Shiny Cooler Shutters

[D869]

Evening all.

 

While checking why my two tone Farish class 47 (1764) has shiny shutters, I read that this was a Stratford habit - a forerunner of their later variations on blue livery.

 

I don't know much more about it... for example when did this practice start and finish? Is there a list of locos that had the shiny shutters?

 

Now I'm a WR modeller so was thinking that this was not very relevant to me and that my shiny shutters needed a repaint, but then discovered that at least one WR loco (D1676 'Vulcan') had a spell at Stratford and received the shiny shutters. Later photos show that it kept them after its move back to the WR.

 

In the course of these distractions, I found a puzzling photo in Micheal Welch's recent book 'Diesels on the Western'. Page 95 shows a loco stated to be D1951 on the Pines Express in October 1966. One set of shutters is open but the other is shut. It looks much more shiny than the surrounding bodywork yet as far as I can gather this loco was nearly new and was allocated to the LMR.

 

So what's going on here?

 

Is it a trick of the light? - the sun is lighting the front and side of the loco so it isn't the sun bouncing off the shutters

Were there other locos with shiny shutters that are not attributable to Stratford?

Is it perhaps not D1951 at all? The number is plausible but a bit fuzzy in the photo.

 

Regards, Andy

[royaloak]

I thought that when the Serck shutters were fitted they were all shiny.

[D869]

I thought that when the Serck shutters were fitted they were all shiny.

 

You might be right but certainly there are plenty of photos showing them painted (or just so dirty that you can't tell any more).

 

I don't have lots of photos of newly delivered class 47s but here is the one after D1951 when just over 6 months old. It looks reasonably clean but the shutters are not shiny... http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_zoom_v3.php?img=0930050013210

 

This photo shows D1991 new with shiny shutters http://www.davidheyscollection.com/USERIMAGES/dp-york-class47.jpg

 

Another one of the WR named locos with shiny shutters... http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_zoom_v3.php?img=0758052004210 (by 1971 several years old and never allocated to Stratford).

 

So clearly Stratford is not the only explanation for shiny shutters.

 

I guess that the usual answer 'refer to photos' applies unless anyone can come up with any rules of thumb that might offer some clues.

 

Regards, Andy

[Enterprisingwestern]

Bear in mind Serck shutters were being retro fitted well into the 70's, so there will be a wide spread of locos with "new" shutters fitted, hence shiny ones will appear at all sorts of dates.

Also new shutters may well have been fitted when the operating mechanism needed replacement.

On the whole, although there will no doubt be exceptions, dark shutters will be older ones, weathered due to the large amount of dirty air they draw in.

 

Mike.

[45125]

A new set of shutters came from Serck unpainted. However replacement individual shutters could come painted or unpainted from the stores, depending if it was a repaired or new item.

 

Al Taylor

[D869]

A new set of shutters came from Serck unpainted. However replacement individual shutters could come painted or unpainted from the stores, depending if it was a repaired or new item.

 

Al Taylor

 

Thanks Al.

 

Would I be right in thinking that they are aluminium alloy or stainless steel then?

 

Presumably not one of the rusting kinds of steel if they were supplied unpainted.

 

Regards, Andy

[pheaton]

serck shutter blades are aluminium, the superstructure and frame is steel.