fireman Sam

We went to Wirksworth's Xmas market today but the best of the day was down at the old train station where volunteers run the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Today they were running steam and diesel shunt engines to pull the old  carriages. The steam shunter needs a helping hand up the hills so the big 1959 diesel engine pulls those parts. The photo of the fireman a nice young man who chatted to us after he had gone to get his mince pie, held in his grubby hand. Its a physically demanding job shovelling all that coal from bunker to firebox. He was telling us how shattered he was, starting early morning to get the fire going and will be late clearing the ash and clinker, but as his mom tells him, it keeps him out of the pubs.
The extra shows the train pulling into the station, the carriages at the station leaking steam from the heating pipes, and finally the diesel engine drivers lunch. He invited up into his cab, all happy boys with big toys!