'Rommel of the empty tank brigade' strikes...07/02/15

So as January drew to a close, and we all froze our way into February, a road test a few days prior to the date on this post saw the dreaded low water buzzer rear its ugly head again on 1321. As a result of this, it was decided that a return visit to Hammonds at Bilborough needed to be made, which Paul pencilled in the diary for 7 February.

D-day dawned and Paul set off in the direction of Hammonds, but sadly fate was going to deal a cruel hand at this stage, when three miles away from its destination 1321 expired at the roadside just off Cinderhill Island (mercifully it had cleared the roundabout), turns out our leader had forgotten to dip the fuel tank and 1321 was somewhat lacking in forward propulsion fluids! A frantic phone call later, and mechanic Dominic came to the rescue, but with no room to work to bleed the system at the roadside and with the bus in a precarious place where it was a sitting duck for some careless tit to come along and bin a car (or worse a wagon) into the rear end, it was time to phone Burrows Recovery for a tow.

(C) Jonathan Johansson

Safely at Hammonds Dominic bled the system, gave the engine a boost and 1321 duly burst back into life. A quick check through the system for any water leaks revealed none, and Paul proceeded to return to group HQ via the nearest petroleum filling station. And if his luck was not bad enough, after topping up the tank the bus refused to start on the forecourt and his phone was now totally dead. So with a bit of charm and persuasion (Paul is good at that, bless him) he managed to charge his phone enough to phone mechanic Nik, who came out with his jump leads. Initial attempts were to no avail, but a bit of tinkering with some wiring under the floor trap around the starter motor and 1321 duly burst into life as if nothing was wrong! Paul assures me it was a quick trip back to the farm after all that!!

A curious attempt to start her up again on arrival at the farm and she'd been stood a while was unsuccessful, so it appeared we now had an issue with the starter motor. But that, dear readers, is as they say another story...