In The Bleak Mid-Winter...

Just time before Chrimbo to pop up to the barn to drop off the new battery and to give 326 a quick run - probably a good idea as it hadn't even been started or moved since September!

The battery was taken off it to put on the petrol carrier in the summer as the battery on that was pretty dead and not holding its charge, and not - even with a decent battery charger - ever charging properly. So, courtesy of Advanced Battery Supplies in Stockport (a great little backs street place but who will happily mail order) a new 110ah battery arrived, ready to go, for £90 which is pretty reasonable. Once fitted, 326 fired up very quickly so I let ir run for half an hour or so to give it a decent run, also running it back and forth across the shed to keep the rest of it in decent order, too, including the brakes.

While it was ticking over, another job to do - removing the tax disc holder which I carefully put on when I bought it back in 2011!

Anyway, all was good, so after washing off some of the larger blobs of bird poo (they seem to like sitting on the end of the ladder at the front), time for home.

Wind Beneath My Wings...

Well, with a leave out from school this weekend, I finally managed to get up to the barn to offload the spare green goddess wings that I bought back in mid-August which have been sat in the back of my car (probably covering more miles than they ever did in service when actually attached to a vehicle!!). With a spare for each side of the goddess and a spare offside for the petrol carrier, they are now wrapped up and sat in the back of the petrol carrier (which is becoming more and more of a store, with bits of pipe bridge etc sat around). Eventually, I will try to wrap them up to keep the moisture out as they are in pretty decent condition.

I did also try to start 326 to give it a run, however, as I swapped the batteries over a few weeks ago before the Lincoln Show as the petrol carrier wouldn't start, it turned over a few times then died. Thwarted! Lucky I bought a new battery charger this week!

No Spare Parts...

Well, although 326 hasn't been out and about recently, that's not to say that things haven't been happening! A few spare parts to add to the store - the problem now, where to store them!

I initially only wanted a pair of wings as these are often the bits that really rust or get damaged. But, on visiting Brian Whiteside down in Dorset and gazing into his emporium, there were other riches, so I ended coming back with a valance panel, top panel and spare bonnet.... Although the wings are used, it's amazing to think these three parts which are 'new old stock' have been sat around since the 50s and 60s.

Derby Emergency Services Show 2014...

Well, I was planning to take the326 and the petrol carrier to the Derby Show again this June, however, firstly work intervened to ensure that I couldn't get that weekend off! Then, I found out last week that this year's show, which was due to be at a new venue, has been cancelled because apparently the ground is very wet and with more rain forecast, the land owners felt that it was untenable to hold the show. A great shame, but fingers crossed for 2015!

Anyway, here's the video of the road run from last year - you'll see 326 is the third vehicle in the convoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAsnM00Ku5U

Life is Show Time...

Well, last weekend - the May bank holiday - saw the first (and perhaps only) show outing for 326 this year because of summer travel plans.... Earls Barton near Northampton.

The show is a transport festival but has an attached Fire and Rescue Show with a separate demonstration ring too. Although small, it is one of the first fire and rescue shows on the circuit so attracts a wide crowd of fire appliances, mostly red, for their first shake-down outing.

Run over three days, the Saturday was extremely wet with no vehicle movements on site and few visitors. When I arrived on Sunday, with much road dirt covering the recently cleaned 326, it was brighter. With a main arena spin around, I wandered the site, chatted with people and actually ended up catching the sun!

By 1600, with the crowds thinning out, we gathered a scratch crew to get the two goddesses there into the arena to squirt some water. With 326 set into the dam, we pumped water to the erstwhile PGW 327 which then fed into a hand branch and also a ground monitor.

With the tent pitched, and dinner and few ciders sunk with friends, it wasn't long before bed called although not before some of the others had set fire to a car and then extinguished it in the dark!

Sunday was wet, it had rained since the early hours, so the fire applicances were almost the only vehciles to get in the main arena. Things were brightened up with a friend visiting with his two young boys who seemed to like att the noise and flashing lights, although the 60s bubble cars also proved to be a draw....

As the rain set in, after lunch, exhibitors wandered off home - including to places as diverse as Hampshire and North Wales. Just a shame that that's pretty much it for GG shows this year, although the petrol carrier will be at Lincoln Steam Show in mid-August.

Spring Sky...

Well, after a few months of little activity other than the odd trip to give 326 a start and a run, with the sustained good weather, it was time for a wash and brush up.

With the jet wash already in place after having given 32 (the petrol carrier) a wash yesterday, it was soon clean and dried (the hard water means it has to be chamoised dry to avoid calcium rings everywhere!). It was good to see that last season's polish will probably last for this year too, which saved a job!

After that, it was test drive time and as usual, 326 ran faultlessly. I was pleased to hear that the transmission seems to be quieter after I changed the oil last year. If you remember, it had EP90 in the main and transfer gearboxes which it shouldn't have done. When I emptied the old stuff, lots of metal filings came out too. Anyway, it seems to have worked.

After a few stories of slow vehicles being run in to on faster roads (including a Scammell Explorer which was written off last year when a foreign HGV ran into the back of it), I have been very aware making it more visible. I replaced the red reflectors, uncovered the originals and fitted new high visibility chevron plates. To add to that for long runs or in poor visibility, I now have a magnetic, battery powered, LED amber beacon. No massively bright in day time but I hope it will do the trick in darkness or poor visibility.

Once the test drive was over, I replaced the rubber washers on the pump outlets and that was enough for the day!

The first show this year will be Earl's Barton Fire and Rescue Show on the second May bank holiday.

http://nfbps.weebly.com/earls-barton-fire-and-rescue-show.html

This is part of the wider Festival of Transport - http://www.festivaloftransport.net/