@@yeo5811 My comment was clearly misleading, for which I apologise. As I said, I'm sure checking the boiler water level was done and done very deliberately; it's just curious that this vital step was left out of a video that is all about the process of lighting up a steam locomotive. All best wishes.
Assuming the footage is all in chronological order, I noticed that you lit _River Irt's_ fire first but she was the last to leave the shed! Does she take longer to steam?
As the fire burns, it sticks to the fire bars. The ballast is used to prevent it from sticking to the fire bars. Makes it easier to lift the clincker off the bars and dispose of it properly. Clincker effectively welds itself to the bars if not properly managed.
