Garethp8873 Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Recently I've been having an Agenoria kit of GWR (ex-Port Talbot) Saddle Tank 813 refurbished. She is now nearly complete but my friend and I have reached a snag and need some advice. We are wondering whether 813 should have her smokebox door painted as per my photo below. I want to represent 813 as she would of been during the late 1920s/early 1930s before she went onto the sales list in 1933 and withdrawn a year later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Normal practice would be not to polish anything on the smokebox. (I.e. should be all black) 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimC Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 (edited) Yes, she's beautifully kept, and a credit to her owners, but that's arguably very much a special occasion level of presentation, and back in the day, as a working shunter in the docks, I suspect its most likely that all the polished metalwork above footplate level would have been painted, and possibly none too many layers of paint either. But maybe we can imagine a royal visit to the docks? Edited August 28, 2019 by JimC 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 5 minutes ago, JimC said: Yes, she's beautifully kept, and a credit to her owners, but that's arguably very much a special occasion level of presentation, and back in the day, as a working shunter in the docks, I suspect its most likely that all the polished metalwork above footplate level would have been painted, and possibly none too many layers of paint either. But maybe we can imagine a royal visit to the docks? My impression is, some of this 'customisation' is a shed or even crew thing rather than a company practice. ISTR some sheds turned out their locos with certain distinctive features So, a crew that works often with an individual loco with time on their hands might do such a thing I doubt Swindon would approve Richard 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 57xx Posted August 28, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 28, 2019 15 hours ago, Miss Prism said: Normal practice would be not to polish anything on the smokebox. (I.e. should be all black) It does look very much like a "preservation thing", similar to that horrible polished brass rim around the back of the smokebox on the 1400 that got copied by Hattons. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Polished steel rusts very quickly so requires constant cleaning. Not uncommon in pre grouping days with regular crews but I can't see the crews of a humble shunter bothering post WW1 as rosters were adjusted to take account of progressively shorter working hours which meant one man one engine became completely impractical. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 The only photo I can readily find of it in that era it looks like it doesn't have a polished rim. It definitely has a polished safety valve cover though. http://www.gwr813.org/pagel6.html Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rprodgers Posted September 2, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 2, 2019 I would think pre WW1 it may have been possible to see locos polished up like this but uncommon after then. Also polished safety valve covers I understood after WW1 were down to individuals rather than the norm. Going off on a tangent would a humble saddle tank loco even be "lettered" in the mid 1920s / early 1930s? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Prism Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, rprodgers said: Going off on a tangent would a humble saddle tank loco even be "lettered" in the mid 1920s / early 1930s? Normally not, but some were. Possibly a bit of Swindon imperialism applied to some absorbed locos. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethp8873 Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 On 02/09/2019 at 13:54, rprodgers said: Going off on a tangent would a humble saddle tank loco even be "lettered" in the mid 1920s / early 1930s? 813 in the late 1920s/early 1930s. 813 in her early colliery days at Backworth Colliery. It's truly remarkable you can still see her 'GREAT WESTERN' lettering at this point. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimC Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Interesting that in the second photo she's already lost GWR cab plate, safety valves and whistles. Intresting too the different paint colour under the number plate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 88C Posted September 6, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2019 Thanks for the photos Gareth, most timely as I have just started my CSP kit. Brian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethp8873 Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 36 minutes ago, 88C said: Thanks for the photos Gareth, most timely as I have just started my CSP kit. Brian All on the GWR 813 Fund website 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethp8873 Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 813 is complete and ready to come home 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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