MANY a young boy?s dream of working on the footplate of a steam locomotive could become a reality for one lucky individual. An opportunity has arisen to become a steam engine fireman at the Dartmoor Railway, based in Okehampton. Stuart Farmer, general manager of the railway, said: ?We will train the volunteers to the required standard, and they will be taught all the ramifications of the job ? which is not just shoveling coal.? To be able to coax, nurse and drive such steam monsters required plenty of skill and experience, which is why the job of driver or fireman was highly sought after until the last 40 years or so. Normally, one had to start with cleaning the engine, then after a few years, become a trainee fireman, eventually becoming a fully fledged firemen, and perhaps, if good enough, a driver. The engine at Dartmoor Railway is Darfield No 1 ? built by the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds in 1953 for the then National Coal Board. After spending its working life at Darfield Main Colliery, near Barnsley, the engine went to the Llangollen Railway and was delivered to Okehampton earlier this summer in ex-works condition. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer fireman should contact Dartmoor Railway?s head office on 01837 55164 or e-mail: [email protected]">[email protected]