L & Y R Aspinall Atlantic

An impressive beastie, even if not what I'd call pretty!

 

I've always had a strong liking for the Lanky Highflyers... Very tall and rakish, but also very purposeful looking too... Especially the later ones with outside rear axleboxes for the trailing wheels. I must admit I find locos with inside rear axleboxes rather ungainly.
The boiler on these locos was the largest yet fitted to a British Loco, and the 7' 2" Driving wheels ensured the boiler would be pitched pretty high-up.
The cab front doors are a very interesting feature on these engines, I think they'd have to be firmly locked shut if a replica were to be built!

Richard.

 

Surely the cab front doors would only need to be locked shut for it's mainline jaunts? (Better get my coat.......)

 

Ill join you... I'd love to see one in action too

 

What were the cab front doors for?

 

To allow access to the running plates. All locos provided some means of reaching them, for preparation, filling sand boxes, etc. It was usually by steps at the front of the loco, and often via a slightly widened footwalk alongside the cab; many engines had a horizontal handrail at waist height to assist. On the High Flyers, it was through the cab.

By the way, all these engines were modified to have outside trailing axleboxes. The later ones had narrow running plate angles which matched those of the tender very neatly.

 

Yes, didn't the original inside trailing axleboxes overheat because they were near the ashpan?

 

Would still more or less have been in the era of drivers doing the rounds of the framing while in motion to top up various oiling points as well, wouldn't it? Or at least of an age where that may have been a consideration during the design?

(Driver to Fireman: "I'm going outside - I may be some time ...")

Left-field thought: a number of locos around the end of the 19th century suddenly gained wider cabs, sometimes within a particular type. Examples would be the Drummond T9s, of which the early ones had narrow cabs and splashers, and the later ones wide cabs and splashers. I wonder if the wide cabs developed when it was realised that there was no longer a requirement to leave the cab while in motion, and therefore a bigger, more commodious cab could be fitted as there was no longer a need to move along the outside of the cab while on the move?

Tom

 

I think it the change was more to do with rough riding, but could be wrong.

 

The doors could be escape ways when footplate became inhospitable?

 

I think the tender would be easier.