steamers to the scrap yard

[faulcon1]

I have two Telerail DVD's of men who used to work in the final days of steam. One bloke was at Rose Grove shed and told of the story of the last duty of an 8F loco. It was not filled with water or coal when it came on shed and this bloke then a fireman was putting the loco to bed as he'd done many times before. His driver couldn't understand what he was doing. He was throwing the fire out and his driver told him to leave it. His driver said it didn't matter if the engine dropped a plug as it was now going to be scrapped. This bloke was speechless at the drivers attitude and just couldn't understand why the driver would even think that way.

Another 8F 48773 was allocated there in the last days and it was known then that the loco would be preserved. This bloke was indignant. He said all these other 8F's who had worked tirelessly over the years were all to be scrapped and then along comes this new comer which was preserved. He just didn't think that was right.  

[Steamport Southport]

Hadn't 48773 just had a recent overhaul though?

 

So it was probably in the best condition out of a bad bunch. Things like tyre wear was a crucial factor in the days when they didn't have the facilities we have now. I doubt those preserving locomotives in 1968 even thought that we would be retyring wheels and repairing boilers, never mind building brand new locomotives.

 

 

In 1966, 48773 had received a 'Heavy Intermediate' repair and overhauled boiler at Crewe Works. By July 1968, she had covered a modest 36,000 miles and as such was selected as the '8F' in the best 'all round' condition, becoming the subject of a late and urgent appeal by this Society. After working the LCGB 'Farewell to Steam' special on 4th August she was purchased for preservation and delivered in working order to the then infant Severn Valley Railway.

 

http://www.8fsociety.co.uk/page11.html

 

 

Jason

[rockershovel]

I think that one of the Rotherham steel works , possibly Parkgate, used A4 tender chassis' as ingot carriers. I think that there is a photo in Steam for Scrap.Jamie

There was a redundant tender converted to a snowplough at Cambridge for many years.

 

Another at Colchester https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colchester_ex_steam_loco_tender_converted_to_Snow_Plough_ADE330977.jpg

Edited November 25, 2018 by rockershovel

[jamie92208]

There was a redundant tender converted to a snowplough at Cambridge for many years.

 

Another at Colchester https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colchester_ex_steam_loco_tender_converted_to_Snow_Plough_ADE330977.jpg

Many of them were kept as sludge carriers.   I believe that some of these became a source of tenders for preserved locos.  I have a vague memory of hearing that the late Malcolm Crawley managed to save a couple of GN tenders via that route.

 

Jamie

[cctransuk]

Many of them were kept as sludge carriers.   I believe that some of these became a source of tenders for preserved locos.  I have a vague memory of hearing that the late Malcolm Crawley managed to save a couple of GN tenders via that route.

 

Jamie

 

I believe that the need for sludge tenders ended with the demise of steam - the sludge came from water-softening plants.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[phil_sutters]

Many of them were kept as sludge carriers.   I believe that some of these became a source of tenders for preserved locos.  I have a vague memory of hearing that the late Malcolm Crawley managed to save a couple of GN tenders via that route.

 

Jamie

Weed-killing trains were also users of old tenders. There are a couple of photos - one from 1949 and the other undated at Wells - in Colin Maggs 'Branch Lines of Somerset' with short weed-killing trains with two or three tenders - ex-LNWR ones in the 1949 shot - and a couple of brake vans.

[Arun Sharma]

I have two Telerail DVD's of men who used to work in the final days of steam. One bloke was at Rose Grove shed and told of the story of the last duty of an 8F loco. It was not filled with water or coal when it came on shed and this bloke then a fireman was putting the loco to bed as he'd done many times before. His driver couldn't understand what he was doing. He was throwing the fire out and his driver told him to leave it. His driver said it didn't matter if the engine dropped a plug as it was now going to be scrapped. This bloke was speechless at the drivers attitude and just couldn't understand why the driver would even think that way.

Another 8F 48773 was allocated there in the last days and it was known then that the loco would be preserved. This bloke was indignant. He said all these other 8F's who had worked tirelessly over the years were all to be scrapped and then along comes this new comer which was preserved. He just didn't think that was right.  

I had an idea that the last three 8Fs were relatively recent transfers to BR from MoD ownership - hence their odd top feeds which gave them a yellow cab stripe as well as thus not having had anywhere near as onerous working life as the average 8F. Thus they would have been in better condition anyway.

[Marshall5]

The last 3 8F's to be acquired by B.R. were, indeed, ex W.D.  AFAIK of the 3 only 48773 survived to the end of B.R.steam.  By this time 48773 had been re-boilered with a normal top feed. For some reason this was overlooked and it had a (unnecessary) 'Crewe stripe' applied to its cabside!

Ray.

[pH]

AFAIK of the 3 only 48773 survived to the end of B.R.steam.

48775 was withdrawn in August 1968, one week before "the end".

[Marshall5]

48775 was withdrawn in August 1968, one week before "the end".

That's interesting as the information I have is that the last 4 8F's, all withdrawn on 4/8/68 (the last day of regular B.R. steam working), were 48293, 48476, 48723 & 48773.  I thought 48775 had gone some time before.

Ray.

[chris p bacon]

Many of them were kept as sludge carriers.   I believe that some of these became a source of tenders for preserved locos.  I have a vague memory of hearing that the late Malcolm Crawley managed to save a couple of GN tenders via that route.

 

Jamie

 

The 'correct' tender now behind Stirling No1 was identified by Kenneth Leech when it was a sludge carrier at Connington tip (IIRC)  He and Malcolm worked with the NRM on its saving.

[jamie92208]

The 'correct' tender now behind Stirling No1 was identified by Kenneth Leech when it was a sludge carrier at Connington tip (IIRC)  He and Malcolm worked with the NRM on its saving.

 

Thanks for that Dave.  I was aware that Malcolm had had an input but didn't know the full story.

 

Jamie

[pH]

That's interesting as the information I have is that the last 4 8F's, all withdrawn on 4/8/68 (the last day of regular B.R. steam working), were 48293, 48476, 48723 & 48773.  I thought 48775 had gone some time before.

Ray.

Both of these websites show 48773 withdrawn 1968/08/10 and 48775 withdrawn 1968/08/03:

 

http://brdatabase.info

 

https://www.whathappenedtosteam.com/volumes/the-london-midland-scottish/volume-twenty-eight-part-b/

 

And I saw 48773 at Rose Grove shed and 48775 at Lostock Hall shed on 1968/09/03.