Lady of Legend.

Ok, after 2999 has been built, what about an Aberdare!

 

Consider me signed up WITHOUT RESERVATION. Perhaps do one in early guise with a belpaire firebox, boiler mounted safety valves and parallel barrel? To cover Churchward's experimental years?

 

Hi all,
I have just seen the latest update on 2999 Lady of Legend and the boiler has passed its cold examination also it has had a hydraulic test to 300psi but has not had an official hydraulic exam. More here: http://www.thesaintproject.co.uk/Pages/LatestNews.html
Chris

 

Are these the correct frames for the tender body? They look like the later frames for the 4000gallon ones.

 

If you scroll down to the end of the page there's a bit on the tender's history. Inna nutshell it looks like it was 1719 built 12/1906; it was certainly a 3500 Gal. well tank version.
How 'original' it was is a matter for debate as tender records are very sketchy & there appears to be a black hole in the Drawing Register for the Edwardian era, so there's been much head scratching & poring over photographs to try & get it as close as possible.

 

A fair number of the surviving Churchward tenders acquired the post 1930 style frames in GWR or BR days. There's nothing unusual about that. It would be nice, though, if the Saint could swap tenders with the believed 1918 tender with 3822, as that tender ('2106') has earlier style frames, and the late style frames would certainly never have been paired with the Saint in her atlantic guise, and possibly not with any Saints in her configuration. On the other hand, if she is going to haul serious trains on the mainline, I can easily understand they'd want the best frames available, and I note there's at least one weld repair on '2106' that, well, I suppose, suggests why new frame designs were introduced!

Interesting to note, now I look, that it seems the only set of pre 1911 frames to survive are those on the tender with City of Truro, withdrawn in 1931. All others, including those on the Dean Goods, have frames from after the design was changed in 1910. Ignoring ownership, the best match for the Saint might be 9017's tender as one of the few surviving pre war tenders in reasonablyy original looking configuration. I bet they all have things like the later improved axleboxes though.