Sylvian Tennant Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 I am building two narrow gauge loco, both saddle tanks with bunkers just ahead of the cab. I know one bunker (generally on the fireman's side) would contain coal. However , after looking locomotives such as Talyllyn locomotives, the other bunker is usually blanked with a cap over it. Can anyone enlighten me on the use for this bunker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
009 micro modeller Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 I'm not entirely sure but I have a feeling it could either be for tools etc or to provide balance to the other side. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 (edited) Some preserved railways use the space to hide air braking equipment, which wouldn’t have been present in industrial service or pre-preservation passenger service. If you look at old photos and drawing you may well find that both sides were originally for coal, although on some locos I don’t think it was, because the reverser is in the way of access. Edited June 6, 2018 by Nearholmer 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 It depends. Some locos would have the brake column and reverser there, some might have a toolbox, some might just give the driver somewhere to stand! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 Possibly an extra water tank. Jason 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted June 9, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2018 The ones on the Ffestiniog's Fairlies are used as toolboxes. On a Double Fairlie the fireman cannot access the driver's side of the loco in any case, but of course has a coal bunker in front of and behind him! These engines require a specialised firing technique, of course. But I would have thought that having a coal bunker on one side only, with the other side being home to a toolbox, was the normal situation on most narrow gauge lines, and even those standard ones that feature locos with coal bunkers in this position. But one major exception would be the Darjeeling Himalayan, which had bunkers that ran the full width of the loco across the saddle tank and ahead of the cab front plate. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 There is also the question of where coal was kept, as opposed to where the bunkers are. There are plenty of photos of locos with coal kept in various places, including simply piled on the cab floor, because bunkers were so small. On LBNGR, some of the tiny locos, Rishra for instance, seem to carry coal buckets to make up for the lack of bunker space. These tiny loco probably didn’t stray more than a mile from a coal heap in industrial service, so could be topped-up easily. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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