Of a cab door

24th September 2023

Strange to think that as I start writing this, one week ago Steph and I were sitting down to dinner at the hotel in Guernsey and contemplating coffee at my sister's house the next day. A week is not only a long time in politics

I picked myself up rather slowly on Tuesday starting by writing a late blog before moving on to a batch of emails and such to deal with. Then the news came through that Adam, who as you will recall does most of the driving on our loco and rolling stock moves, had broken his arm and would be out of action for some time. On the one hand, I had no specific bookings for this week, indeed the only real job in mind was to get the W&L loco off the trailer and in to the shed so that I can make a start. Adam was already one driver down so had asked me not to programme more than 2 days a week. Without Adam I will have Phil, but as he is normally contracted out on a week-by-week basis, I now have to try pulling work in to run one day after another. Whether I will succeed in this remains to be seen (whether I have the stamina for it too is another unknown) but it has generated a whole heap of additional admin this week.

Added to that Andy H is due in from Thursday to make a start on our palisade fencing. And while we have enough palisades themselves to make upwards of 90 metres, that our stocks came from Etches Park and had been cut through by gas or grinder, we have neither sufficient posts, jointing pieces (called, would you believe, fishplates) or horizontal rails. Andrew having performed his role of Quantity Surveyor and Procurement Officer, passed me a list of what we require and where to get them from, a mere £1100-worth before VAT. I duly placed the order, asking for delivery on Thursday (when all being well I should be on site to receive) and they came back advising delivery Monday - tomorrow. In contrast I ordered up a new rope for the winch on T1 and so far that hasn't arrived and I don't have a date for it to do so. What with trips to Sheffield and about picking up profiles, fabrications and such the 3 days or so spare passed by. I did though manage to get in on Friday and change the duff contactor on the forklift so that at least is back in proper function.

Saturday had the 03 rostered again and fortunately Stuart Graves was out filming once more which means I have benefitted from his stills as otherwise had no new photos to share with you. Indeed, Stuart presented me with a new DVD - 'The Briddon Country Pile - Volume 2' which includes the Janus as well as the 03 in action. 'Spose his footage this Saturday will go towards volume 3? So anyway I got down to Rowsley a little after nine having popped down to Darley first to pick up some bearing oil and the fuel transfer pump. Having previously emptied the overflow drum back into the fuel tank, I sought assistance from my two secondmen to drag a 45 gallon drum of diesel out the oil store (after finding a barrel trolley in the gloom, this was easier than trying to hand pump it into 25 litre drums like last time, I thought) though the step at the oil store entrance (a bund) did tax their muscles. Theirs? well of course but I had found the barrel trolley (and shown them how to use it) and had charge of the transfer pump; my role, appropriate to my age and asthmatic status, was supervisory.

We put 50 litres in to the 03 which I figuered was enough for the day with only 4 carriages on, took the loco to the north end of the site and waited for the pay and play session to end and bring us the token so we could get on the front of the train, which was achieved with but a few minutes to spare. Quite a few people seemed to be out with cameras on the platform as we made our way round - but no autographs sought. And so with the green flag waved at me we started off once again. To be honest the day was uneventful, apart maybe from one propelling run when I completely messed up my vac brake control and pulled up before clearing the turnout to reverse into Riverside (and it seems an age running the engine just to pull the vac up). Except maybe for the cab door. I had got in and out of one side before we set off but this was the side that won't stay closed when you're moving. When Hayden tried to get in the other side, that one wouldn't open. This wasn't a problem at Rowsley or Darley Dale: the working door was platform side though we did have to collect the tokens through the other side cab window, which is easy at Church Lane box but a bit of a stretch at Darley Dale where the blockman is on the ground. At Matlock Stuart Graves came over to talk (and get a group photo, thus)

and while Ray had gone for a tour of the loco running plates to get to the platform, Stuart gave it a swift kick while we pulled and voila, the door was open. And what of Andrew? With appropriate care and attention he cleared track 1 back a bit and moved the two palisade panels which are ready for immediate deployment over to the far side of the grey container, near to where they will be installed. That encouraged he also picked up a n.g. wagon underframe belonging by Ben Riley. This has been hiding in the undergrowth for several yesrs since Ben didn't think a certain lady member of the PR Administration would give him permission to take it to Rowsley. But sat where it was, it was running the risk of corrosion through resting on damp ground and being on an uneven surface, developing a permanent twist. It is now on top of the grey container where hopefully it will be drier and flat. He then moved over to the remains of the 0-4-0 Fowler which he has been promising to get finished cutting the frame plates.

When I arrived back at the yard after disposing of the 03, there he was cutting away just behind the buffer beam but somehow the parts refused to detach from one another despite sledgehammer, wedges and all manner of other persuasions. We worked on until half seven but then gave it up.

Sunday and after a rather lazy start we got down to find the bits almost immediately came apart, maybe contractions over night had weakened it. The buffer beam was laid aside and then the two side plates encouraged away from the gearbox, by the end of the day these were all cut to appropriate size and put in the scrap bin. We had a visit from Dave Horton who was after bits and expertise regarding the dmu at Rowsley and brought with him the elbow that was damaged in transit but revealing all the earlier damage and cracking that it had suffered. Later in the day I had just finished a tea when I got a surprise call from Jacob. He puts the rosters of locos and staffing together and had put out an email request for volunteer availability during October, but stressing that they are looking to run steam turns in order to provide steam heat as the weather cools. As such I hadn't got back to him but here he was, asking if the 03 could do another day - 28th October. I've said yes, of course, and Andrew has agreed, but wrap up warm as those coaches will be a bit chilly.

Actually the 03 is supposed to be out next weekend on a gala but as yet we don't know what is planned and anyway, at least two of the envisaged roster from the 'home fleet' are not likely to be available. At this rate it could be just the 03 and 3 steamers (Eustace Forth, Cathryn and Andrew Civil's Baganall 0-4-0ST which was in steam and chuffing up and down the yard on Saturday). So that's about it, I think. early start in the morning to get the W&L loco inside and then a couple of moves to fulfill, so a bit more picture variety for next week. See ya then.