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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2019 15:35:12 GMT
Hi guys As there are a number of you here working on building a Stirling single, when I saw this picture posted on the Sir Nigel Gresley FB page today I thought that I would share it here along with the words given as it may be of interest to you and others here. It's a very good high-resolution image of no'1 at KX 1938, LNER fans will know the event, I'll post the article too for others to digest.  Quote: The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS) was formed in Cheltenham in 1928, and is Britain's leading organisation for people interested in all aspects of railways past, present and future, being highly regarded by railway professionals and enthusiasts alike. The photograph shows Stirling No1 at King’s Cross Top Shed on the 11th September 1938 ready to back down on to a vintage GN six-wheeler train set that is waiting in the station to take RCTS members on the first ever privately organised rail tour to Peterborough. It also made other trips at this time including a day excursion to Cambridge. The last five years of the 1930s were a momentous time for the LNER, with the success of the Silver Jubilee, Coronation, West Riding Limited and Mallard’s world record, plus in 1938 a completely new train set for the Flying Scotsman including the new concept Buffet Lounge car with ladies retiring room (which is still with us and can be seen at Kirkby Stephen) - the whole train was pressure-ventilated and double glazed. The main reason Stirling No 1 was brought out of retirement was to promote this new train, with press corps being taken in the GN six-wheeler stock hauled by number 1 as far as Stevenage. The passengers were then transferred to the new 1938 stock for onward transit. The train not only had Sir Nigel Gresley on board, was also hauled by his eponymous locomotive A4 4498. Photograph: Eric Fry Collection. End quote: From what I recall some press travelled on this train set and then on the new Flying Scotsman train set after, I do have an RCTS article covering the event somewhere which includes the carriage details involved for both trains. Hope it's of interest chaps... Pete |
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
Posts: 5,901
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 31, 2019 22:55:31 GMT
Lovely pic Pete, of a beautiful loco, which is very relevant currently!
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Post by silverfox on Sept 1, 2019 9:41:13 GMT
Peter,
Bob Todd rode on that. He said he was the youngest passenger.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2019 10:37:44 GMT
Peter, Bob Todd rode on that. He said he was the youngest passenger. Yes, I recall Roger telling me, IIRC Bob was 16 at the time... Pete |
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Post by miketaylor on Sept 1, 2019 15:32:49 GMT
A small point but maybe someone could enlighten me.
The loco in the photo has no box at the rear of the splasher whereas Simply Loco's and QReidfords' models both do. What happened?
Mike
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Post by simplyloco on Sept 1, 2019 15:36:23 GMT
A small point but maybe someone could enlighten me. The loco in the photo has no box at the rear of the splasher whereas Simply Loco's and QReidfords' models both do. What happened? Mike Mike No.1 didn't have a rear sand box (edit: when it was built) . That's all I know! John |
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Post by ettingtonliam on Sept 1, 2019 16:40:28 GMT
Brian Reed's Locomotives in Profile has an illustration of No.1 which he says shows it as running in 1900. This shows it as then having the rear sandbox, and he also comments that the slots in the splashers have been filled in. In this photo of 1938 they've been opened out again, and as you say, theres no rear sandbox.
How accurate Brian Reed's information is, I have no idea. He says that a total of 47 were built between 1870 and 1893, with no major differences between the second engine and the last one, and a further 6 of an enlarged type in 1894-95, but that No.1 as originally built was slightly smaller and shorter but was rebuilt in 1877 and 1880.
A veritable minefield!
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Post by miketaylor on Sept 1, 2019 19:58:13 GMT
Dear me,
Ettingtolian's efforts spurred me to do a bit of looking myself instaed of just asking questions of others.
On going through a variety of books, of which I have a somewhat heterogenous collection (wife is a scourer of charity shops) I was struck by the relatively small number of pictures of Stirlings and by the fact that various authors seem to reuse the same pictures. I finally stopped this when I found that the incredible similarity between two books was accounted for by the fact that they were in fact two copies of the same book! from different shelves.
