Masonic symbols on locomotives

[souwest]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to brighter up a Caledonian Jumbo, and I recall seeing symbols on the smokeboxes of locomotives of a masonic nature.  The most common one is the frontispiece of John Thomas' The Oban Line, with a beautiful blue Class 55 Oban bogie with a square and compass on the piano plate, under the smokebox door.  I've also see a goblet and sun on the front, (painted) of a G &SWR locomotive at Muirkirk.  The burnished rays on the front of many Scottish locomotives was quite common too.

 

My question is - did masonic symbols appear on many locomotives, and did they appear south of the border?  I'm thinking pre-grouping, and when drivers had their "own" locomotive and the time to "tiddly" it up at their own expense.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Souwest

[Nick Holliday]

Yes, smokebox door embellishment occurred on several of the southern lines, most noticeably on the London & South Western, with odd examples appearing elsewhere, perhaps there were some links down to the Drummond brothers.  Never exactly widespread though.  I am not sure that they were all masonic in origin - many are just stars, diamonds or crescents - probably down to the imagination of the loco crews involved, or what was easiest to cut out of tinplate, or scour on the paintwork as appropriate.

[sp1]

Perhaps it's just a very old plot by the illuminati to persuade Hornby/ Bachmann/ Rapido/ DJM etc to produce an Adams Radial or a Caledonian Single.......