Clive's five day Stage I and Stage II courses provide you with an insight into the knowledge and skills required of a steam engineman. The first two days consist of classroom instruction where you will learn some basic principles of engine design and the techniques required to manage them properly. You will spend the next three days in the company of a steam locomotive, usually No. 662 Martello, where you will gain hands on experience of how the theory you have learned is put into practice.
| It works in theory. Stage I consists of two days (Monday and Tuesday) of discussion in the classroom covering all aspects of steam locomotive management. This will include boiler design and construction, valve gear operation, braking, lubrication and firing techniques. These drawings and the mechanical principles they represent will become familiar to you. You will also learn the intricacies of coupling and uncoupling stock and even get to try your hand with a shunter's pole. |
| It goes like this..: Clive explains the intricacies of boiler design to a group of students. |
Stage II is run over three days, and this is where you will have the chance to discover how the techniques you have learned in theory are applied to a real steam locomotive. First of all the engine has to be prepared and, once the fire has been lit, there is plenty of paint and brasswork to be cleaned, the ashpan to be emptied and a myriad oilboxes to be checked and filled. Once this is done there is usually time for a quick cup of tea and some breakfast while sufficient steam is raised to begin the days work.
The first two days of Stage II consist of the railway equivalent of aviation's "circuit and bumps". Trainees take it in turns to manoeuvre the engine around Isfield Station and learn how to use the regulator and reverser to achieve maximum efficiency and economy, and the brake to (hopefully) stop the engine at a predetermined point.
| Buffering up Once the art of stopping precisely on a mark has been mastered, with both the vacuum brake and with the air brake, students then practice buffering up to a brake van. |
| And again... Martello sets off for another run. In addition to driving the engine, the trainee also has to learn how to fire it without making black smoke, blowing off or running out of steam... |
| A delicate touch(?) Fellow students remain in the brake van and will no doubt comment on how well you do... |
| End of the Day: Cleaning out the smokebox is just one of the many tasks to be done before the engine can be put away at night. |
Friday is the final day of the course. This time course members take it in turns to drive or fire the engine up and down the line while hauling some loose coupled (unfitted) freight wagons and a brake van. The driver must start and stop the engine while allowing for the 'take up' of the couplings between the wagons, preferably achieving this without knocking the guard off his feet! The fireman has to maintain boiler pressure throughout the journey, but without making the safety valves lift (blowing off). This he must achieve without making excessive quantities of black smoke. He must also ensure there is sufficient water in the boiler at all times, having taken into account the variations in water level caused by changes of track gradient or operation of the regulator or brake.
| Martello and wagons. The driver brings the engine and train into Isfield Station. |
| A Tricky Business: The driver uses the engine to push the wagons up a slight incline back onto the brake van. |
| Back to Base: Now reconnected to the brake van, Martello makes a spirited departure with the wagons, bound for Isfield Station. |
| So this is what you have been up to... On the last day of the course there will be an opportunity to show off your new found skills to any friends or family members who wish to come along. |
| Another successful run completed: Martello and freight returning from another trip up the line. |
| We did it. Martello and her crew take a bow at the end of an eventful and informative week. |
On successful completion of the course you will be awarded a certificate and an assessment recording your achievements in the theory and practice of steam enginemanship. The fee for the five day course on driving and firing a steam engine is £715.00