GL5 Forum

Hello Folks,

I have a new project and this is to design a new 5" gauge (Proper) LNER B1. Geoff Moore very kindly supplied my with his works drawings which have been a great help including some tender drawings with the GA. However, the tender GA only shows the steam brake and no vacuum cylinder(s). Alistair Bootland loaned me some photographs of a tender which for years was in a Yard at Doncaster but it was not until I studied the photos a bit more closely I spotted what looks like a pair of vacuum cylinders lurking in the shadows under a stretcher behind the front axle. Does anyone have a drawing or any photos of the LNER Group Standard tender in bits with vacuum brakes and did the tender have steam and vacuum brakes or just one or the other? The vacuum brakes are not shown on the works drawings which I have.

Look forward to seeing what you have to say.

Doug Hewson

According to the RCTS green books, "Steam brakes were fitted on the engine and tender". No mention of vacuum.

Also, "A G&C combination vacuum ejector was provided for the train brakes". No mention of tender.

However, apart from the brakes, on reading through the section on tenders, it quickly becomes apparent that the tenders fitted to B1s were in no way standard, the details were many and varied.

Hello Dave,

Yes, thanks for that. I have the green RCTS book and have identified at least five dirfferent tenders and I have included all of them on my new drawing. However, the tender in the yard at Doncaster came from a B1and it certainly has a pair of vcauum cylinders just behind the front axle but there was not a photo from the front end to show whether it had a steam brake cylinder as well as per the works drawing. Anyway, thanks for that and now I also have four other responses to have a look at. See you Friday, shall I bring wagons for the one day?

Hi Doug,

The green bible does confirm that the B1s were all steam braked. Although Yeadon claims the original engines were fitted with K3 type tenders they were different in that they had the high fronts which I think first appeared on J39s. Only two K3s ever had high front tenders. There were a number of variations to the B1 tenders as you have found out but they were visually similar for the most part, the main differences being the front plate which on the early engines were I think like the K3s with two tool boxes, later changed to a single central one with vertically hinged doors. Ten engines had the revised front end that were like the eight wheeled pacific tenders with the cupboards below the shelf. The very last tenders had changes to the front end of the frames, the curved cut out being removed and narrower footsteps applied. Some engines did get low fronted tenders either when new from scrapped locos, or exchanged with tenders from K3s or J39s and the like. The vacuum brake tender you refer to could have been one of those, especially if it was low fronted. There would be no reason to change the braking system as it would work from the loco's vacuum system, although light engine workings or unfitted freights might have been exciting if the driver didn't bother to run the ejector thinking the engine was all steam brake!

Regards

Eddie

Doug,
We had plenty of wagons last year, so I don't think we'll need more this year, but that's not a reason not to bring a few if you feel like giving them a run.
Dave.

Hello Eddie,

I have the green RCTS book and I have picked up the details of five different B1 tenders (at least!) from that, but, the one in the yard at Doncaster certainly has twin vacuum cylinders just behind the front axle so what I was trying to find out was did it have both steam and vacuum as none of the photos has a view at the front end to show a steam brake cylinder, although both cross stretchers can be seen. I am just hoping that the B17 group who now have it will be posting some photos as they restore it. I just thought the tenders might have one or the other but not both.

Probably see you Friday if you are at Shildon.

Many thanks,

Doug