Of waiting for the Lad

18th May 2025

A mixed bag

There is an old saying that 'when a job goes wrong, it goes wrong absolutely' - well, I say it's old, but it probably only dates back 50 years or so. Anyway, one such was the recent order on the profilers. Drawn up on or about Easter, I clearly remember typing out the email that would accompany the CAD file with the usual request to price it up for me. They usually come back within 24 hours, but with the Easter hols I didn't think anything of it when I heard nothing straightaway. Then the days went by, I was busy and it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't heard anything, but when I looked for the email in my Sent box - there was nothing there. I know I drafted it and signed it - but for some reason, interruption, or whatever, it had never been actually despatched. (You'll note that I conceed the failing somewhow was mine, not merely claim that the internet lost it.) So it finally got sent, and priced, and I replied with instructions to proceed and please could they put it through PDQ (one of those older TLAs that means pretty damn quick) but by now the May day bank holiday is upon us and their 4-5 working days turnround gets a bit longer.

Alistair from ALD is particularly anxious as in my order are parts for his new Gauge 3 Class 14 model and he has a deadline to get it out for. I asked the profilers if they could let me know as soon as those items are ready so that I can pick them up ahead of the balance if necessary. In the end, as I am driving back from Tanfield last Friday and well past Sheffield, Andrew has checked my e mails and says that there's one from the profilers to say the order is ready. Aagh: a bit earlier and I might have been able to ring and arrange that I collect it on my way south, as they have late shifts on, but it is too late by then and must wait until Monday.

Thus it was that 'first thing' on Monday I am on the road back to Sheffield to pick up the profiles. This required careful time-keeping: get to Sheffield, collect, sort out the bits for ALD, take them across the other side of Sheffield (carefully avoiding the low-emission zone that clobbers 'commercial' vehicles but not cars) drop them off at ALD and then retrace my route back east and on to the yard because Andrew has arranged a wagon with a HIAB to collect the components that we took off T2 before it departed and return them to the Yard at Darley Dale, and this is due between 12 and 1 in the afternoon. All goes well, I identify which bag has the ALD bits in, actually find a place to park in the street where ALD are and drop them off, and Alistair and his son Jake pounce on them and seem much relieved.

It is as I am heading back, at about twenty to twelve, that I get a call from the hauliers - the lorry has been delayed, it'll be nearer 2pm before it arrives. The tone of voice leaves me suspicious. A nagging feeling tells me that he is not actually admitting just how late it will be, but while part of me says think of somewhere to spend an hour or two, the rest of me says, no, there's not enough time to go anywhere worthwhile and I must assume that it will be there by two or even a touch before, so I continue to follow my plan.. Thus I arrive at the yard, eat my lunch, watch the world go by, snooze a little in the sun and so on. At quarter-past three, I decide it is time to ring the haulier and ask sarcastically what happened by my 2 o'clock lorry, but being British I ring them and instead ask politely for an update. The lorry is just passing a nearby motorway junction, be with you in ten minutes...

And so it transpired, well no, actually it was 25 minutes later, but i won't quibble, though the nice Lad (well at my age he seemed too young to be driving an HGV) had already been to Leeds and back and had known nothing of my job until he had completed that one. We made a start at loading, commencing with the two 110lb/yard rails and following on with the 75lb/yard ramp rails, winch and power unit, etc. Part way through Jeff arrived and started assisting. I was admiring the new Merc tractor when he admitted he must be back out in the old one the next day. For having been running it for about a week, Swansea had decided there was an error in the submitted paperwork and its earlier approval was null and void. You may yet see the old Merc out on another job for me after all.

