFS unit. The first half of the dmu was unloaded and shunted to the headshunt by Bagnall the Barclay and Phil set off again, though his plan to get to kip back at Telford was already thwarted by that puncture.

Tuesday, by contrast, was wet. And though I arrived slightly earlier Phil had I think just beaten me having set off from Junction 24 of the M1. The rain did mean that you weren't sweating so much (though if you did you'd never notice) but did once again penetrate the lower portions of my overalls and through my jeans and socks, and boots. The second half of the dmu was loaded and with more TSR volunteers on site than Monday its departure was the easier with more bodies to hold traffic as we backed down to a T junction to reverse. By now I was happily employing a new toy, a bluetooth headset which meant I could stay in touch with Phil in the cab while both hands were free to hold and operate the steering on the trailer. Much easier to keep Phil informed as to how the back end was progressing than trying to bellow to him over engine noise.

With cooler road conditions Phil had no tyre issues and so arrived at Bakewell well before the evening. Andrew had been in Derby for meetings but fortunately got back north just in time to come straight up to Bakewell, swing around the roundabout and block two lines of cars with his while I held traffic the other way and summoned Phil forward. The rain had eased but wet tree branches were low and this half arrived garlanded in greenery collected along the way.

Wednesday and I was back in the shed. I had originally scheduled one job but that was put back and instead my Friday was taken up so the two Alstom fitters who had planned a return bout on Friday hurriedly rescheduled to Wednesday and succeeded in reconnecting the exhaust system on their loco while I watched and tactfully pointed out when they were putting clamps on back-to-front. We had a quick run of the engine but only brief as the shed doors were still closed. I had expected to remain down at the shed to oversee the arrival of a lorry full of bits and had even pondered whether to fire up Louise and draw the train forward to clear Track 1 for the forklift. Good job though I didn't as the lorry was sat in a queue up at the auctioneers and as the driver was going out that night it was ultimately agreed to postpone delivery to Thursday morning.

Now I had a job booked for Thursday and expected to be leaving the house about half eight, but instead Andrew and I went down for half-seven and drew the train back, with the lorry due at 08.00 prompt. A few minutes before I had a text from him to say he was 'at the bottom of the yard' and yes, with Adam on hols no-one had realised that it was Darley Dale, not Rowsley, where he should be. A few minutes after eight he arrived, by which time the forklift was ready to take off two pallets. The first came from the auction, being described as a Lister-engined generator but in reality a 2-cylinder Lister engine driving a pair of hydraulic pumps, and an entirely seperate single cylinder air cooled engine with a 240/110V generator. The second pallet was a freshly overhauled torque converter which in due course is destined to return to Louise, and so release the undersized converter which Elsecar naively took out of Yorkshire 2895, to return to its host. But the main lump of the load was the Jones crane which I trailed a bit about last week, and I had barely time to see that started before I had to set off. Next stop for me was Butterley, where we were contracted to move Austerity No.22 back to Scunthorpe.

We'd been told that the loco wouldn't be across for loading until at least ten o'clock ao I'd planned for nine in order to be set up and ready to winch it on as soon as it arrived. I was a little perturbed though to find not one but two Pacers occupying or fouling the access tracks, and volunteers told us we hadn't been expected until lunchtime and that the Pacer's owner was on his way down from Huddersfield and no-one else was authorised to move them. So we set up the ramp and waited. The driver arrived just about the same time as No 22 was tripped in from Swanwick, about quarter past 11. Oddly enough this is the first true Austerity we've moved (discounting the converted-to-tender example) and it all went quite straightforwardly on

Once again we backed out by use of the headset and Phil set off for Scunthorpe while I did a quick detour to Langwith Junction to drop off the drivers' manuals. Although the paintwork for the Hudswell is still in progress, they had picked up on 'my idea' and are holding a competition to name the loco with a local school. (Having heard them say it was being called Shania Train I had merely recounted the story of the loco we delivered to Croft, where local schoolchildren named it Chug. But it was good PR for a local company and I was pleased that the seed had germinated.) Thus I arrived at Scunthorpe just after Phil, but Chris Theaker was ready with the AFRPS Janus and a couple of wagons and No 22 was soon off and in the shed, and I was guiding Phil out backwards once again on the headset. (Note to self - before shouting at stupid motorist who is in the act of parking right where we need to back through, move boom mike away from mouth or cover it over...)
Friday and another early start. Phil had headed straight off north-ish Thursday night so I had to catch him up, as we were planning to be at Carnforth for 09.30. For once I ran to time and beat him by a few minutes, so was on site and assessed how to turn and line up before he arrived. This time it wasn't a loco but a class 37 bogie which at least meant we could build a shorter than normal ramp as it was another hot day.

