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A Nod To Brent - a friendly thread, filled with frivolity, cream teas and pasties. Longing for the happy days in the South Hams 1947.

gwrrob

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7007GreatWestern

7007GreatWestern

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Hi All,

 

No. 5322 is known as ‘The Donkey’ at 81E as it bucked about a bit due to its poor valve timing on its first steaming after overhaul the last time round - I’ve been on that, driven it, but not nodded at it. That’s a genuine GWR nodding donkey - does this make it more authentic?

 

I will nod at it the next time I’m on shed and report back...

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

Hi Castle et al,

 

5322 and its classmates had a reputation for their 'riding qualities', vividly described by 81E's best known engineman, Harold Gasson. In his book "Footplate Days" he described his experiences working on these locos in the 40s and 50s:-

 

"Regarding the tractive effort of this engine, the sheer all-out power, was a sight to see. Pulling out of Didcot East Junction up gully, or from the West curve and over to the down main at Foxhall Junction, each cylinder would take a charge of steam and would go over hard on that side, then over to the other side, and each blast from the chimney would be in unison with the movement of the cab. No cross-Channel steamers ever rolled so much in a heavy sea, but it was not a roll to give cause for alarm, just a solid punch from each piston."

 

The 43s and 53s certainly 'rolled' at low speeds and under heavy load, but could steam beautifully if you knew what you were doing. Mr. Gasson describes his mixed feelings towards the class based on some rough trips he had with them. That all changed when a Carmarthen enginemen showed him the 'trade secret' technique necessary to get the best from them. The trick was to wedge the back damper lever open as far as possible using the gauge glass spanner, since the notches in the damper lever (designed by Mr. Holcroft no less) didn't open the door far enough! The front damper was lifted just of the face of the ashpan. With the loco set up thus, the fire would burn with such intensity as to scorch the unwary Driver's trousers!  As a result the needle on the pressure gauge would remain rock solid even with prodigious loads on the back.

 

I wonder if the lads at Didcot are aware of this trick?

 

Andy.

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bgman

bgman

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White roofs / roofes, are you mad?

 

I am led to understand that a large flock of pigeons were released during the taking of this photograph and the NE Pigeon Fanciers Club are in receipt of a claim for damages from Swindon.

 

G.Ocompare

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bgman

bgman

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Forgive me, I am about to sin - what happened to the copper and brass, or has it been weathered away? :pardon:

I likes me GW locos clean and shiny! :thankyou:

 

Brian. 

 

:nono:  :O

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Siberian Snooper

Siberian Snooper

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Forgive me, I am about to sin - what happened to the copper and brass, or has it been weathered away? :pardon:

I likes me GW locos clean and shiny! :thankyou:

 

Brian.

 

Best you get back here with a paraffin soaked rag or two and start cleaning, then Brian. Just like the lads at the end of steam in the 60s, otherwise they stayed dirty for the most part.

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Castle

Castle

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Hi Castle et al,

 

5322 and its classmates had a reputation for their 'riding qualities', vividly described by 81E's best known engineman, Harold Gasson. In his book "Footplate Days" he described his experiences working on these locos in the 40s and 50s:-

 

"Regarding the tractive effort of this engine, the sheer all-out power, was a sight to see. Pulling out of Didcot East Junction up gully, or from the West curve and over to the down main at Foxhall Junction, each cylinder would take a charge of steam and would go over hard on that side, then over to the other side, and each blast from the chimney would be in unison with the movement of the cab. No cross-Channel steamers ever rolled so much in a heavy sea, but it was not a roll to give cause for alarm, just a solid punch from each piston."

 

The 43s and 53s certainly 'rolled' at low speeds and under heavy load, but could steam beautifully if you knew what you were doing. Mr. Gasson describes his mixed feelings towards the class based on some rough trips he had with them. That all changed when a Carmarthen enginemen showed him the 'trade secret' technique necessary to get the best from them. The trick was to wedge the back damper lever open as far as possible using the gauge glass spanner, since the notches in the damper lever (designed by Mr. Holcroft no less) didn't open the door far enough! The front damper was lifted just of the face of the ashpan. With the loco set up thus, the fire would burn with such intensity as to scorch the unwary Driver's trousers!  As a result the needle on the pressure gauge would remain rock solid even with prodigious loads on the back.

 

I wonder if the lads at Didcot are aware of this trick?

 

Andy.

Hi Andy,

 

We have all read our fair share of Mr Gasson’s tales in our time! Here’s a few of No. 5322s...

 

The truth is that something like No. 5322 (when in ticket) was quite strong enough for all the work that modern preservation got to throw at her. She could walk off down the track if encouraged to do so but she could also be very smooth once the valve timing was sorted out. Her staccato blast was immensely strong and could tear a fire to pieces as well, sending the hard work of the fireman out through the chimney. She is a lovely engine that is much missed as she sleeps. It really is a shame that more of the Moguls didn’t make it into preservation as they would be very useful machines. Small and efficient yet highly capable. The genius of Churchward, preserved in metal.

 

No. 5322 is a very lucky machine indeed to have survived. She did a tour of active duty in France and Belgium in WWI, served again on the home front in WWII but strangely had a bad reputation with crews towards the end of her career. The oft told lore surrounding her is that she was so disliked, that there was a highly ‘accidental’ lighting of a fire in her boiler when it was empty of water. I guess as it was quite near the end of steam, as the loco was towed away to the works, her would be assassin(s) must have though that they had dealt the fatal blow. What they didn’t reckon on was the fact that old ‘soldiers never die’ and she promptly returned from the works to blight their lives further in full working order!