Amongst the load we were due to bring are some concrete level crossing pads which Andrew had spotted stacked in some undergrowth. A quick assessment as to their weight and number had been made and Jeff had agreed to get them out of the foliage with the forklift, but in the event, had only been able to extricate two piles, on rather life-expired pallets. Our young driver was able to lift one on but the second, which was rather larger, exceeded the crane capacity at that radius. Although we had some deck space left, it was apparent that while we could back the lorry nearer and hopefully pick it up, we could not then extend the HIAB out so as to reach the open spaces on the deck. Besides, it was the lad's birthday the next day, he told us, and he was due to go out for a celebratory dinner at 7pm that night. As a generous, kind-hearted employer I did not feel I could force him to work late just to get my job further progressed, as we would have to come back and collect the rest later anyway, so we left the second pile and strapped everything else down.

He rang the office - what time could we unload in the morning? he was instructed to ask. I took a moment - it would the the lad's birthday, he'd had a meal out the previous night, they'd kept me waiting over 3 hours - was I going to rush down at half-six or seven a.m? Half eight, I declared. The office wasn't impressed: could you make it a bit earlier? he relayed. Jeff was I think on my wavelength 'Quarter-past' he called out before I could answer.

It was now about 5pm and as the lorry swung out of the yard there was a large noise - not so much a crash as an over-volumed thud. The life-expired pallet given its all and the pile of concrete pads crashed over sideways. I parked the van behind and assisted in re-strapping the load in its slightly disorganised new positions. He got going and I followed him out of the estate and to the nearby motorway. The lights turned red and held me back - the lad was anxious to get home for his meal out and must have gone like the clappers as I didn't catch sight of him again that night.

Meanwhile did ALD get their loco finished in time for Friday? It seems so, here is the completed model in action at the convention.

Tuesday morning and I got down for about quarter past eight expecting to see the lorry waiting outside but the road was clear. The Lad arrived about half an hour later, having, he explained, thought it prudent to reposition and secure all the concrete pads for safety. A quickly as I could we lifted everything off and stacked it as close together as possible (to avoid having to reposition the lorry) and he set off for another trip to Leeds and then to Birmingham. I returned home and got back to some admin, but returned later as not only had Jordan and Clayton been down on Monday container painting, but they had been back on Tuesday and this time included Chloe in their number.

Wednesday. I had arranged that a couple of enthusiasts from the West Midlands could come and look around and we'd agreed 11am as they were travelling from Walsall. Peak Rail was running so at least there was someone to talk to, but the time ticked by and there was no sign. I had visions of a repeat of the previous Saturday but at about twenty to twelve they arrived, apologising and blaming a 2hr delay on the M6 in one getting to the other. I was rather concerned in that my plan for the day had had me back home, lunched and on the road by 1pm, as Andrew had asked me to head over to an auctioneers near Jodrell Bank and collect some bits he'd bought. As I reckoned it was not far short of a 2 hour drive across country, load, two hours back and then unload the van (which was due its MoT at 8am the following day) and I was at a friend's that evening, it was looking decidedly tight. Nevertheless I did the usual tour, drinks, and saw them off to Rowsley before dashing home, grabbing lunch and setting off again.

The auctioneers is based at a former garden centre or nursery or some-such, as it is all in glass houses, and there was a plant sale going on with vans and plant pots everywhere. Armed with two copies of the invoice I found the requisite glass house and was told that the four Land Rover wheels heading Andrew's list were piled up a hundred yards away, so I took the van down there and lobbed them in first. Back at the glass house I was tempted to watch one purchaser as he attempted to load what I can best describe as a mini-tractor into an estate car. He'd got the front end in but the ramps he had were far too short and what he really needed was someone or something to lift the rear up level and push it forwards. You could see that the tractor ought to clear the doorway (just) of the estate car by height, but what about the width? and how much weight could the estate car take?

