New Member
 

Hello Everybody
I've just joined today and until I get used to it I'm trying to work out whats what. I worked for BR in steam days as a fireman.
Locojoe

Welcome from North Vancouver in Canada.

Norm D.

Thanks for Welcome
 

Thanks Norm for the welcome I'm new to pcs and find things a bit difficult to get the hang of and I find this site confusing.I suppose if I keep pressing the buttons things will come right in the end.
Regards Alan [locojoe]

Alan

Do not worry about being a bit lost on here. Everyone on here had to start wondering which 'track' to take to reach their destination.

Just ask questions if you have problems. Somone will stop by and help you through it. This does not just apply to the site, but also the P C itself, I am certain.

Norm D.

Hi Alan,Welcome on board hope you enjoy yourself,and if you have any problems just give one us of a shout.
All the best,Ian.

Welcome to the forum Alan.
Believe me it will get easier and very soon you will wonder what all the fuss was about. As Ian and Norm say.......if you get stuck give us a shout.:)

Hi Alan, and welcome.

Just as everyone else has said, if you need any help then just shout out and we'll do what we can. :)

I must say it's very nice of you chaps to offer so much help thanks.ps I'm still having a look.
Alan.

Just a question are there any more ex footplatemen on this site.
Alan.

Syd (DSY011) was a footplateman in Rhodesia.

We have a few members who are volunteers on the heritage railways.

On a personal note, my Uncle Alan (sadly no longer with us) was a fireman at Hull Dairycoates, finishing his career from Hull Botanic Gardens driving DMU's between Hull and Scarborough. So I've got a little bit of a connection!

Hi Trev
I was a fireman at Enfield shed in North London 1954/9 then at Kings Cross for a couple of years.
Cheers Alan.

Thanks Alan. Apart from my Uncle, my other railway connection is that of my paternal grandfather. He was a 'wagon checker' for the LNER up here in Hull. What did a wagon checker actually do?

Hi Trev
I can't really tell you what a wagon checker did as it's a new one on me.At a guess what about a man checking goods lables on wagons making sure they went to right destinations when train was made up.Probably completly wrong.
Alan.

I reckon that's pretty near the mark Alan. From what I've been told by my dad, my grandad worked at the Saltend/BP branch so I guess it was a case of making sure that trains were made up in the right order.

I'm sure that all of the members would like to hear of your experiences as a fireman if you would care to post them up for us.

Have a look at this thread...

http://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=305

Ignore the 'trainspotting' bias at the beginning, it's also for memories of people such as yourself whose recollections are invaluable. :)

Hi Trev
When I was in the army my best mate was called Trevor Knight and he came from Hull.Also my late Mother was a Yorkshire lass from Goole.
Alan.

That makes you an honourary Humbersider Alan. :)

Well at least your name isnt John :D :D, this forum seems to have endless Johns.

Hello All
When working expresses from Kings Cross it was just like leaving from some other London stations uphill. After we were coupled to our train and waiting for right away the engine had to be kept quiet no blowing off, but on starting off the loco would have to be worked very hard most of the way to Potters Bar. What I did before starting off was build a big fire at the back of the firebox nothing at the front. On leaving
before we got to gasworks tunnel the fire had to be spread all over the firebox,then I would close the firehole door flap.By the time we were through Copenhagen tunnel the fire would be very hot and steam pressure nearly at maximum.This was where the real work started. I would make sure we had a good fire all over the box and then start filling the back corners.I found most of our Pacific and V2 engines responded well to this type of firing.
Alan

Hello and (a belated)welcome Alan! Hope you enjoy the forum.

