Yeadons and 62797

[60022Mallard]

I am not familiar with the level of detail provided on individual locos in the Yeadons books.

Would it advise if such as E4 62797 had a cab tender at the end of its service, or, if not, when it was swapped for a regular tender.

A photo exists of it at Stratford in 1958, presumably after withdrawal, with a well coaled non-cab tender

[jwealleans]

Usually there will be a photo of at least one loco with the fitting and a list of which others had it. If there were variations they're often shown as well.

They're not always completely comprehensive but they're a good starting point with far more pictures than the RCTS volumes. Use both for maximum information.

[65447]

I am not familiar with the level of detail provided on individual locos in the Yeadons books.

Would it advise if such as E4 62797 had a cab tender at the end of its service, or, if not, when it was swapped for a regular tender.

A photo exists of it at Stratford in 1958, presumably after withdrawal, with a well coaled non-cab tender

62797 was one of 6 Class E4 locomotives to receive a side window cab whilst transferred to the NE Area. That type of information relating to the locomotive is well documented in Yeadon Volume Thirty.

Although the GER built tenders for its locomotives when new, albeit occasionally sourcing them from existing stock or deliberate exchanges, Yeadon does not document the tender histories; there were supposed to be further volumes (Appendices) dealing with tenders, of which only Appendix Two covering general information plus the GCR has appeared and there is no sign of any further volumes.

Originally locomotive and tender were paired together but that practise ceased under the LNER. Accordingly a locomotive could leave works after repairs with a different tender. As to the tender cabs, these were not permanent fixtures and were of varying types, the simplest being a weatherboard with openings, the next being a steel sheet with window openings, and the most robust being the excised rear sections of cabs from locomotives such as the F3 2-4-2T that had either round or rectangular spectacle plates according to the original locomotive from which they were obtained following scrapping. These tenders were paired with locomotives that had rosters that involved extensive tender-first running; when that locomotive was reallocated the tender cab would either be removed for refitting to the replacement, or the tenders exchanged.

I should add that several Class J15 locomotives were also fitted with side window cabs. Further, those J15 locomotives regularly rostered for extensive tender-first running could also find themselves attached to tenders with cabs fabricated in the same manner as described above. Since the GER applied a high degree of standardisation, the tender types attached to Classes E4 and J15, amongst others, were interchangeable and so there may also have been exchanges between classes and not just locomotives within the same class.

So whilst it is known from photographs and other contemporary records which E4s ran with tenders so fitted from time to time there is no known definitive record. The best guesses can be made from the allocation data on such as http://www.brdatabase.com or in that Yeadon. 62797 appears in early BR guise (BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender) on p43 of Yeadon Volume Thirty attached to a tender with a cab made from a scrapped F3, the work being carried out by Norwich Shed. In this instance the tender cab spectacle plates are round. Yeadon notes that the regular engines using them were 62789 and 62797 but that they were readily exchanged as required. Yeadon has profuse illustrations with captions that add to the individual locomotive histories and allocations and is well worth the investment, as there are many other detail variations between and over the life of any class of locomotive.

[60022Mallard]

Thank you for your comprehensive reply.

My main interest is all things relating to 31E Bury St Edmunds. 62797 moved to Cambridge at the end of its life and I have a photograph of it, complete with round spectacle plate tender cab, leaving Lavenham for BSE, which based on its allocation history could indicate during the last year of its life.

In the Railway Observer, or similar, was a contemporary comment about locos used at BSE after 1956 not being officially transferred there, rather it being a sub-shed of 31A Cambridge.

However the photograph mentioned in my original comment appears to show it with a 31E plate. Dr Ian C Allen's list of photographs also indicate several photos of 62797 involved in workings which BSE may well have had an interest in. No source available to me indicates its official transfer to BSE.

As 62797 was withdrawn in mid 58 it would presumably make sense to retain the cab tender for possible future use.

Although Long Melford had a turntable, all local Bury Line passenger trains I have photos of seem to indicate a policy of chimney first from BSE and cab first to BSE.

Long term 31e resident passenger fitted J15s 65391 and 65405 both had cab tenders.