The lots on Andrew's list were scattered all over the glass house floor and I set off with a stiff trolley and after a while left it where it was and brought the lots to it. 25litres of deionised water, a box of about 50 paint brushes (container painting for the pursuance of) a heavy puller and accessories in two steel boxes, 3 Stillsons and a jigsaw, a hydraulic valve (used) (which as not only inordinately heavy but greasy and slippery too) together with a brand new hydraulic pump... I spotted some bits of railwayana, but last time Andrew bought a box of such from here, they had turned out to have been stolen and the rightful owner came and collected them. I set off for home relieved that it was just after 3pm but as I am a bit light on fuel, I aim for Macclesfield as I hadn't passed a garage in miles on my way over. I get fuel OK, but Macclesfield is on chaos as a broken down Range Rover is being recovered by the AA and partially blocking a junction with the resulting traffic (school run time) queuing for mile or more. Andrew has said to ring him when I'm about 15 minutes out from Darley and he'll join me to help unload. So I ring him but I have unloaded 3/4s of the stuff before he arrives.

Thursday. The van failed, well, needed some new discs and pads before it would pass, so nothing much happened. I was though, re-writing software for the relay on the Barclay. The new capacitor had been fitted ( while I was waiting for my visitors on Tuesday) and proved to be the answer - with the voltage dropping a little during cranking but still over 20volts with a longish crank that nearly had the engine start (fuel is turned off!). Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that rather than have a second external relay to isolate the starter motor contactor, I could easily do it using the programmable relay but inverting the software, that is, energise the output (enable the starter) when appropriate. My software already flashes the 'overheat' warning light in the desk if the engine coolant or converter temp switches open, so why not flash the oil pressure warning light if the oil pressure switch is giving a problem? At one point, I'll be honest, I did have a situation where, on the simulation, in response to a 'test defect' instead of cutting the fuel solenoid and isolating the starter motor, it did leave the engine 'running' and enable the starter, but these were sorted and that's what tests are for.

By Saturday I was enthusiastically back at the workshops, ripping out the relay I had put in only a week or so prior, making minor changes to the wiring around the unit and reloading the software with the latest version. A quick crank to make sure all was in order and it should be ready, bar a tweak or two, for a grand start up as soon as the other issues are finished. One of these other issues is the timing reservoir that Barclay utilise around the clutch and which they mounted to a casing upright, and whose rigid copper pipework was now well and truly obstructing the air cleaner, if anyone wanted to change it. My plan was to re-locate it to another upright nearer the cab, which meant drilling the upright out to clear 8mm and countersinking so the casing door still fits. One skill I have never mastered is that of sharpening drills, and so we have a considerable collection of drill bits in varying shades of bluntness. Eventually I found a small drill with some edge to it that piloted my holes through and I opened them out and mounted the reservoir, and bent the pipework to line up.

Across sthe other side of the loco I repeated the exercise, but this time tapped the holes out at M6 and mounted the junction box for the alternator cables, securing it with bolts that wouldn't need to see the light of day outside. Outside on Peak Rail, the Peckett was in action on a bright sunny day.

Sunday. Andrew said he would be down for nine a.m. as he had the morning available to get on with some work. When he did arrive, he blamed 'the kids' for the delay. I had removed the alternator and its bracket from the Barclay and he attacked the water pump that had leaked last time, removing the assembly completely and revealing that the face that bolts to the block has damage from past ministrations that probably no coolant joint gasket could hold back and anyway the copper sealing ring didn't appear to be properly bedded. It has gone away and will go for a skim to restore its faces. He moved on to some rail supports I had for T1 and welded these up, plus a bracket for Tony S who was working on both railcars trying to ascertain why certain electrical bits didn't work or where different to one another. I was manufacturing a throttle arm extension for another loco, and was less than happy when the sharp drill I had been using since the Barclay yesterday snagged and snapped. (I was doing other bits too, but nothing particularly noteworthy.)

Which brings us around to the usual closing preview. Two jobs on the transport side, it seems, and some more profiles to collect plus steel to order for some enhancements to T1. Oh and the PRA AGM scheduled for Friday. A fun-filled week in prospect? I'll let you know next time. See ya then.