LNER Gresley teak Dynamometer Car photos wanted

[Points]

Anyone got any photos of the internals or general photos of this vehicle?

[Bill Bedford]

Anyone got any photos of the internals or general photos of this vehicle?

There was never a Gresley teak dynamometer car. There was the NER car that is in the NRM and a steel car that was not finished until after the war. The later car was damaged and scraped in the 80s.

[Points]

Thanks for the info, but why in that case do the NRM term the teak Dyno car they have as being an LNER Dynmometer car?

The story so far seems to be....

Originally built in 1906 by the North Eastern Railway. At this period the livery will have been NER Maroon with Gold lining. Also as built there were no duckets at the locomotive end and there were no corridor connections. NER pattern Fox 8'0" bogies will have been fitted.
The vehicle at the NRM is that seen as running in 1938 shortly after the addition of the duckets and corridor connections and the change to Gresley standard 8'6" compound bolster bogies and finished in ersatz teak livery.
Certain minor additional changes were made subsequently before the vehicle was withdrawn for preservation in 1952.

Basically it is photos of the teak version being pulled I'm looking for.

[Bill Bedford]

Thanks for the info, but why in that case do the NRM term the teak Dyno car they have as being an LNER Dynmometer car?

Possibly because it was owned by the LNER, but that doesn't mean that it was designed by Gresley.

[mick b]

I agree its in LNER condition.

Mick

[Trestrol]

Anyone got any photos of the internals or general photos of this vehicle?

There was never a Gresley teak dynamometer car. There was the NER car that is in the NRM and a steel car that was not finished until after the war. The later car was damaged and scraped in the 80s.

Not strictly true, A LNER dynomometer car was authorised and construction commenced but it was destroyed in a works fire. Then the war got in the way and it had to wait until the Thompson one was built after the war.

[Points]

I'm curious as to ersatz teak, from what I can gather ersatz comes from German meaning 'substitute' which indicates that the LNER Dyno Car at the NRM is made from a teak substitute?

[jwealleans]

There's a section on the Dynamometer Car, with interior photographs, in the excellent 'LNER Reflections' collection. Copies are fairly common in second hand bookshops.

[Malcolm]

Thanks for the info, but why in that case do the NRM term the teak Dyno car they have as being an LNER Dynmometer car?

The story so far seems to be....

Originally built in 1906 by the North Eastern Railway. At this period the livery will have been NER Maroon with Gold lining. Also as built there were no duckets at the locomotive end and there were no corridor connections. NER pattern Fox 8'0" bogies will have been fitted.
The vehicle at the NRM is that seen as running in 1938 shortly after the addition of the duckets and corridor connections and the change to Gresley standard 8'6" compound bolster bogies and finished in ersatz teak livery.
Certain minor additional changes were made subsequently before the vehicle was withdrawn for preservation in 1952.

Basically it is photos of the teak version being pulled I'm looking for.

The dynomometer car in question (No. 3591) was authorized by Wilson Worsdell after he borrowed the GWR car to test the first 'V' class atlantic No. 532. It was built at York in March 1905 and was stationed at Gateshead works until 1912. In 1912 it was moved to Darlington Stooperdale locomotive paint shop. Gresley fitted new bogies and gangway connections in September 1928. It was used by the NER, LNER, and BR (1948 locomotive exchanges).

I have posted a few pictures of the interior of the car on this forum and they should be easy to find under LNER Photographs.

Malcolm

[Points]

Thanks Malcolm, the info I noted was re Dyno Car 902502, some great photos you've got there, but I've trawled all your photos and can only see one Dyno car interior photo as per the second photo, by chance have you got any of the A1 Flying Scotsman hauling the LNER Dyno Car?

Have you seen the first photo which might be of interest?

[hq1hitchin]

Not sure about the 'ersatz teak' aspect of the car but I do know that the exterior was last painted in the late 1920s as when I was allowed to trace and photograph all the LNER lettering and numbers on the exterior some years ago, was told that extreme care was to be taken and absolutely no ballpoint pens or other potentially injurious tools were to be used due to the patina being so superb. Also the interior hasn't been touched for nearly sixty years, even down to the notebooks and LNER pencils still there. Good luck anyway, Points

[Points]

Very interesting, I bet it brought some memories flooding back!

[Bill Bedford]

I'm curious as to ersatz teak, from what I can gather ersatz comes from German meaning 'substitute' which indicates that the LNER Dyno Car at the NRM is made from a teak substitute?

All NER coaches were built from mahogany and originally painted dark red. After the grouping the were given a painted wood grained finish to match the varnished finish of coaches built of teak

[Bill Bedford]

Anyone got any photos of the internals or general photos of this vehicle?

There was never a Gresley teak dynamometer car. There was the NER car that is in the NRM and a steel car that was not finished until after the war. The later car was damaged and scraped in the 80s.

Not strictly true, A LNER dynomometer car was authorised and construction commenced but it was destroyed in a works fire. Then the war got in the way and it had to wait until the Thompson one was built after the war.

The replacement was not authorised until 1947, so Thompson was not involved, and from the photos it would seem that the original drawing were used for the replacement. So it was 'Gresley' but not 'teak' and it never carried LNER livery.

[Points]

But it did have LNER written on its side as this photo of a replica model of the one at the NRM shows