Of highs and lows 

9th July 2023

Having spent a large portion of my working life either self-employed or running my own company, I have been asked 'what it's like'. The question usually comes from someone who has a romantic picture of being one's own boss, not having to take orders from others, able to work what hours you wish, and so on. Aside from explaining that it was if anything quite the opposite - working all hours to try to keep up with things, unable to blame c***-ups on anyone else, at the beck and call of your customers, etc, - I would instead sum it all up as 'that the highs are higher but the low's are much lower'. And if that didn't seem to sink in I would go on to explain that when I worked for a company, if I won an order, it was satisfying but nothing special, if I lost an order - well OK, you can't win 'em all but I still get paid at the end of the month. Once self employed if I lost an order that was my livelihood at stake, and in YEC days, maybe the livelihoods of my employees too.

I mull all this because this week has been one such week, not that I have won or lost a particular order but that it has been a week of highs and lows. It started off on Monday (as weeks sometimes do) with the lavatory in our en-suite refusing to flush. I hadn't the time to deal with it then as I had arranged to meet Phil at W H Davis's at nine to load a wagon for return to the MoD. I arrived just before him and was waiting at their inner gates for someone to come and unlock when he arrived. With just the two of us I rather expected it would take a good ninety minutes, so in my rough mental timetable allocated a 2 hour slot, so be leaving about 11, arriving at the MoD establishment around 2pm, unload in about 90 minutes so be coming out again about half three, home for about half-five.

In fact it took us about 90 minutes to get the wagon aboard and secured and around 11 o'clock I set off, assuming Phil was right behind. Actually he wasn't as the driver must have his Movement Order in his hands and with Heanor's still busy sorting things out after their departure from Kingston, he had to download it directly from the appropriate website and it was nearer 11.30 before he finally got moving. Our destination was Kineton, which I spent a fair amount of time in during my work with Thomas Hill and then demo-ing a loco with YEC and other than a new roundabout right outside, I was told, things have changed little in the last quarter century.

Actually they had changed rather more. My memory of Kineton was a rather austere guard room at the entrance where you signed in, the squaddies on duty milling around looking threatening and toting assault rifles while Military Police issued your pass. Then you were allowed to drive unescorted to a second Police post at the edge of the 'sensitive area' where you signed in again and if you did not have a fire extinguisher in your car, they leant you a deep bronze green painted MoD one which you gave up as you came back out. But now there's a new 'reception' building which reminded me of the one at Teesport where having been issued with personal and vehicle passes, I had a few minutes to spare before Phil arrived. Phil has already been in to Kineton and was sure that the Doll, running extended, would not negotiate the roundabout so I stood on it and as he approached, held up the traffic so he could swing in wrong sided. As he could not also get in to the holding area, the one (smiling) squaddy with his assault rifle co-operated in getting us through the security barrier (wrong sided again) and parked up just beyond, so that Phil could come back and get his passes. We then had to wait for someone from the rail yard to drive across and escort us back, but at least the additional stop at the intermediate Police building was no longer required.

At the rail yard they pointed us to a length of track in concrete and we got started. Phil was a bit alarmed as the Doll, plus his tractor and the space to manouevre into line did not afford space at the other end to bring the tractor behind the trailer for winching, but as there was a rake of (chocked) container flats behind, I was quite relaxed and we put a snatch block on the drawhook of the lead wagon and winched from 45 degrees. No pictures I'm afraid as this sort of site frowns upon such things. A single Thomas Hill Vanguard shunter, driven by someone who recognised me from the 0-6-0 demo loco of YEC's (and to think that 30 years has aged me somewhat) waited nearby until the wagon was on their tracks, then at a wave from Phil, came over coupled up and drew it away immediately leaving us free to dismantle ramp and get ready to go, though again an escort back to the gate.

By now it was twenty to four and my idea of getting back by half-five was looking tight, but I took the M40/M42 and that was a mistake - I got home at about half-six, whereas Phil, heading straight back to Langwith Junction parked up at 6.15. After tea I opened up the lavatory cistern. The principle is that the handle lifts a diaphragm with a hole in, sufficient to start a syphoning effect. The original was a flimsy plastic sheet - it failed years ago and I made up a replacement in heavy gauge DPM (damp-proof membrane) secured to the frame with tie wraps. I assumed the DPM membrane had ripped to the point where it no longer lifted enough water to start syphoning. When I got in, no, two of the tie wraps had snapped. I replaced them and it works perfectly again.

It had been a satisfying day, and Tuesday got better. Phil had his movement order from yesterday, our loading time came down to about 60 minutes and we were away by 10.15, giving us an ETA of about 1pm. Again I held up traffic and we went straight for the wrong side of the security gate and continued an hour or more earlier than Monday.

