60012 "Commonwealth of Australia"

[Eightpot]

I've come across a photo of this loco taken in September 1963 that is something of a puzzle. On the front lower casing between the left and middle lamp irons is a hole about 3" diameter with a couple of smaller holes above and below it. It looks as if something like a flange would have been bolted on there. This hole was made latterly as it doesn't appear on photos of the 1958 period. Anyone know as to why this was done?

[STAFFORDA4]

Interesting. I don’t know the answer but I can advise the earliest photo evidence* I have of said hole is 30th April 1963. It’s from the Railway Mag of January 1964 with 60012 departing Haymarket station on an Edinburgh to Perth train (p159)
*I have a cuttings file of each of the LNER Pacifics
Good luck with your quest and keep us posted

[STAFFORDA4]

One of the special features of no’s. 60012 60020 & 60031 was that their inside middle cylinders were lined up to 17” diameter, instead of the usual 18.5 ins
Would this have anything to do with the hole? Did the other 2 A4s get holes too?
The plot thickens