A4 Convertible Top

[Theakerr]

It has been stated that A4's almost always ran with the top up, i.e. with the cover between the cab and tender on.  Certainly most of the pictures I have seen would confirm this.  Therefore I am trying to come up with something that looks like the cover but will allow my 00 A4.s to go around a 36" radius curve.  The few 'reasonable' pictures I have found seen to suggest two types of cover, one is a simple tarp that just seems to be attached to both sides and litterally hangs around and the other looks more like a section of rubber matting about 1/2" thick and seems to have a pretty well defined shape.  Regardless, so far I have not been able to find a really good picture of either.  Would anyone happen to have one or more pictures really showing what the cover looks like?  FYI, I live in the GWN so it is not a simple matter of just popping down to the tracks.

Thanks

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

There are two distinctly different arrangements. At introduction of the class the weather sheet was attached along the top of the bunker front plate, in a straight line as viewed in plan, and I believe this was a rubberised sheet material (but stand to be corrected). In later BR operation, it looks like a tarp, and where it is clear to see, the attachment points on the tender followed the curve of the bunker opening, as viewed in plan. In both cases the attachment to the loco was on the rear underside of the cab roof. When the change in pattern occured I have not a clue, neither whether it was universal!

 

Useful photos in Nock's 'The Gresley Pacifics' and Walkers' 'Eastern Region Steam Twilight', which I quickly grabbed as references; but there are many more. It may be that the Isinglass drawing covers this detail, but I have never looked at what is available from this source.

 

I use a piece of thin black plastic 'bin liner' (trash bags) and affix it to the tender top with impact adhesive, with the free end poking forward under the cab roof. It sort of does the job. I did have a thought of installing a wire under the cab roof rear for it to rest on, paralleling the roof underside form: but life is too short to stuff mushrooms.

[ejstubbs]

For a moment I mistakenly thought that this thread was about model Audis...