Wednesday began much the same, but to my amazement our loading time was down to 50 minutes. I was using a different route, marginally shorter but slower, and was still waiting for my pass at 12.15 when Phil phoned to say he was less than a mile away. I left Reception, grabbed my headset from the van and was out in time to hold traffic and bring him in, both of us then returning to get passes and the smiling squaddy not shooting at us. The wagon was duly unloaded and I felt very pleased with myself that we had delivered all 3 wagons to time and efficiently.

But if it was a good week thus far, Wednesday had contained a sour note. A contract movement I had been promised for Monday had been cancelled as the railway at one end was insisting on a competitor. So the highs were high and the lows were low but that day they tended to cancel one another out.

Thursday and I was planning paperwork before setting off for Cardiff. Then Adam rang, fresh back from his hols. 'Have you set off yet?' I confirmed I had not. 'Don't until I get back to you.' In the midst of Heanor's relocation, Mike had not properly submitted the Movement Order paperwork and despite phoned entreaties the powers-that-be refused to issue their approval. At least with Monday cancelled I could reschedule it there.

We had also agreed to a request to use the 03 on Sunday for a Paddington Bear event at Peak Rail, and I had enquired from the roster clerk what the load was going to be and at which end (we were to top and tail for fast turnrounds) the 03 would be. The news came back that it was to be 6 vehicles (including the extra-heavy restaraunt car) and the 03 would be at the Rowsley end, giving it lead on the long pull up from Matlock - oh and it was 5 return trips, not the usual 3. Now, Andrew and I know of shall we say a few weaknesses that the 03 possesses, resulting from our bodging it back together to do a couple of runs at the diesel gala three months ago, not to mention that our original repower lost a bit of weight resulting in a loco of only 27tons. With this information we agreed the 03 was a trifle small for what would be 250 tons loaded plus the steam loco. I consulted the owners of the Janus who kindly agreed to our giving it 'another test running day' and I was looking forward (?) to another day at Train Driving. Late Thursday afternoon, with the news that the crane's first outrigger ram was repaired and ready for collection, Andrew and I popped down to Darley to pull off the second that was seemingly stuck. I reached down to undo the holding bolts and found nothing. This ram had been out before and the unknown fitter, like us, had had the bolts sheer, but whereas we expected to drill out and re-tap, they had just welded the ram back in place. We set too to cut the welds, but ended up leaving it for the weekend.

Friday, and with a second day of unexpected home time, I was getting through my to-do list and drawing up another to-do list for the weekend. It was evening though when things took a down-turn. Around half-nine my phone rang - Mark Sealey, but I wasn't near it at the time and when I rang back I got voicemail. Then Andrew rang (he was out) could I get down to the shed NOW. To cut a lomg story short, a passer-by had reported that one of the sheets on the side of our shed had been pulled out and a grinder was sat on the floor.I drove straight down.and in the darkness, this what I found on the footpath side.

They had come down armed with cutters and cut fence wire, barbed wire and the razor wire, then got to work at an overgrown area where they probably thought they could peel back a foot or so and squeeze in underneath and the entry go un-noticed. Of course apart from the insulation they then found 2m high of reinforced concrete panel, so they peeled the sheeting back (unscrewing the fixings and effectively destoying the sheet) and climbed in between top of panel and the purlin, which must have required someone of thin stature. Inside they had been through many cabinets draws etc and helped themselves. Both the battery drill and grinder had gone with two spare batteries, but the charger, recently mounted on my new shelf with the cable trapped behind was pulled but left hanging. All our smaller metric spanners had goine,

99% of our 1/2inch socket drives had gone, together with ratchet handles, extensions, breaker bars, 2 torque wrenches, etc had been cleared, but other AF and Whitworth spanners all were left. Two bigger 3/4 inch torque wrenches had gone together with 3/4 drive ratchets and extensions but only a (large) handful of smaller metric sockets. Other items, like the crane scales, a 110V extension cable had been moved across to the access hole they'd created but not taken, while several containers of brass and copper scrap, sorted ready for weighing in, were emptied, yet a number of 110V power tools remained untouched. Two power tools previously left on the floor had been picked up, examined on a workbench and chucked down again as not worth taking.

Before I had really taken all this in it was time to inform the Police. I dialled 101 (well actually I dialled 111 first but the NHS weren't interested). A nice lady officer told me., in essence that while they would attend domestic burglaries as a commercial (i.e. non residential) premise they couldn't be a***d. I didn't even get a crime number passed to me. What they had taken was mostly car-bootable stuff, so crime will pay as long as law enforcement is unwilling/unable to take action. Andrew arrived and by midnight he had managed to jam the buckled sheet back into something of its original location, but he stayed up late and made two more security visits in the early hours in case they returned.

