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Location of fire irons on footplate


MoonMonkey
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Hi, I wonder if anyone can help with this?  I have a pack of Dart Castings "L122: LOCO FIRE IRONS (3 PLUS BUCKET) Finescale, set of 3 with bunker hooks and bucket for Tank Locomotives" as per photo.  I also have a Dean Goods loco (era is supposed to be 1945 GWR) as per t'uther photo.  I have no idea where the 3 fire irons and bunker hooks would go, although I'm hazarding a guess that the longer tools would go in the trough alongside the coal bunker supported at one end by the u-shaped bracket. I also guess the bucket would go somewhere out of the way in the cab.   I'd like to get some semblance of realism.  I'd be grateful if anyone knows how they would go and illuminate me accordingly.  I don't think there is an existing thread on the topic, but if so please point me that way if you like.  Many thanks in advance if anyone reads this!  

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The fire irons go with the handles over the U shaped bracket as you mentioned, so they are easy access. They don't stay straight for long!

 

The bucket is normally in the corner often on the fireman's side up by the backhead with water in it. Many put a spanner in the water as it reduces the water sploshing around and coming out of the bucket. 

 

The irons have a sort of dark rusty look certainly the shovel.  Normally you would want the pricker bar (the one in the middle) on the top as its the most often used for breaking the clinker up and getting air through. Prickers were less common on other railways compared to the Wessy and they are wonderful things. 

 

Hope that helps

 

Best wishes

 

Duncan

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I've you've got a few hours spare have a look through this. Loads of photos of GWR tenders with some showing the correct way to store fireirons.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

The bunker hooks are for Tank engines and fitted on the rear of the bunker. With the fireirons stored on them. Quite often the bucket will be suspended from one of the hooks.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/nopanniers.html

 

 

 

Jason

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8 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

The fire irons go with the handles over the U shaped bracket as you mentioned, so they are easy access. They don't stay straight for long!

 

The bucket is normally in the corner often on the fireman's side up by the backhead with water in it. Many put a spanner in the water as it reduces the water sploshing around and coming out of the bucket. 

 

The irons have a sort of dark rusty look certainly the shovel.  Normally you would want the pricker bar (the one in the middle) on the top as its the most often used for breaking the clinker up and getting air through. Prickers were less common on other railways compared to the Wessy and they are wonderful things. 

 

Hope that helps

 

Best wishes

 

Duncan

Hi Duncan, that's great, very many thanks.  I'll paint them, and place them accordingly once the weathering and coal and crew are sorted.  

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7 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

I've you've got a few hours spare have a look through this. Loads of photos of GWR tenders with some showing the correct way to store fireirons.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

The bunker hooks are for Tank engines and fitted on the rear of the bunker. With the fireirons stored on them. Quite often the bucket will be suspended from one of the hooks.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/nopanniers.html

 

 

 

Jason

Hi Jason, very many thanks.  The links are great... I'd found the website in general but not those pages.  I'll save the bunker hooks for a tank engine I still have in  a box and awaiting introduction to the layout.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 17/06/2020 at 21:44, MoonMonkey said:

Hi Duncan, that's great, very many thanks.  I'll paint them, and place them accordingly once the weathering and coal and crew are sorted.  

Hi Duncan and Jason, 

Thanks for your help with my query about fire irons.  I had a go at repainting and placing them on the tender with the looped handle over the u-shaped bracket.   Do these look about right?  

(Please excuse the one-handed driver, pretend it's a magic trick he is showing the fireman!).  

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So, how does the fireman get the irons into the firebox? They seem to be pointed in the wrong direction.

Or does he have to wait until they stop in a station?

 

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He has to swing them round, luckily there were no overhead wires on the GW then. If he put them back the other way round he would have to handle the hot end - not a very good idea. This demonstrates why later GW practice was to provide a fireiron tunnel alongside the firebox but even so they required careful handling especially when hot.

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Looks great, I should have said the hoops go over the spike sticking up so that they stay put when you are trying to get a higher one out and I suppose if you had a crash they would be less likely to come flying forwards. 

 

Once you are used to it you can swing them round very quickly. the are the best way as when they come out and a red hot you want to get them as far away from you, as quickly as possible!

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 30/06/2020 at 14:38, Blandford1969 said:

Looks great, I should have said the hoops go over the spike sticking up so that they stay put when you are trying to get a higher one out and I suppose if you had a crash they would be less likely to come flying forwards. 

 

Once you are used to it you can swing them round very quickly. the are the best way as when they come out and a red hot you want to get them as far away from you, as quickly as possible!

 

Hello - well that took a while for me to get back onto RMWEB.  Thanks for the insights about footplate fire irons,  From your description, presumably they should be more like this (noting the obvious lack of coal, still!)...

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54 minutes ago, Gordon A said:

The cast fire irons are in my opinion a bit thick, so I tend to make them out of brass wire.

 

Gordon

I have to agree, they always look like they would need a team of fireman just to handle one!

 

Brass...or I have used nickel silver wire in the past with a sliver of off cut etch soldered to an end for the shovel type.

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2 hours ago, Blandford1969 said:

Yes, that's it with the GW pricker bar on top, why the other companies did not have a bar like this is anyone's guess, great for getting through clinker and lifting it up. 

That's great, thanks Blandford1969 for taking  a look and confirming.  I just need to get some coal sorted now.  And keep on top of the pesky oil tidemark! 

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18 minutes ago, micklner said:

Thanks for the observations about the fire irons.  Now you point it out, they do look pretty thick diameter.  I'll have a look a those etched ones. 

I imaging that brass wire would be easy enough for two of them if I fancied some DIY.  The shovel though would take me right back to making 1:12th dolls house brass&copper miniatures when I was a kid.  I had smaller fingers then (having grown up since) and the skill-of-hand was there.  It's an interesting thought though.  If I do go down that route (although time pressure from elsewhere will probably conspire against me) I'll post about it here in future.  

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On 12/09/2020 at 20:20, micklner said:

Or use etched ones, 247 developments do a cheap set.

 

Here's a photo of them , I bought two sets at £4 each plus postage from Brian and are decent quality. I'm going to dip mine in blackening fluid.

 

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5 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

 

Here's a photo of them , I bought two sets at £4 each plus postage from Brian and are decent quality. I'm going to dip mine in blackening fluid.

 

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No rake? - an important tool for getting rid of a lot of the bars, if your lucky and its not clinkered 

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On 20/09/2020 at 17:35, The Stationmaster said:

I think the ones next to the two long bars - aka 'prickers'  (the two with the with the over large 'diamond ' ends) might be meant to be rakes?

I have used one like that, but it was not much good. It would be easy enough to solder a bit of brass on to be more like a rake. 

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