Adam

Hi Alan (Locojoe)
Reading your story of working an express out of London reminded me of working trains along the Dett straight in old Rhodesia. Down trains would change crews at Dett, and with a clean fire and full water tank, head off down towards Bulawayo. If we were on the main line and it was night, we could see the light of a train over 87 miles away. The track is straight, but dose go up and down. Firing would be light most of the way until we reached Gwai. At Gwai we would clean the fire and take on water, then a uphill pull to meet up with a train coming up from Bulawayo. They would have stopped at Sawmills and also serviced their loco. We would meet up somewhere along the line, normally at a place called Umguza, where we would swap over trains. Heading back to Gwai, I would start banking up the back of the firebox, with a bit down the front to keep it covered. On a Rhodesian 15th class loco, the grate area is 49.6ft. As we ran down hill into Gwai and stopped for water, I was putting coal in by hand around the firebox door and with the blower just on to keep the smoke out of the cab. The smoke would roll out of the stack and was a thick yellow/brown. As the water bag was thrown out of the tank. by the Garratt Boy (a man who 's job was to push coal forward), I would turn the blower on full. The driver would whistle away and the guard would wave the green. A very heavy pull out of Gwai and onto the straight. One stop for water just over half way, a light fire and home we went. By the time we arrive back at Dett, the fire at the back of the firebox was down to normal. That would have been a 8 hour shift, Fire cleaned twice (once at Gwai and at end of shift) 18,000 gal of water and 11 ton of hand fired coal. They were great days, wish they had never ended, but the time comes when they want you in the drivers seat. I forgot to say that it was all single line working.
SYD

Hi Syd
Your railway and mine were very different,the trains you worked on I presume were mostly goods trains. Shovelling 11 tons of coal seems like hard work.Many trains I worked were expresses,but we also worked fast goods using V2s and 9Fs.What sort of mileage would you have done in an 8 hour shift.
Alan.

Hi Adam thanks for the welcome Alan

Hi Alan,

Welcome to the Forum. Will you be at K&WVR over the weekend?

Best wishes,

John H-T.

You are right Alan, the railways were very different. Only the Bulawayo/Salisbury line was double track. We ran on cape gauge but our rolling stock were 10' 6" wide. We had coal trains of 14,000 ton on 144 axles which a 20th class loco would pull up gradients of 1 in 64. Goods trains never went much over 35 mph and passenger trains of 16 coaches would run at about 55 mph. A lot depended on the area one worked. Umtali to Vila de Manica was only about 20 miles, but there are 365 curves and a climb of almost 1,000 feet. Trains went down at 20 mph and up the hill at about 15 mph. Two trips to an 8 hour shift. All main line drivers and firemen worked both goods and passenger trains. We had CTC signalling on all the main lines apart from the line through Botswana, which was ticket working. I never worked that line. branch lines were ticket or staff (token) working. We worked as a set team, Driver Fireman & Guard but we did not have our own locos. We just used that which had been rostered for the train. A working rota of 14 days with 2 red and 2 blue rest days. We were not allowed to work a red rest day and blue was voluntary only. We had 47 days A/leave which we could save up to a max of 6 months and 12 days when we could just take a days casual leave. The 12 days were not abused by most, in fact I never used any. In a land where we have to pay for health, the railways gave free medical service and as young firemen, we were the 2nd best paid in the world. At that time only the US army were better paid. Life on the Rhodesian Railways was great.
Syd

Hi Syd
When I think back to the old steam days it always fills me with nostilgia, I suppose you must feel the same. I was in number 3 link at topshed, this link was non lodge. Number 2 lodge link was Hull, Leeds and York goods. Number 1 link was Newcastle lodge.In number 3 link we did not lodge and the furthest we went was doncaster. Doncaster return trips were always express passenger work. Our goods trains were always Peterborough [ New England ] return jobs.These goods trains were fully fitted [brakes on all wagons] express goods run at just a bit less speed than passenger trains.
Doncaster was a 312 mile round trip,and Peterborough 152 miles round trip. On Doncaster trains we got mileage pay, for every 15 miles over 140 we got an extra hours pay, so these jobs paid very well.
Alan.

Hi John H T
Thanks for the welcome.
Alan. {locojoe}

Hello All
Can anyone tell me how to post messages on another part of the group instead of sending everything to. say hello.
Alan.

Alan,
To start a new thread:-
1. On the main page choose the section you want to put your new thread in e.g "Steam Discussion".
2. Click on the black "Steam Discussion" title and a list of all the threads already in that section will appear.
3. At the top left hand side of this page you will see the words "New Thread" in a RED box. Click on this.
4. A new page will open similar to the ones you have used previously to write messages. Just remember to give your new thread a title using the "title" section at the top of the form.
Hope this helps:)

Hi John thanks for the info on how to post I have already posted using the details you gave me thanks.
Alan.