Of visitors, welcome and unwelcome

8th January 2023

Unpleasant distractions are a facet of modern life. Discuss.

'We've had visitors'. Words like that from my son after he has returned from an hour or so's evening unwinding down at the shed does nothing for my peace of mind. He had found, on a nocturnal security patrol, two loco cab doors open and an oil pressure gauge from one in the other. Every few years we have a spate of problems with young teens who seem to think that Darley Dale yard is an adventure playground. It was not until Saturday though, that my doing a walkround in daylight revealed that in fact they had been into more than Andrew had spotted in the dark. He had found the cab doors on Hudswell Clarke Grace and the Fowler 0-6-0 had been opened. I realised that a cab window on Hunslet Louise was open and once I entered the cab, it was obvious that the toolbox had been opened and 'searched' and the daily log book from 14 901 was there, so I walked down to 14901 and sure enough things had been 'dusturbed' there too and a cab door and window left open.

We checked the CCTV and voila, Tuesday lunchtime 2 lads, one in dark clothing, the other in a balaclava and hivi jacket could be seen climbing over almost everything on and between  tracks 1 and 2. They must have come in along the line from the Matlock direction and departed the same way: whether they were aware of the CCTV or merely cautious lest someone was in the shed we'll never know but they didn't come up close, and fortunately we think the schools are back now (so they'll have better things to do).

Anyway this was what we found on investigation Saturday when we were better employed working flat out to get the EE ready to return to Midsomer Norton. Andy Mac was spending the weekend with us and had a sadly fruitless morning trying to get the rotary pump that was in the antifreeze drum to function. To be honest, these cheap drum pumps don't like anything but oil and the anti-freeze one had seized up before, but I had then had more luck in cleaning it and getting it functional again. This time it appears to be have been terminal. After much time wasted we re-arranged the oil store, got the anti-freeze drum on the trolley and brought it outside where we could tip it over and gravity fill some 20/25 litre containers ready to be diluted down to 30/70 and poured into the EE's cooling system.

I had managed to buy a replacement vacuum gauge (ebay - normal suppliers wanted upwards of 7 days to deliver one) so this was changed, and the legend plates for the vac brake controls had been picked up on Friday and were duly fitted.

Fortunately this was achieved before the heavens opened in the afternoon which put paid to any outdoor work, though Jagger, who was also present, did his customary bonfire, and had reported two lads suspiciously like those on our CCTV from Tuesday walking up the track from Matlock, but seeing life in the yard had not trespassed further.

Sunday, and a 'proper' visitor was expected at half nine so we were down just after nine a.m. to open up and get things ready. RS8 drew the EE outside after the Hatramm had moved itself and another loco away over to Track 1. I asked Andy M to have a look at the charge circuit on RS8, starting with refitting the original AVR which I had tested and confirmed to be working. Our visitor duly arived and was shown the vac system in action on the EE and after he had gone, we made use of a long sling,to get  the EE to draw the Hudswell out of the shed too. A long sling? Well the EE is smoking quite a bit and rather than pollute the shed the long sling enabled us to haul the Hudswell with the EE still outside.

Andy M was able to confirm that the charge system on RS8 is working, but doesn't start charging until the engine rpm is high, which would explain the apparent flattening of the batteries as we don't run it at high rpms long enough to put that amount of current back in. This may be a candidate for a smaller pulley to speed up the alternator for any engine rpm. Tony S had also arrived and as he hoped to get the Perkins 4.236 started in the Baguley Drewry railcar we walked this out by hand to the doorway. A clean-up operation started on the exposed track - starting with various tools, pens, etc that had hidden themselves underneath the locos and ending with a grand sweep and shovel of accumulated debris going back to the Ford Dagenham loco ages ago.

As a light relief we turned our attention to the railcar, which despite cranking and building oil pressure resolutely refused to run. We changed the fuel filters and bled the system through. We found the throttle lever loose on the pump and secured it, but despite our endeavours, the engine made little smoke and refused to run, even though the injector 'creak' was audible. Tony had put in a new set of injectors leaving us with either a timing issue or more likely that the rotary fuel pump, which hasn't run in coming up 20 years, has stuck internally giving insufficient fuel. We are always cautious when you try to start an engine after a long period of time: with longitudinal pumps you sometimes get the rack sticking, and this can be in the max fuel position. A start up with a rack stuck at max fuel gives you an engine that runs away and we as usual had a large plastic bag to hand to slam over the air intake and choke it were it to do so. But today it wasn't needed and the railcar was pushed back to await another opportunity. While it was out, we put the last piece of casing top back on the Hudswell, before propelling it too back inside.

The EE went for a few more runs up and down to try and clear some of the smoke (the running plates are covered in granules of carbon blown out of the exhaust) after which it was parked outside the shed and RS8, Hatramm and co brought back in front. Back at the Briddon Country Pile, an isolating valve on the pipe to the heated towel rail in the upstairs bathroom had started dripping again. Hoping it as a leaking olive I had tightened them up that morning but then realised it was leaking from the slotted shaft in the middle and trying to stop it I turned the valve shaft which only made it worse. Andrew had zipped over to Chesterfield late morning and picked another up, but by agreement we wrapped up early today in order to gt home, drain the systems and change the defective valve. We may be competent at fitting but plumbers we are not, and it has been a constant annoyance to me that you spend all these £000s on a house and it doesn't come with schematics of what is fitted in it! Imagine me selling a loco and when you ask for a pneumatic I just shrug my shoulders and tell you to work it out for yourself! Anyway, with a bit of learning along the way the defective valve got changed and the central heating is back up and running even if the hot water is lagging a bit behind.

And as I must be up a silly o'clock in the morning to get on my way for the first transport job of 2023, I'm wrapping it up here. But I'll tell you all about it next week. See ya then.