There is something about steam that fascinates people from all walks of life, large mill engines and locomotives on the railway are a sure fire attraction. However, very little attention is paid to the man with the hardest and dirtiest job, the fireman on the loco or the firebeater in a mill. The efficiency and economic running of the plant depend on his skill, attention to detail and constant alertness. He has to think ahead to what demands will be placed on his boiler before they happen and make sure he takes the appropriate measures in time. You've all heard me sing the praises of the late John Plummer at Bancroft. I'd like to draw your attention to another quiet hero....
Before West Marton Dairies was started, the complex of buildings on the site was the Gledstone Estate Workshops. It had a boiler and a steam engine which supplied power to the woodworking machinery, a rock crusher and of course eventually, the estate piggery. When the dairy first started the engine still drove line-shafting for the machinery and the boiler supplied steam for milk processing and hot water for cleaning. In time the engine was dispensed with but the small Cornish boiler remained in use still fired by coal. It was served by a short chimney, I doubt if the total height was much above forty feet. Later, a second, more efficient Economic boiler was installed but hardly ever used because the chimney hadn't enough draught to run it properly.
When I first went to the dairy in 1957 the boiler attendant was a man from Barlick called Len Pitts. Len didn't put himself about, he stuck to his boiler and did his job. I got to know him because I often went for a warm in his kingdom and asked questions about the boiler because even then, they fascinated me. It was the original Cornish single flued boiler and I think ran at 80psi working pressure. It was small even for a Cornish and was hand fired through a firebox door that could be opened with a foot pedal, rather like a steam loco. I soon realised that he was master of his job. Even though the boiler was badly flued and not really big enough for its duty, especially as the dairy got busy, but he somehow managed to keep the pressure just below the safety limit all day. This was noted by the management and they left well alone, Len was not bothered by silly requests or suggestions.
One of the hardest parts of hand firing a hard pressed boiler with plain firebars is keeping the fire clean, getting the ash and clinker off the bars before they start to restrict the air flow and reducing your steam output. The Marton boiler had a very small firebox and watching Len dealing with it was poetry in motion to someone like me.
I've run out of space again haven't I.... Len deserves more time so I'll complete this next week.
The new boiler house at the dairy in 1976 when we went over to making cheese.