The bogie came on, was secured down and by about half-eleven we were on our way south again, destination Worksop but Friday afternoon traffic pushed Phil's ETA of 3.30 pm back to 4.20. I knew when Phil was near - the air horn is distinctive and I learned quite quickly that he had encountered a Worksop taxi-driver with a death-wish and he would be filing a complaint! Phil had been hoping that this bogie was to be crane on-crane off and I had already disappointed him at Carnforth, now I had to do the same at Worksop in the late Friday afternoon sunshine. Yet again a ramp to build, a bogie to roll off, pull clear with the tactor unit and then scour the site for a scotch to ensure it was safe and secure. Tractor and trailer back together, there is nowhere to turn round and normally Adam and Ian reverse down the entrance road to a side turn behind Halfords and back into that. But that was littered with parked cars, so after a conference over the headset we backed into the nearby shopping centre car park, pulled out again for'ards and on to the main road outside, lined it up and then Phil got on his way home, while I wandered back hoping that security hadn't locked the yard up with my van inside.

Saturday and I was very happy to make an easy start as I was frankly feeling a bit tired with nearly 800 miles logged on the week.I got down just in time to spot a total stranger locking up their car and walking down the road and know with complete certainty that that was our booked visitor. I was getting out the van as he turned in through the gate and asked if I was Andrew. 'No' I answered 'I'm his Dad, that's Andrew' and pointed to his Golf backing in behind. And for the next two or three hours we had a pleasant chat and tour of the collection, before he went off to visit Rowsley South.

After lunch we inevitably turned our attention to the crane. Its batteries were a bit pooped (it had been started because driver Jezz had taken a booster pack) but only required one and a spare from our stock got it started, and Andrew worked his way around to see what would happen to each control if he did this or that. Yes, we had both looked on Youtube for a 'This is how to drive a Jones crane' video but for once we were let down. Andrew's specimen appears to have been owned by Jet2 so probably at Leeds Bradford airport and seems to have been well looked after but inevitably there will be some issues and so far one stabiliser ram won't move and one outrigger leaks oil, but it jibs in and out, hoists up and down, the Safe Load System functions and it slews left and right (Though we waited until after the trains had finished to try that!). Andrew is already predicting we'll be able to assemble the Darley Dale footbridge when it comes to it, and Tom's power unit, which must come out complete to sort the engine issues and is beyond the Hatramm's capacity should be straightforward once the defects have been resolved and the paperwork signed off.

The Lister engine on the pallet was also looked at but left for Sunday. To be honest, I didn't have a great deal more enthusiasm today than I had yesterday, but nevertheless I got down a little before Tony S arrived to continue work on his railcar. Outside was a Lister engine fuel tank which we had failed to dismantle as the filter was blocked, so had abandoned it maybe two years ago. I wondered how Big Mak would cope, so brought it in, deployed the impact wrench and immediately it unscrewed the stubborn bits. This was stage 1 in setting up to test the Lister out the back, but in the end we didn't need it. We had turned the engine over by hand yesterday and the injectors had creaked, but first task on it today was to detach the tandem pumps on their adaptor which Big Mak performed with alacrity. I opened up the air cleaner - ooh my goodness. If it had been uniformly black that would have been one thing, but this had been left so long and absorbed so much that it had disintegrated along the bottom and air could pass through unfiltered. I started to undo the sawn off cables on the starter motor, only for the plastic bit on the back of the solenoid to break off. So back into the shed and recover the starters from the two Listers I had brought back from the auctioneers previously. But these were in much poorer condition, so instead I took the more hopeful of the two and swapped the solenoid assembly with the original. Took a while and a bit of help from Andrew but eventually the starter was spinning happiiy in the vice so back outside, bolt it back in position, reconnect the battery, jab the wire and the Lister burst into life, running on however much fuel there was in the filter. Better still it shutdown on the pump control, so next will be to service it, sort out the correct pump to drive a winch and set it up to go onto - well T1 perhaps and leave T1's old set up on Adam's 4 axle (T3)

But that's for a later week. This week is a catch up week on various quotes, invoices, manuals, software, etc and get ready for more transport work the week after, plus the annual Tilley's Tours visit booked Saturday. I'm sure though there'll be something else to tell you of. Come back next week to find out. See ya then.