I have found a picture of 777, which would be from the second batch of Stirlings with rear sandbox and solid splashers (they appear to be solid rather than "infilled"). Text says this photo is 1870 which must be wrong as the second batch date from 1884 so don't have any idea of the date for this photo.
A second photo shows No.1 without rear sandbox and is impliedly, though not expressly, from 1895.
Sorry, I have no way to post these.
Courtesy of Duchduckgo I have also found an obviously early picture (but undated) of No 1 WITH rear sandbox. This might well be the 1900 picture to which Ettingtolian refers since it clearly has infilled splasher slots (http://www.die-minilok.de/stirling.htm).
This photo may also be interesting in that, while it shows the rear sandbox there seems to be no rear sander. If this is the case it suggests that the rear sander may have been found unnecessary and removed with the sandbox itself being abandoned and removed at a later date.
As Ettingtolian says, a minefield indeed.
Mike
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twombo
Seasoned Member
Posts: 119 
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Post by twombo on Sept 1, 2019 20:12:28 GMT
Do I espy a glare shield around the portal on the spectacle plate! Wider, nearest the loco centreline? That would be very fiddly to constuct! A very nice detail tho’! Oh, and those guard irons, what. Wonderful lines. Those Victorians had a real sense of style!!
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Post by simplyloco on Sept 1, 2019 20:34:04 GMT
Dear me, Ettingtolian's efforts spurred me to do a bit of looking myself instaed of just asking questions of others. SNIP As Ettingtolian says, a minefield indeed. Mike I spent 12 years in the Royal Engineers: I really do know how to clear a minefield!  John |
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Post by ettingtonliam on Sept 2, 2019 10:42:07 GMT
Just the chap to sort this one out, then!
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Post by ettingtonliam on Sept 2, 2019 12:23:10 GMT
Do I espy a glare shield around the portal on the spectacle plate! Wider, nearest the loco centreline? That would be very fiddly to constuct! A very nice detail tho’! Oh, and those guard irons, what. Wonderful lines. Those Victorians had a real sense of style!! I think what you are seeing is the window partially opened inwards. I'm getting fascinated by the variations on these locos, not sure why, possibly because they were so elegant. This morning's trawlings have come up with the information that for all of its preservation life it was coupled to a Sturrock tender, therefore incorrect, but that since 2014 its been reunited with a 'proper' Stirling tender. So, any photos out there on the net, post 1907 and pre 2014 (and there are a lot of them) don't show the right type of tender!. Still I expect you all knew that anyway. |
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Post by silverfox on Sept 2, 2019 19:01:13 GMT
Has anyone got the RCTS volumes of GNR locos?
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mbrown
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,724
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Post by mbrown on Sept 2, 2019 21:13:15 GMT
Has anyone got the RCTS volumes of GNR locos? Yes, I have - how can I help? Malcolm |
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Midland
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,871
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Post by Midland on Sept 3, 2019 20:00:27 GMT
A couple more shots of Stirlings, very much topical. One shows that one can take liberties with details as the railway companies tinkered with their locos. Rather fun to have your own special train but less fun to be the PM!  Stirling 1 by David Goyder, on Flickr One should not of course mention the colour of the injector, perhaps this was the PM's personal preference.  Stirling 2 by David Goyder, on Flickr Cheers David |
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,912
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Post by JonL on Sept 3, 2019 20:12:52 GMT
I'd never really looked at these locomotives closely before as they are a bit earlier than I normally am interested in. Probably by attrition I am really warming to them; the elegance of their lines is hard to ignore.
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Post by dhamblin on Sept 4, 2019 6:51:34 GMT
I think the late Victorian and then Edwardian periods produced some of the most elegant locomotive designs ever to grace Britain's railways. After that the need for larger locomotives started to squeeze everything up against the restrictions of our loading gauge. Styling therefore changed to suit and culminated in the maintenance friendly approach of hanging equipment off the boiler sides and running boards, characterised by the last designs before Nationalisation and the BR standards.
Regards,
Dan
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