Lucas Firing shovels

(quote)You can have it up to the doors on a pannier????[/quote]

And you can dig it out at the end of the day!!!!!!!!!!!

 

5643 goes well with a big wedge. as does 6430...

I'm quite surprised no one has mentioned the shape of the grate yet... Locos with flat grates go better with spoon shaped fires.

Locos with sloping grates normally go well with a wedge, or the proper term Haycock fire...

 

All Western engines? I wouldn't put a massive wedge in a 57xx for starters...[/quote:3o1cd1d2]

Put a massive wedge in a 56/66xx and you'll choke it, every engine likes a different fire..........[/quote:3o1cd1d2]
Well, from my experience, 6619 certainly goes best with the back end filled up to half way up the door. If you don't have a good back end in it will rip it to pieces and throw it all under the brick arch. The other good reason for filling it half way up the door is that it reduces the heat that you feel from that over large GW firehole! It works for 5224, too.

As said elsewhere, a flat grate and a sloping grate are like chalk and cheese. The sloping grate will feed itself if you've got thefire right. Mention also made of a GW haycock fire, a term I've not heard for a long time. However, I thought that it was a mound in the middle rather like an inverted saucer and used on level firegrates. Happy to be told I'm wrong, though.

 

Depends on your definition of a big wedge, yes a 56xx needs a wedge but we've found with 6695 that too thick at the front she will choke, too thick at the back and she clinkers terribly. Yes up to the door is fine if you are working the engine; halfway up the door may be OK on 6619 on the Moors but not on 6695 on Swanage or WSR. Haven't had the fire ripped away and we've got original blastpipe with jumper top, surely the giesl on 6619 was supposed to stop the fire being ripped?
However she does pull the fire a bit across the middle.

The 'haycock' is more for the bigger fireboxes such as the No.1 boiler and above and does go upwards from the door towards the brick arch before dropping steeply away to the front.

 

6619 is fitted with a Kylchap not a Giesel arrangement and yes when you are working a 7 or 8 coach train up the 1-49 a back end is definatley required. I have seen it boxed up before now as well. Its alright when your just plodding up and down to have a fairly flat fire but when you have hard work to do then it reuqires something up the door.

 

Thanks Gresleyman, I couldn't recall which type of blastpipe '19 was fitted with. I know this is a little 'off topic' but has fitting the Kylchap made a big difference?

 

Yes in the opinion of Kevin Gould the locos CME and part owner. Its done everything it says on the tin so to speak and made the engine something pretty special.

 

You want to see 6619's party trick with 8 on! Put a back end in so big that you have to take the baffle plate out to get it up the back corners, much as Steve describes above, and when it goes on the big valve as you go past Grosmont loco, hey presto, the lot gets launched under the brick arch! This was with the GWR blast system! As correctly pointed out by the gentleman from Swanage above, these locos do not like the front of their grate too thick.

I would suggest that in preservation, we tend to develop a method of firing that works for our particular railway. Essentially, we are "one trick ponies." How many of the methods of firing described above reflect having to fire constantly against the injector? This is what every "running" engine is designed to be capable of doing. We keep geting lads from other lines at the Moors that express surprise that we have to fire on the move. I asked one cracking, "experienced" lad from another line this summer if he was used to firing against an injector. The very honest reply was that he'd done it once, with a 2MT with 8 on! (ouch!!).

 

That's not my party trick, I hasten to add! Never done that!

 

I should maybe add that you put the plate back in before you set sail!

The "party trick" was the engine's tendency to remove large backends under the arch in a couple of chuffs.

 

I found with 6695 that i prefered to fire it with a flat fire, not terribly thick at all really. I mean i have stuck a back end in it plenty of times but sort of got bored of doing it. I fired it flat one day and found it was far more fun so thats how i do it now. Plenty of steam all the time and and lovely,easy and enjoyable engine to fire.
I welcome its return to swanage in the new year! \/

 

Matt sorry to disappoint you she will not be back at SR until April. She is enjoying her trip to the Bristol Channel! \/ \/

Thin flat fire fine at SR needs more depth with 6 at WSR, but still great to fire. I enjoyed it want to fire in the opposite direction next time. =D>

 

Getting back to the subject

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=260322717690

PS Thin fires definitely don't work on 56xx's on the NYMR!

 

I am sure you are right. Could never fire any GWR engine at Bodmin without a very deep back. With the climb and its length at NYM I would expect to fire with a good back and reasonably deep fire.

 

Christ. £102 with three days to go... Never been used though by the looks of it.

 

Well spotted Ed, Do you think it is a genuine one? If so I guess half the guys on here will be putiing it on their xmas list to santa!, and last minute bidding could be almost exciting.

Who's going to guess what It will Finally make?

I reckon £200, and NO it wont be me bidding that much!!

 

And i thourght the £30 i paid for mine was a lot.

I'd take a guess at £150. But after all, it's only a bat...

 

That's a genuine Eastern by the look of it. I suspect your guess of £200 will be about right. I won't be bidding on it either, else I certainly wouldn't have drawn attention to it on here.

 

I think it'll go the same place as the rest of em. What do you reckon Riley?
T@$t!

 

In the firebox like at Exeter?...when the 'professionals' are let loose.......lol