 

She actually survived until withdrawn in 1964 and is recorded on the same page of the Swindon disposals book as No. 4079. Yet again, fate smiled upon her and she was bought by the South Wales Old Locos Retirement Home (Barry Scrapyard!) and was only the second loco (and indeed the first GWR machine) to be saved from its interminable seaside holiday. She has been a firm favourite amongst GWR fans ever since and even took a role in the movie ‘One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing’ after restoration. The remarkable thing is that through all the overhauls and modifications, trials and tribulations and the miles and miles of service she underwent, the two hooks and modified rear cab roof ribs at the top of each internal cab side that were applied in 1917 are still with her. That’s right - they are the racks for the Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifles for the military driver and fireman from the Railway Operating Division (ROD). An amazing link to the past. A crack in a rear outer firebox corner has put pay to the fun and games for now but mechanically she is in fine order so she won’t be gone forever.

 

So there you have it - from the killing fields of the Great War to a Disney movie. Quite a history...

 

Here endeth the lesson for today!

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

PS: Here’s her entry in the GWS Locomotive Who’s Who:

 

http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/locos/5322/5322.html

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The Stationmaster

The Stationmaster

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A lovely story of a GW mogul (and others).  Stan French (who Drew might have come across) was a Fireman at Old Oak in his younger days and on one occasion was paired with a Driver who had something of a reputation for hard running.  Alas for Stan he got lumbered with this Driver on the Up 'Bristolian' and whirlwind running, hard driving, and a well hammered Fireman, saw their first engine, a 'Castle', taken off at Swindon in something of a state and a replacement 'Hall' provided.  Stan's Driver was determined to make up time so really 'went for it' as the saying goes but by Didcot the 'Hall' also had to come off, and was replaced by a '43' (mogul) which got the same hard driving as its predecessors had suffered but according to Stan it actually did rather well from Didcot to Reading - where it too came off, unbroken, to be replaced by a 4-6-0, the Reading Up Pilot (another 'Hall').

 

No doubt about the 43s - they were tough engines which could deliver in the right hands.

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Mallard60022

Mallard60022

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A lovely story of a GW mogul (and others).  Stan French (who Drew might have come across) was a Fireman at Old Oak in his younger days and on one occasion was paired with a Driver who had something of a reputation for hard running.  Alas for Stan he got lumbered with this Driver on the Up 'Bristolian' and whirlwind running, hard driving, and a well hammered Fireman, saw their first engine, a 'Castle', taken off at Swindon in something of a state and a replacement 'Hall' provided.  Stan's Driver was determined to make up time so really 'went for it' as the saying goes but by Didcot the 'Hall' also had to come off, and was replaced by a '43' (mogul) which got the same hard driving as its predecessors had suffered but according to Stan it actually did rather well from Didcot to Reading - where it too came off, unbroken, to be replaced by a 4-6-0, the Reading Up Pilot (another 'Hall').

 

No doubt about the 43s - they were tough engines which could deliver in the right hands.

They were quite often used as loco's for WR diversions down the SR to Exeter, often on 'prestige trains' too, such as the Devonian.

Phil

They don't appear to do Bodmin North station though...

You could try asking!!!!!

Phartyboy

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7007GreatWestern

7007GreatWestern

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Here's another story about that most unlikely 'speed demon', the humble Churchward 43xx. The following is from "C.B. Collett - A Competent Successor" by J.E. Chacksfield and concerns Collett's thinking with regard to driving wheel diameter for his new 'King' Class.

 

"The 6' 6" driving wheel diameter, non standard, followed an experience Collett had which helped him decide on this value as being suitable. He and C.C. Crump, by now the Running Superintendent, were travelling to Paddington on an express which, at one point on the journey, was overtaken by a train hauled by a class 4300 Mogul with its 5' 8" wheels. Crump was all for reprimanding the driver of the Mogul, having taken the number of the locomotive, but was dissuaded from do so by Collett, as he explained: "This confirms a thought I have had recently."

 

As a result of his high speed encounter with a Mogul, Collett ordered that the 'drivers' on 5002 'Ludlow Castle' be turned down to 6' 6". There was negligible effect on 5002's performance so Collett settled on that size for the 'King'.

 

Andy.

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brushman47544

brushman47544

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Thanks to a link on John Dew's Granby Junction , 7007Great Western posted  this superb Kingswear 1947 shot.

 

https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/GWR-and-BRW/GWR-4-6-0s/i-TgrMsxz/A

 

Interesting photo. I'm rather ignorant in such matters, but the two coaches in the foreground appear to be a GWR Collett and an LMS Period something. Wouldn't it have been rather unusual to find a mix rake such as that in 1947?

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gwrrob

gwrrob

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Interesting photo. I'm rather ignorant in such matters, but the two coaches in the foreground appear to be a GWR Collett and an LMS Period something. Wouldn't it have been rather unusual to find a mix rake such as that in 1947?

 

A cross country service from the Northwest with stock of both regions.

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M.I.B

M.I.B

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A cross country service from the Northwest with stock of both regions.

There is a post somewhere on RM Web about the CR/LMS 12 wheel diner making scheduled trips to the land of clotted cream.

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