Interesting weathering on welsh 37's any ideas?

[Gareth 73]

I've notice several welsh 37's in the 70's seemed to sport some strange weathering to the nose. It seems something has landed on top of nose and flowed down the front of nose but diverted by the headcode box as the weathering finishes vertical to the edges of headcode box. I've not seen this on locos from other areas and wonder what duty would of caused such unusual weathering on individual locos. I haven't got the list to hand with the numbers I've found but 37's 138, 179, 269 certainly show this affect as some point.

Thanks for any help, I think I ll end up modeling this affect anyway but it be nice to know the reasons behind it.

[Steamport Southport]

Someone on shed being told to clean an area of yellow so it's more visible?

 

 

Jason

[Titan]

Possibly, but have noted similar effect when marker lights have been cleaned with a mop and bucket and the ample fluid used washes everything below it too.  Looks like someone washed the whole glass rather than just the dots on this occasion.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Titan

[Wickham Green too]

They seem to have managed to clean the whole box without straying onto the surface above or beside it !

[Gilbert]

If you did want to reproduce that it would be relatively straightforward.

Airbrush the grime on and then "clean" the relevant bit of the loco with a minibrush, a cotton bud or paint brush moist (but not wet) with the appropriate thinners...mimicking the movements made by a cleaner - it could be a long handled brush done from sleeper level with some of the yellow panel also cleaned for better visibility as well as the headcode box?

[Davexoc]

It isn't an effect unique to South Wales, as I have seen similar on ER and ScR locos, sometimes to a lesser extent.

 

Would it be to do with airflow when coulped to a certain type of wagon?

Thinking minerals or hoppers.

 

When did they start using water jets for dust supression on leaving loading sites?

Thinking the headcode box might leave the lower nose dry and not attract brake and ballast dust.

 

[Gilbert]

Are there any more protoype photos easily seen on line?

[Gareth 73]

4 hours ago, Gilbert said:

Are there any more protoype photos easily seen on line?

 

these are 3 versions of the affect shown on 37138 of Flickr. I cant see them being from cleaning as all too perfectly straight and clean lined to the dirt. But could be wrong 🤔 

 

[Davexoc]

Had a thought, look at other loco types. If you scour through a load of Deltic images you will find a similar effect. Marker lights have been cleaned, and in most cases it shows where the blanked headcode panels haven't been fully cleaned, leading to cleaner patches of yellow, some with streaks down the nose to the bufferbeam. Not to the extent of the 37, as they would have been cleaned a bit more frequently.

As the above 37 has a domino headcode, someone has given the whole panel a good scrub with alot of water, rinsing away the grime below.....