Thomas hides his face

Very, very warm down at Wittersham Road. The thermometer hit 96f in old money (35.5c) in the box this morning. The heat didn’t affect the signalling equipment as I thought it might. There can be a great deal of expansion in the metalwork, cables and rods which affect the working of signals and points.

What did happen though was a mammoth bout of shunting to and from the yard to the platform and through lines as well as locomotive run rounds which necessitated much pulling of levers to change points and work signals and communication with the guard to establish what movements were going to take place. Just the sort of thing you needed on a hot day like today. All great experience though, it’s only once in a blue moon that anything like this happens at Wittersham Road.

All this moving and shaking was because Thomas was going home after a weekend on the railway. He was shunted into the yard and as I was leaving was being prepared to be winched onto a low loader prior to a long trip back to Oxford.

I had a peek into the cab only to discover Thomas’s face propped up opposite to the firebox. That was the blip sorted. Now we know where Thomas hides his face when he’s been a troublesome engine.