The LNER Encyclopedia

Hi all,

My good lady is painting Shotover at Kings Cross just after she had just completed the inaugural non stop up run from Edinburgh to Kings Cross in 1928.

As you can see Chris is working from 2 reference photos, the top one is the painting and the second taken the same day (scanned for illustrative purposes from the RCST green book) shows the loco in a slightly different position and describes the loco as still being fitted with a "Pyrometer"

What Chris would like to confirm is, is the loop of wire just behind and above the smokebox the Pyrometer? Initially we both thought it to be the loop of a yard lamp but having noted that it's still in the same position even as the loco has moved we wondered if that's what it was, having read the description that accompanies the photo in the RCTS volume.
Many thanks for any enlightenment you can offer.

Know it doesn't help but I think it's in the same spot on both pictures.

harvester wrote: ↑Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:57 pm Know it doesn't help but I think it's in the same spot on both pictures.

They might be very close, but the pictures are not taken from the same place and the loco has been moved. Possibly so the valve gear and rods are in a better position, as in the top photo? The loco is in reverse gear in both shots.

John

It might be, as the pyrometer head was on the superheater header. Normally the conduit from the pyrometer head was dressed neatly over the boiler clothing just behind the smokebox down to the ejector pipe and out of sight - attached to the ejector pipe to carry it to the cab gauge would be my assumption. Possibly the pyrometer head was getting attention wheh these picutures were taken?

Both photos were taken at Kings + top shed following the run. The lower photo was taken by W J Reynolds and is part of the Loco Publishing Co collection now with the NRM. The other may well also have been taken by W J Reynolds; I have a contemporary PC of it which is also LPC. The style is typical of Reynolds plates.

The untidiness of the fitting could possibly be a temporary connexion to the loco gauges; I cannot find a similar application on any other so fitted locos.

There is one earlier in part 2A, the figure is referenced in the boiler section of the original A1s, Fig 26 from memory.

That image shows the same type of pipe/wire sprouting out of the header.

(Edit) Yes, Figure 26 it is.


John

Thanks all, for the contributions they are much appreciated.

Thanks John for the confirmation and the pointer to the other picture.

There is a further photo of 2570 from the rear 4/4 view which is in Yeadon Vol1 Page 77. It rather looks as though this was a peculiarity of the W/H fitted Pacifics.

Brilliant, thanks Nick. That is a really useful photo for the details of the Westinghouse pump too.