I was uptown for 9:15 and stopped into the Cancer Society's version of the Sally Ann to buy a large bath towel so that I can take a shower at the C&W shops instead of a bath here at Camberley House. At the end of the day after working in soot and grime, I get quite grungy and I love to take a shower.
I caught the 9:45 diesel train up to Weybourne. It was interesting to see two young volunteers, 16-17 years of age, looking smart in their M&GN conductors' uniforms. On arriving in Weybourne, who was waiting on the down track but Great Western 0-6-2T #5619 waiting clearance to go down to Sheringham to couple up to its passenger cars for the second train trip of the day.
I could have had a ride in the locomotive up to Holt and back to Weybourne but I took a pass on it (foolish decision) and signed in to the C&W shops. On preservation railways, a volunteer is considered to be staff for purposes of the British Health and Safety regulations. This requires each person to sign in and to sign out. In doing so, the person certifies that they will obey health and safety regulations and that they have not consumed alcohol in the last 12 hours. The sign-in is very rigidly enforced. The pre-amble to the official sign-in sheet (required under British regulations) states that "...staff includes a volunteer.....who is working on any part of the railway......"
The shops were mostly empty! I had expected the shops to be buzzing with volunteers but it seems that most volunteers who work in the shops do so during the week. Keep in mind, however, that most visitors appear on the railway on the weekend which is when the largest number of volunteers is required for running the trains. I spent a couple of leisurely hours doing a bit of painting, wandering around the shops and yards taking a closer look at the equipment and the shops. A most interesting layout of the shops. What we wouldn't give to have something like this back home!
By 13:45 I decided to call it a day so had a shower at the shops making use of my new towel. Ahhhh, it felt so good to have that hot water coursing all over my body!!!!! (Notwithstanding that it was a small shower stall with a curtain that kept wanting to pour water all over the floor. To say nothing of the cool wind that was blowing in through the open windows and doors. But at least it was a hot shower!!!)
I left the shops and went up to the station to be greeted by music straight out of 1964 - a guitar tune by Cliff Richard's band, "The Shadows". A father-and-son were playing guitar melodies - mouldies but goldies - on the the platform. They went on to play music from the 1970s - the "Sultans of Swing". If you remember that one, you aren't old, you're OLD!!!.
It was a nice sunny day with the clouds high overhead and a light sea breeze blowing in off the North Sea. So, I sat on one of the benches, browsed the M&GN book store, bought a couple of books, took a few photos, and let some trains go by. Talked to a guy in the book store who I later learned was John Gorton. John and I had some very interesting railway conversations during the following weeks.
When I decided to leave, 0-6-2T #6519 seemed to be coming into the station too fast!! Sure enough, he stopped about 20' past his limit. The diesel came down from Holt and I hopped onto it and back down to Sheringham.
I wandered down Station Road going in and out of the stores. The whole street was crowded with visitors. Anyone trying to drive down the street would have had a difficult time making it down the street. I finally arrived at - you got it - "The Lobster". Once again, the lobsters weren't in so I only could have a pint of bitters.
I went back up to the B and B and started to write up this blog. Almost forgot but had to get changed out of my grubbies for the "Special" that is going from Sheringham up to Holt, back to Weybourne to take a tour of the shops. And I've been invited!!
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Between 6:30 and 7:00 about 150 people started to leisurely arrive at Sheringham station to board this "by invitation only" special train. A number of the lads I had met throughout the week were there so I was introduced to their spouses and friends - once again as "Bob from Canada" - as in "Have you met Bob from Canada? he's over here volunteering in the shops. How long are you going to be here for, Bob?". Talk about being made to feel welcome! Wow!
The train, pulled by that ubiquitous GWR 0-6-2T steam locomotive, departed Sheringham around 7:30 for a leisurely ride up to Weybourne and on to the end of the line at Holt. While the locomotive ran around the train, everyone got out to look at the historic rolling stock, to chat, or to take a closer look at the locomotive. Along the way, we had been served finger food - sausage rolls, sweets, and, of course, tea - with a lot of pleasant conversation mixed in.
We went back down the line to Weybourne where we were greeted once again by the father-and-son music duo playing those old 1960's and 1970's mouldies but goldies.
We bailed out of the coaches and went into the carriage and wagon shops to take a look at - guess what - the M&GN brake van that I had been helping with all week. The trip was a fund-raiser and at a very reasonable cost of £6 plus whatever else you wanted to purchase in prize draw tickets. It was obvious from the "oohs" and "ahs" of the women and the "well done, lads" from the men that these people had been on these rides before and were indeed impressed with the work that had been done to restore the brake van.
Surprisingly, I ended up doing a bit of the tour guide bit on the British Rail Mark 1 coach that was undergoing major steel work on the next platform. Have I arrived, or have I arrived, eh!!??
We went back up to the station where the winning tickets were drawn, and to talk to the young engineer and fireman who were manning the locomotive. They couldn't have been any older than their late 20's and they drove that steam locomotive as if they were seasoned veterans. Arriving back in Sheringham, I helped out a bit with the cleanup and then walked back to the B&B, arriving at 10:30. Just enough time to finish the blog and then to go to bed.
Tomorrow (Sunday), I'm going to try to go to church in Letheringsett - the same church that my ancestors worshipped in, got married in, and were interred in. In addition to eating lunch at the pub where they quaffed a few ales, I'm going to try to find the places where they used to live from the census records.
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