LMS Self-Weighing Tender

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Arun

Guest
At the 0 Gauge Reading Show last December I was asked whether I wouldn't like to produce a one-off kit of a LMS self-weighing tender derived from one of the several 4000 gallon tender kits on the market. I mentioned it in passing to Old Ravendale of this parish at the Bristol show and Brian provided me with several useful references and photographs.
The source kit was the Gladiator Stanier 4000 gallon riveted one though I suspect that a DJH/Javelin/David Andrews/Ragstone riveted or fully welded one would have done as well - Indeed I understand that the Gladiator kit was designed by David Andrews originally. Note that the partially welded tender fitted to long wheelbase Black 5's [also available from David Andrews] would not be an appropriate start point as it has a number of non-standard parts which wouldn't be used [such as tank vents] and thus rather more wasteful. Additionally a kit with the tall mushroom tank vents was required as the donor.

These four tenders were attached to Black 5s [both Walschaerts and Caprotti versions] as well as to a single Jubilee [45632 Tonga in yellow cab stripe days] so presumably the latter one would also have had the slightly raised tender footplate found on tenders attached to Patriots, jubilees and Royal Scots - as shown on my model.

Below the footplate, the major change is to replace the axleboxes/spring hangers with a design based around the non-roller bearing variant fitted to some Ivatt part-welded tenders. Additionally there is a unique pattern of sluice boxes fitted to the tender side frames - quite different to those fitted to later Ivatt and BR Standard tenders.

Above the footplate, the tender looks more like a 3-axle Riddles WD tender with various additional WM castings that relate to the de-activated weighing equipment.

These unique castings [axleboxes/sluice boxes/weighing equipment/lockers/screw wheels etc.,] are my own 3D patterns [Resin, LW and WM] 55-complete less coupling and drawbar-1.JPG 56-complete less coupling and drawbar-2.JPG as are the etched N-S tank sides/footsteps and bunker sides.

At some point I will get around to finishing off the painting. Most photographs show them with the old BR crest and rectangular lining. Apart from the tender attached to Tonga, I've only seen one photograph [of 45298] in colour with the post-1957 crest and fully lined - and heavily weathered!
 
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Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Above the footplate, the tender looks more like a 3-axle Riddles WD tender with various additional WM castings that relate to the de-activated weighing equipment.

Interesting, I'm sure I've read somewhere Riddles worked on the LMS before the WD?
 
A

Arun

Guest
Dave - Robert Riddles started as an LNWR premium apprentice at Crewe in 1909. He stayed at LMS sites at Crewe, Derby and St Rollox [working as deputy to HG Ivatt] until 1939 when he was loaned to the MoS to design locos for the war effort in Europe and the Middle and Far East. This culminated in the WD2-8-0 and 2-10-0 following which he returned to the LMS in Aug 1943. On nationalisation, he became Member for Mech & Elec Eng. on the new BR Board - effectively CME of the newly nationalised railway. Thus whilst he wasn't formally CME of the LMS at any stage, he was certainly involved in design as in Jan 1946 he became Vice President of the LMS for Engineering - effectively the boss of the CME and his counterparts in civil engineering and signals.
Incidentally, it is probably no coincidence that the first standard loco built for the new BR was named "Britannia" - Probably as much for the symbol of the old LNWR as for the concurrent Festival of Britain - Similarly, the use of what was virtually the old LNWR livery for BR's new mixed traffic locos was again probably due to the presence of ex-Crewe men in the higher echelons of BR.
 
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