Curriculum Vitae (Steam Railway)
Neil James Carr
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Naionality: English (Born in Oxford)
Present Address: 34 Church Lane, Toddington, Gloucestershire, GL54 5DQ.
Telephone Numbers: 01242 620469, 07816 365257
email: neil@neilcarr.co.uk
Education (From Secondary School Level)
Lord Williams's School, Thame, Oxfordshire. 1977 - 1984
Qualifications attained:
C.S.E Technical Drawing Grade 1
O- Level Mathematics Grade A
O- Level Physics Grade A
O- Level Chemistry Grade A
O- Level Geography Grade B
O- Level Computer Studies Grade B
O- Level English Language Grade B
O- Level Biology Grade B
A- Level Mathematics (Pure & Applied) Grade A
A- Level Physics Grade A
A- Level Chemistry Grade B
University of Newcastle upon Tyne. 1984 - 1987
Department of Electrical Engineering
Qualifications attained:
First class honours degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. BSc. (Hon's)
Awarded the David Inglis Dawbarn prize for academic achievement in the final year.
Current Employment
August 2005 - Present
Self Employed:
Freelance broadcast and IT engineering.
Steam railway locomotive restoration.
HGV driving.
September 2006:
Repair of broken driving spring on City of Truro. Jacking loco, removing spring, taking spring for rebuild and then re-fitting.
August 2006:
Caretaking City of Truro at the Strathspey Railway. Looking after the loco, ensuring correct use. Repairing a few steam fittings and carrying our a boiler washout.
July 2006:
Strip down City of Truro front end and remove and re-fit leaking steam pipe. Remove valve covers and valves for inspection/ring replacement and remove cylinder covers for inspection.
January 2006 – May 2006:
Work on Elegant Excursions kitchen car for Andrew Goodman. Removed and relocated seating. Removed steam radiators and shields. Removed existing kitchen. Repaired and lined floor ready for covering. Measured, got cut and shaped and fitted stainless steel wall sheeting. Designed and had fabricated stainless steel cooker hood. Re-wired and re-plumbed kitchen area. Installed stainless steel sink unit and work tables. Designed and installed fan assisted extraction system.
January 2006:
Wrote method statement for removal of boiler of Rhodesian locomotive 390 with suspected asbestos contamination.
December 2005 – February 2006:
Removed side rods, brake rigging, injectors, steam brake cylinders, brackets and all associated pipework from City of Truro to allow removal of rear wheel set for repair of loose crank pin. Supervised lift, removal of wheelset and storage of loco on an accomodation trolley.
Supervised second lift to re-fit the repaired wheelset. Re-fitted all the equipment that was previously removed, making new gaskets and using new split pins. Documented the repair for the NRM records.
As a Volunteer
1994 Didcot Railway Centre:
Helped with the restoration of TPO 814 and carried out final top coat paint.
1995 – 2002 Didcot Railway Centre:
Dismantling and restoring Collett 2-8-0 3822. I was involved with initial dismantling, boiler tube removal, removal of boiler fittings, removal of wheels on the wheel drop. Measuring and machining of new axlebox brasses and white metal faces. Rebuilding of valve motion. Re-fitting of boiler. Re-install of superheater header and superheaters, steam pipes and fittings. Manufacture and fitting of damper rods on new ashpan. Many other smaller engineering jobs.
Preserved Railway Qualifications
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway
June 2006 – present: Operations Director GWSR plc.
Dec 2004 – June 2006: Repair Engines Manager, GWSR Steam Dept.
July 2006: Qualified as steam driver.
July 2005: Passed as boiler competent.
June 2005: Qualified as 03 diesel driver.
April 2005: Qualified as steam fireman.
July 2004: Qualified as signalbox ground frame operator
Didcot Railway Centre
1996: Qualified as steam fireman.
1995: Passed out as boiler qualified for washouts and gauge frames.
1995: Qualified as TPO operator.
1995: Qualified as site shunter.
Other Relevant Information
I hold a full current British driving licence, including HGV1.
I hold a British passport.
I am in good health and have no medical problems of which I am aware.
I have good sight and hearing and have normal colour vision.
Hobbies and Interests
My main hobby at present involves steam locomotives on preserved railways.
www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk
www.gwsr.com
I have been involved in the sport of Tractor Pulling and have helped with the preparation and staging of events. Tractor pulling is a motor sport which involves pulling a device, called a Weight Transfer Sledge, as far down a track as possible using a modified farm tractor. There are several classes of tractor and some bear little resemblance to farm tractors, many are fitted with aircraft engines or large supercharged V8 engines and can produce up to ten thousand horsepower. www.tractorpulling.co.uk
I am also a keen motorcycle enthusiast since passing my test in 1996. I regularly visit the Isle of man for the TT races and marshall on the circuit at Sarah's Cottage. www.iomtt.com