Rob the confused engine

This is pretty much verbatim the conversation I overheard whilst taking this shot:

1st Engineer (on the phone): so what then?

2nd Engineer (Out of sight working inside the engine): I hope there's an easy answer or we are screwed  ....

1st Engineer (to the phone): Yes, we've done that and we've removed the (unintelligible) ... well we were sort of hoping that we'd be able to remove the (also unintelligible), but we're starting to wonder if we've bitten off more than we can chew .....

1st Engineer:  (To his colleague conducting open heart surgery on the Engine) Hang on mate, all is not lost, he's checking for us.

2nd Engineer (still out of sight working inside the engine):  I knew this was a mistake - I don't reckon we will be able to get this back in if we can't remove the (unintelligible). 

1st Engineer (to the phone): So it is just removable studs?  Fantastic thanks Mate.

1st Engineer (to his colleague):  It Is just the studs - we're fine, we can just remove the studs.

Queue loud cheer from the 2nd Engineer (still out of sight working inside the engine).

(I've no idea what that was all about, but they both sounded quite concerned for a bit there.  There's a mono extra showing the open heart surgery .... )

This is Diesel/Electric 09015 currently "Rob" who is wearing the English, Welsh & Scottish Railway livery of Maroon with Central Gold Band.  He's seen better days as you can tell.  To be honest, he's a little bit confused nowadays.  

He was originally called The County of Hereford, but may have been a naughty engine because he was briefly renamed Tulyar. But if that wasn't bad enough something must have gone really badly wrong for him, (and I'm thinking of the Johnny Cash song at this point) because he was rechristened .... Susan.  I think he probably tried to pull his socks up at this stage as he was again re-named and became The City of Hereford.  But times are hard for old railway engines and as he became more battered and worn he eventually became Robbo and is now just plain Rob.


You can't see from this side, but he's in the process of being restored and some of his panels have been freshly undercoated on his right hand side.  I'm not sure what livery he will eventually have, or even if he will retain his current name, but its nice to know that he's safe in the care home for slightly confused old gentle-engines.

(This is a companion blip to my shot of Kingswood the Shunter back in December)