Crompton roof

[Andy Y]

I thought I was getting to the point of finishing my HJ33/0 project off but no, along comes another snippet that puts the finished item further back.

 

 

In the pic above the first aperture on the roof is a louvred vent rather than a grilled cover. Two questions arise:

 

1) was the vent on the other side a louvre or grille? Photo evidence seems indeterminate.

2) did this louvre remain in place until the rest of the exhaust/roof modifications were made?

[Dave47549]

.

[Andy Y]

Thanks Dave, will keep an eye out for that.

[Raffles]

I have evidence here that says yes, it was the same on the other side.

 

Found in "DIESEL HEYDAY" - Sulzer Diesels in the 1960's (Euslin Bruce 1989)

[Andy Y]

Thanks Matt!

 

I shall get boring and scraping out on t'other side too. Much appreciated.

[Andy Y]

Job done. I know there's less louvre slats but the first version I did were barely visible.

 

[SRman]

Andy, looking at the photo I think that there is a mesh cover over the louvres. It may be the way the lighting catches the grille/louvres that is highlighting them but at most other angles in many other photos, the louvres don't show up at all.

[mozzer models]

Andy, looking at the photo I think that there is a mesh cover over the louvres. It may be the way the lighting catches the grille/louvres that is highlighting them but at most other angles in many other photos, the louvres don't show up at all.

 

 

Hi Andy i would go with what SRman say having looked throw the to books i have

Jane's Rail Portfolios 6 The Cromptons publised 1986

Ian Allan Locomotive Profile class 33 ' Cromptons' publised 1990

 

in these books it show a mesh over the grills

[Guest Phil]

No real help from me I'm afraid. I've just flicked through Sulzer Types 2 & 3 by ATH Tayler ISBN 0 7110 1340 3 and Sodde's law - most piccies show the opposite end. One 1962 shot on page 36 shows D6551 at Tonbridge. The grille looks a little darker than the rest of the cantrail grilles but is too indistinct to show any good detail. There does appear to be an angled shape rather than a roof contour on the edge nearest the cab.

[Andy Y]

There's definitely some of both around from the snaps I've been poring over and seemingly unrelated to the later roof mods. As you say Phil, none are clear but it shows a recessed angle rather than a body shaped grille. Mine will look appropriately ambiguous too when I've finished.

[BrushVeteran]

Having trawled through my fairly extensive collection of Class 33 images I have come up with this shot of D6531 in Eastleigh Works. It would appear to me that the shot you have looks like the grille mesh is missing, rather than any sort of mod.

Hope this helps Andy

[Guest Phil]

Returning to the original image posted by Andy, it appears to be a little airbrushed to me (kids would say "photoshopped"). look at those engine room windows, then look around those cantrail grilles. I'm really not sure how real that image is. I think Brush Veteran might have hit on the answer, but I'm wondering whether the original image is what it appears.

[Guest Phil]

Just had a bit of a mooch and found this image ;

 

http://www.railphotoprints.co.uk/index/detail/9499/D6573-Y-York-1963-RAW936.jpg.html

 

and this one ;

 

http://www.railphotoprints.co.uk/index/detail/7968/D6551-Y-Ashford-0561-RPC631.jpg.html

 

with the mess grille in place.

 

Suggests to me that the prototype shot had the mesh grille missing Andy. Or just maybe the photo was of a Crompton on shed having repairs, but was airbrushed onto a train somewhere ? Perhaps I'm a little too cynical !!

[Bruciethefish]

The original photo was taken by Euslin Bruce from the footbridge at Ferry Road, Rye, & wouldn't have been modified in any other way than normal retouching to eliminate unwanted reflections etc. The loco is most probably in brand new condition (look how clean the silencer is) as the photographer was employed as the publicity director of Sulzers, his remit being to publicise any new machines incorporating their products. Just why this one louvre was left without a mesh cover is, however, something we're unlikely to ever know... (But it's a nice feature to make a model just a bit more distinctive...)