6023 King Edward 11

Is that the rivet-counter in you speaking

Isn't the later style a significant improvement regarding steam flow and therefore efficiency?

 

No. The change in shape was purely to reduce the tendency of the steam pipes to fracture due to the differential movement between the boiler and cylinders - Nothing to do with steam flow.

 

Ahhh, interesting. Thanks, we learn something new everyday! I wonder if with modern methods and materials a pipe that would withstand the movement but looked like the original style could be developed? Or perhaps the shape is inescapably flawed?

It is incredible the amount of movement on a Steam loco. I did a day's handsignalling around Easter, which involved riding the footplates of three locomotives through the course of the day, and I was gobsmacked to see the way the boiler pitched and rolled completely separately to the cab! It is no wonder so much has to be spent on them at overhaul time - even well looked after they are continually knocking themselves apart.

 

Perhaps the boilers aren't properly attached to the frames?! Not something I've ever noticed before.

 

It can only have been 1-2" in any given direction, but the rear of the firebox, i.e. the bit I could see, definitely was moving inside the cladding somewhat.

 

2 quick questions for the King experts on this thread, both of from me reading the latest issue of Steam Railway:

1) On the back page of the magazine, on the photo of the King at Didcot in 1950, there is lump on smokebox, where it joins the boiler. It isn't there on the photo of the newly restored King however. What is it, and why is it missing? (not criticising, just being nosey)

2) There are a couple of short references in the magazine, to a King doing 130mph on a Swindon test train - but no real details are given. Can anyone expand on this?

Thanks.

 

Yes, absolutely right.

 

A video of the KEII on the turntable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlSFLRnklYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWj21wbHvEk

 

I can help with point 1. The boiler in the 1950 shot is the early type fitted to the King locomotives "WA" boilers, The boilers were changed and updated to a "WB" with 4row superheaters during the early 50's. A lot had this done at the time the double chimneys came in. However 6023's was changed in March'52 whilst still in BR blue and also with single chimney. These had different arrangements inside the smokebox which is why the lump has now gone from the smokebox on the firemens side.
Just whilst on the subject if you could see the drivers side on the 1950 shot, you would notice that on the drivers side on the "WA" boilers there was also a small lump, but then with the later "WB" it changes to a larger (banjo) cover which is needed to cover the two pipes only on the drivers side.

6023 is restored with a 4row superheater.

 

Has anyone got a comparison photo of the two types of steam pipe, I'm struggling to see a difference?

 

Back page of the current edition of Steam Railway might help. The earlier style is a tad thinner, to my eye, and has only slight curves at either end with a fairly straight bit in the middle. The later style is somewhat thicker, and has much more pronounced curves.

This rather good cad drawing on Wikipedia appears to show the earlier type:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AutoCAD_drawing_of_a_Great_Western_King.png

Whilst this photo of 6024 definitely shows the later type:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:6024_King_Edward_1_Didcot_railway_centre.jpg

The difference is really quite minimal to the overall appearance of the loco.

 

It's interesting that this cover does not appear on the early smokebox arrangement drawing (89410), which I believe was not superseded until drawing 124848 was made in 1947 for the 'WB' boilers. Nor do I have anything showing any pipework coming out of the smokebox on that side. In Steam World magazine this month there are some pictures of blue liveried Kings and also a picture taken at Weston Super Mare in the 30's which again shows this item.

 

These should show the difference, sorry about the quality-original heavily cropped.

 

Thanks, that's very clear. I assume that the one on the left is the later less elegant design?

 

That's correct.

 

These people seem to have done their homework on the external changes that the Kings went through over their lifetimes.

http://www.masterpiecemodels.co.uk/GWR-BR-Kings

Several references to the pipes/cowlings on the smokebox.

 

I thought Id share this picture with you all....A picture can say a thousand words, well this one does !.



Great Western.

 

What a fantastic image, very meaningful...

 

Thank you Sir.

I remember as do most of us seeing the what can only be described as the remains of 6023 at Bristol all those years ago. To see it now can be I think described as one of the wonders of the preservation age.

Great Western.

 

Thundering up Dainton - magnificent! - not long now for sure!....