Thanks Peter.

Here are a couple of photos from the last steam powered trains on the incline in 2005: Castle Donnington No.1 (September for the opening) and Whiston in October.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

I won't be in attendece as Im going for the Dean Forrest Railway (Something Different for a Change)

I have taken the Officers saloon from Knottigley all over West Yorkshire ending up being relieved at Engine Shed Junction, Leeds.(outside Holbeck Shed).
The guards duty was to watch out for anything that would effect the safe running of the train.
There was a whistle(Horn) and a jigger(Vac Brake) where the guard sat.
What has the guard on your train provided with to warn wandering souls in the 4 foot?
Do you use back to back radios to be in touch with the driver or do you just have the vac brake?

When I first started on the railway, I was on a Huddersfield to Penistone DMU. When the driver changed ends at Penistone he could not get the power.
The driver went in the back cab and drove from there.
My job was to control the movement on the internal buzzer, from the leading cab.
When we came out of Denby Dale tunnel, CWJ22 was showing a red aspect.
I gave the driver the buzzer for him to slow down, then when we were 25 yards from this signal one long buzz and he stopped. When the signal came off, I gave him 2 on the buzzer and away we went.
We then came off the branch at Springwood Jct, Huddersfield and onto platform 4, with no problems.
This was just a case of team working and both of us having route knowledge and the will to do it.
This was in the rule book and a permitted move with a DMU.
I have found out that when propelling, you need a very clear understanding with the driver what you are going to do, I do not brief the inspector on the footplate or the fire man and his dog.
I speak to the person who makes the train move and above all the person who is in charge of the traction unit who makes the train stop.
There is an old saying ; ' Too many cooks spoil the broth.'

The horns are still working on the Inspection Salloon so they are "Our means only audible approach!"

The Guard has control of the vacuum brake but we do not have back to back radio.

At present we only have a very small team of Steam Crew so we all know each other well. As several of us have been involved with the permanent way team we have very good route knowledge we have walked all the route at some time or another!

We propel on the incline which is half a mile long ( I have been firing on it all day today) and down to Idridgehay with is three and a half miles. I regularly guard on this route with the works train which is propelled, so again have good route knowledge.

When we start running to Duffield next spring we will not need to propel passenger trains as there are run rounds at both ends. No doubt we will still propel works trains as they do not always run down the whole line.

Best wishes,

John H-T.