Wow! I love real steam. Thanks again. The image up top is very cool. i just realized that coal is not always shiny like on the plasric train models. It looks almost dusty. Is this coal different in any way?
Alan, thanks for a wonderful photo essay. That surely is an impressive array of steam. However, your photos of 49395 present an interesting concern...it appears that the engine and tender are extremely close-coupled. Is the connection between the two rigid or flexible? And if flexible, is their radius of curvature limited due to the close-coupling?
Hank, the loco has a regular drawbar and sprung buffers between loco and tender. These machines were introduced in 1921, although this particular one is a 1921 development of the class. The third driving wheels do not have flanges. They appear to have been getting around curves a long time But now you mention it, the gap does look a bit tight!
Alan, I've often wondered about the cleaner, uncluttered appearance of U.K. steam. Are the air pumps, air tanks, superheaters, and all the associated plumbing "tucked" inside the bodywork, or are there significant design differences at work?
Very few of our locomotives were air braked - most were vacuum braked. The 0-6-0 (65462) does have a Westinghouse pump, but it is on the opposite side to the one I photographed. IIRC only the Great Eastern Railway and the North Eastern Railway had wxtensive air braked locos and stock. 65462 is an ex-GER loco. Most plumbing is kept tucked out of sight on our locos, except the later BR standard designs.
But doesn't that make for a maintenance nightmare, having to work from underneath, or at arm's length from outside the frame? Or are UK steam locomotives so trouble free as to NEVER have an unscheduled break down.
Breakdowns? what are they? Our locos do not have a lot of the 'extras' that US ones have, hence much less plumbing anyway. We dont have feedwater heaters, etc.
As there is always lots of diesels at the roundhouse, I photographed a few. Here is a class 08 shunter nearing completion of an overhaul.
