Locomotive Boilers on wagons.

[Norton961]

I have been watching some videos recently and on one shot in the 1960s a train passed through Manchester Victoria station and in the train were 3 large locomotive boilers (all without cladding) and I have recentley seen a photo showing a locomotive boiler on a train at Crewe in 1950. My question is where have these boilers come from and where are they going?

Main line locomotive boilers would only be removed at a Heavey General overhaul at main works and I cant think of circumstances where the boiler would be removed at a depot (even those which a small works such as Rugby, Carlisle Kingmoor etc). If the locomotive required extensive boiler work then the whole loco would be sent to a main works.

The only other solution I can think of is that these boilers have been built by the independent copmanies such as Beyer Peacock but by the date of the video they were in the process of going bust, but it could explain the 1950 photo.

Any suggestions?

 

David

[Nearholmer]

Scrap?

 

Concentration of really heavy boiler work at a particular main works?

 

New or refurbished boiler going to an industrial loco 'out in the field'?

 

On its way to become a de-rated boiler for carriage pre-heating?

 

Overall, I'm stabbing in the dark, but you probably just cost me a bogie well wagon, and some work with a length of broom pole and some cardboard!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

There was a long established export business in steam locomotives, a few boilers on their way to the docks from one of the many independent loco builders is always a possibility.

[Londontram]

As steam was being run down in the 1960s could they have been spare boilers held at a works to a class that was near or now extincted that had been sold for scrap? or maybe sold off for other uses, some boilers have been found in recent years heating large glass houses or maybe for some other industrial use.

 

Edit add - Sorry Nearholmer looks like we both had similar thoughts at the same time.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Londontram

[Fat Controller]

Could it be that specialised boiler repairs were confined to one or two works, and these wagons were used to transfer them to large sheds or loco works? A lot of skills were in short supply in the 1950s and 1960s. The Southern Region certainly had ex-Warwells branded up as Boiler Carriers, which I don't think they'd have bothered with for one-off sales to private concerns.

[Dunsignalling]

Spare boiler being moved from a works that had one to another works that needed one?

 

John

[LMS2968]

On the LMS, and presumably LMR, all boilers were built at Crewe irrespective of where the loco was built, Derby, Horwich, St Rollox, so the boiler would have to be transported to the building works. It was not unknown for a class to be allocated to a specific works for repair, and if that allocation changed, or the works closed, spare boilers would have to be moved to wherever the class was now allocated. As an example of this, Stanier Crabs were all overhauled at Horwich until December 1963 when 'maintenance' was transferred to Swindon. Boilers were changed at Swindon, so the replacements must have made the journey about that time.

[Gordon A]

Manchester was the home of Beyer Peacock a well known loco builder and exporter. So the boilers could be headed out for export by sea.

 

Gordon A

[Steve Taylor]

I have heard of boilers for locos undergoing a heavy general at Darlington North Road coming in by rail from Crewe, and vice versa. To some extent, as had been suggested, it would depend on which main works had a suitable spare available, and which had spare boiler shop capacity. I would be interested to know if any of these "stores" moves went via Stainmore or were they all routed via York.