'Thingie' on the rear of GWR tank locos

[wasdavetheroad]

What is the purpose of this on the rear of some GWR tank loco bunkers? Some locos don't have them.

 

Edited May 25 by wasdavetheroad
spolin mistok

[gwrrob]

Protection for the lamps from falling coal out of the bunker.

[Steamport Southport]

You can see it better on a photo of the real thing such as this 56XX on the West Somerset Railway.

 

 

 

 

 

As above it's to stop damage from coal when using the top lamp bracket.

 

This 4575 hasn't got one, you can see how vulnerable the lamp would be. Lamp bracket just visible in the centre, half way along the bunker top.

 

Geof Sheppard via Wiki

 

Jason

[The Johnster]

IIRC, large prairies (Churchward 31xx, 3150, Collett 5101, 61xx, 81xx, 1938 31xx), 56xx, 42xx, 5202, & 72xx), and some Swindon-rebuilt South Wales pre-grouping absorbed engines had these lamp guard bunker fittings.  Not all were identical, in some the recess carried through to the bottom of the bunker extension and in others the oroginal bunker top level repeesented the bottom of the recess with a horizontal surface to which the lamp bracket was bolted.  
 

I recall being told that these recesses originated when the extended bunkers’ top lamps were found to foul on the tops of gangway connections.  There may have been a similar problem with lamps fouling if locos came together bunker-to-bunker.