Saturday. Andy M was joining us but found me (Andrew sleeping late) in sombre mood. We were still noting things that we could no longer find as the day went on - 3 missing hacksaws, several small pairs of Stillsons, both die grinders, etc., etc. In a moment of warped reality I logged my job - repair sheeting from damage - on 'Check-a-Trade' and an hour or so later got a phone call from a builder in Alfreton who asked for pictures and after a conversation regarding minor details, undertook to get 3 men in with scaffolding first thing Monday to replace the sheet with one of those I have spare. (Cost? - a quote of £550). Andrew insisted I rang the Police and get a crime number. Another lady officer was soothing, assuring me that the Police will follow it up (they haven't yet, but perhaps investigative policing is only Monday to Friday) and giving me both Incident and Crime numbers
I set Andy the task of getting the pressure washer back going - the switch had failed so he by-passed it and finished cleaning the Lister TS2 off. He and Andrew then set to work to test one of the straight air brake valves from the HaTramm which has limited us to using the train air brake on it (which is slower to operate). I took my mind off depressing thoughts by producing a pair of brackets for the oil reservoir to mount to the side of the TS2's mounting frame. We had originally intended to spend part of Saturday going over the Janus, and Andrew did ask Mark whether, under the circumstances, we could bow out, but the answer came back they had nothing to replace us (and the big diesels need refuelling) so it was no change but no time to fettle a few things. That evening we had a massive thunderstorm.

Sunday, down to the shed first thing to collect oils and check all was well. Track 3A was under water - apparently the slot drain at the front had been overwhelmed but unusually it hadn't backed into 3B (the Ornamental Pond of old). No further visitors and loaded, I drove back to Rowsley, where the Janus was sat coupled to a Network Rail 97 in store. My 'conductor' (as my ticket to drive on PR expired 6 years ago in the wake of falling out with a former MD) was Gordon Bennet and my secondman his grandson Adam.

They were expected about 09.00, and I got there a bit before and started doing the check-overs, topping up No.2 end which is the one whose exhauster passes the more oil. By 09.30 I was finished and changed into my Train Driver's Outfit, and wandered down to the shed in case they were waiting for me by the 03. They weren't. I took the loco across and one of the steam crew was operating the lever frame for me when they arrived, having got a caught in traffic arising from an accident. As we waited for a our first departure, Del Tilling, owner of Eustace Forth and one of the steam crew for the day, introduced himself and asked it we could assist with power as they were apprehensive with 6 on for what is a small 0-4-0ST. I was happy to agree, and in exchange they would assist on the return run.

On the platform, what I have started to call Ben's Bothy had appeared. This was a small kiosk which Ben Riley had bought fom the K&WVR (and Andrew had assisted in transporting) but had extended with his customary woodworking skills only for a certain former MD to be implaccably opposed to it being put up anywhere. Now saner management is in place and it had become - though far from complete - the meet-&-greet kiosk for families booked on the Paddington Bear trains.

We had been told that timekeeping was important. The running time to Matlock was to be only 25 minutes, non-stop through Darley Dale and a 10 minute turnround at Matlock (no-detraining) meant that Adam had to leg it down to the steamer to get the token and get back. On our return Paddington was stood on the platform waving and then repaired to a marquee where you could go and meet him. (He missed our second return - apparently we were slightly early and he hadn't got his head back on in time!) I had a suspicion that Gordon Bennet was informally assessing me for renewing my driving ticket and sure enough, I was handed a wadge of paperwork to complete and told my driving was satisfactory at the end of the day.

After the service was finished I wandered down to the shed and found Mark had dragged Cathryn out with Bagnall the Barclay and was raising steam, but I returned to Darley where the two Andrew's had extracted the second crane outrigger ram, tried to set up some more CCTV cameras and returned to the Hatramm's brakes which still weren't working as they should.

Another thunderstorm errupted. Stuart Graves was out again filming (is the third film in the 'Day in the Life of Pete Briddon' franchise in the offing?) and I am indebted to him for sending me some stills which help illustrate the day.

So a week of good and bad. As I said at the beginning, the highs are higher and the lows lower, and events on Friday certainly in that latter category. Onward and upward, though. First thing tomorrow, get in and clear space for the contractors, then off to Cardiff for last Thursday's postponed job, then take the Janus back to Kirkby Stephen. Will the Police make an entrance and forensics come to the fore? I can't say I'm hopeful. To find out, come back next week at much the same time. See ya then.