1442

indeed

Indeed I did.

 

Yes that has recently come to the attention of another loco owner (not a 14xx) with talk about refitting to that loco - one which was also so fitted in BR days.

 

As far as I am aware, the locomotive is indeed unique in being fitted with what the GWR described as "deconcentrating gear". This is basically a small valve which is operated by steam from the front end downstream from the regulator so that it opens a connection from a tapping on the boiler barrel to take awayscum from the boiler water surface which is produced by feed water treatment chemicals. The principle is much the same as the LMS continuous blowdown system but the valve is somewaht different, being based on a system developed by Alfloc, the chemical supplier. This gear was a one time fitted to several Castles and Kings and also to the batch of ten 5101 tanks which were allocated to Birkenhead joint shed in the 1930's (4120 to 4129). There were other 5101's 61xx and IIRC other 14xx fitted with it particularly engines allocated to the London division.

With regard to the museum, I called in there last year on my way home from Torbay as this engine was the only still extant GWR engine which I had never seen. I landed rather too close to closing time after admission had ceased, but when I erxplained that I lived a long way away and had come specially to see the engine the very kind lady on reception decided to let me in for free as there were only a few minutes to closing. I had enough time to have a look at the engine and to study the deconcentrating gear which unlike other loco's is fitted in the cab on the left side tank. The loco itself is in a very tidy condition with the cab in an obviously ex BR condition giving a very realistic view of how cabs looked in BR service rather than the diverse conditions which present day preserved engines display. personally I didn't have a problem with how the loco is displayed, it gives the imppression of being in the platform to a younger generation, many of whom have possibly never travelled on a train in this area with few local trains. The main thing is that it appears to be well conserved and is under a roof in the dry. Needless to say I gave them a donation before leaving.

For info, I have attached a photo of the deconcentrating gear,which I just managed to take before the camera battery died!

regards
Bob

 

Why does it have to be a choice between one or the other? Given enough space it should be possible to appreciate (and photograph) a loco in its entirety, whilst allowing visitors close up access.

Tiverton Museum is too small to make the best of such a large exhibit, but I agree with RG that they have hemmed it in more than they needed to. Good to see it preserved in such good condition though.

There are many worse displays, where exhibits have been unnecessarily obscured by interpretive panels, access ramps and other exhibits. 46235 gets my vote for the worst-displayed museum loco, but there are many other examples.

 

Don't get me started on 6235! Its GOT to be got out of there and steamed again!!

 

The only surviving LMS 8P with authentic BR crud in it's smokebox? You, Sir, are a heartless philistine!

 

why? - its hard enough keeping one out and active.

 

I don't see how. If you have scaffolding to allow close up access all round at height it intrinsically prevents photography of a locomotive in its entirety.

 

(Deleted - duplicate)

 

i think my pictures show that clearly

 

I think it is the "all round" in question. Conceivably you could have high-level (balcony) access along, say, the RHS and back of the loco, and ground level access across the front and LHS. That would seem to give the best of both worlds, unless you consider that a close-up view of the left hand top of the tank / boiler / cab is significantly different from a close up view of the right.

Tom

 

even with left right and back access on a gantry you could then probably see a front view better by siting yourself at the extreme end.

 

If you ever really want to get to know a loco, clean it regularly. It's all the little things you see, half of it unconsciously. I saw a photo the other day, which included a small section of a smokebox side where the blower pipe entered, and that was enough for me to know the loco... it's amazing the details your mind picks up while you're polishing copper caps (which truly are demonic devices to keep clean) and nameplates.

 

How about a bit of lateral thinking...... Is there room for a zip-wire at Tiverton?

 

Not really, try coating them in Vaseline / petroleum jelly after you have brasso-ed them.
regards
Bob

 

Does that stop them changing colour 10 seconds after you've lit the fire? I find copper caps a depressing thing to clean, as you know it will look just like you've never been near it well before the loco is in steam (although you do know deep down if you didn't clean it, quite soon you'd not know it was copper)...

 

Birmingham is a funny old city - they demolished some lovely old buildings whilst in thrall to the car yet had the foresight and gumption to be one of the very few cities, towns or villages which did do as someone earlier in the thread was lamenting more hadn't by saving a locomotive relevant to them.

Yet the cries still come up that it needs to be busted out. If Birmingham City Council hadn't stuffed and mounted the thing (under cover, in the warmth - not on a Billy Butlin plinth with the sea air to contend with) in the first place then she wouldn't be around to argue over. The display of City of Birmingham is not as good as it could be, but at least she's there to display. On this one I think Birmingham City Council should get the vote of thanks which we'd all love to be able to give to other local councils but can't because they didn't step up.....

 

Yes it does stop them changing colour. If you do not coat the bare just polished copper, the flues gases will get to it pretty quickly particularly if the coal has got any sulphur in it, and the copper turns green. This is all we do with our engines, and you should be able to find enough photos to see that 5043 does not have a green chimney cap at the end of a 300 mile day. The same goes for nameplates. If we didn't put vaseline on them before going out, they would quite literally go into Snow Hill tunnel as bright brass, and come out of the other end green, particulaarly on damp days. Just one of the many quirks of living with Great Western engines, and keeping up appearances.

 

I

I'm grateful to the City of Birmingham for saving this lovely loco and preserving her in good condition. And I understand that Think Tank has a lot of interesting items to display, and a limited space to display them in, so it's inevitable that views of the loco will be restricted by other exhibits. So why make it worse by surrounding the engine with banners, barriers, steps, platforms and information panels, and separating the engine from its tender? If this is the best view you can get of this magnificent locomotive then why bother having it on display?