GNR/LNER N1 - condensing equipment

[Bucoops]

Good afternoon all :)

 

I don't know much about ex-GNR locos but have recently been reminded of the N1 and they appear to have been built for a similar workload as the ec-GER N7s.

 

Having a nose around I've ended up confusing myself however. I believe these two ebay pictures are the same loco (going by BR Database). Why am I confused? It appears to have no condensing equipment in the LNER phot but does in the BR photos. Was the equipment ever re-fitted following an earlier removal?

 

Photographers unknown.

 

#

 

[keefer]

Page about the N1 at lner.info:

https://www.lner.info/locos/N/n1.php

Mentions all having condensing gear except 4 for West Riding. Later reallocations to there had the gear removed in 1921 "although some of them still carried the condensing pipes until the mid-1920s."

Says 55 made it to BR service with withdrawals starting in 1951.

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by keefer

[Morello Cherry]

A search for this number show it running in BR years with and without condensing gear. My guess is that for a period during the LNER years it moved away from and the equipment was removed. The BR database has it at Kings X and Hornsey between 1948 and 1951 (getting its BR number in 1950). The post 1951 photos have it without condensing gear again.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Morello Cherry

[Darryl Tooley]

Yeadon's Register Vol 25 tells us that this engine had its condensing gear removed when it was transferred from the London area to the West Riding in 1921.  It was refitted  prior to 4554's return south in 1935.  When it was removed again is not stated, but would no doubt have been at or after its return north in 1951.

 

D

 

Edit: Vol 9A of the RCTS Locomotives of the LNER series gives the dates of removal, refitting and removal again as 3/21, 9/35 and 12/52 respectively.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Darryl Tooley
Further information.

[Bucoops]

Great, thank you - interesting they they did indeed replace it if required. I'm not sure that ever happened to any N7s but I guess Kings Cross traffic had a longer lasting requirement for condensing locos which is understandable.

 

I expect I have the RCTS book, but not with me at present so thank you for pulling that info for me. I'm certain I don't have the Yeadon's volume.

[Wickham Green too]

I would have thought they'd allocate fitted or not fitted locos locos as appropriate rather than fitting or removing the equipment once they'd decided where they were going to send each loco ??!?

[Darryl Tooley]

22 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

I'm not sure that ever happened to any N7s

N7s, no.  N2s, yes, a handful.

 

D