The LNER Encyclopedia

I believe that the experimental mechanical stoker as fitted to Ivatt 'J52' No. 4242 was trialled between November 1936 and March 1938. The accompanying photograph shows the device but I have a few questions. Supposedly it was never used 'out on the line', just in Doncaster works. Fourteen months out of revenue earning service seems a very long time unless it took quite some while just to fit the device! My questions are:- who made it Doncaster or an outside manufacturer and how did it work?

This rather intrigued, so I have had a look in the green book, Part 8A and there is a description of the stoker. This was a Sentinal stoker which fed coal to the underside of the grate via a chute under the rear axle. The coal was then pushed on to the grate by an "agitator" which was driven by an oil filled pump under the bunker. I guess we would call that an oil hydraulic motor or cylinder today. The pressurised oil to drive the agitator was provided by the steam driven Worthington-Simplex hydraulic pump on the footplate which is the device that you can see in the photograph. Later the agitator was driven directly by steam and the footplate pump was eliminated.

I once had a footplate trip on 1247 from Grosmont to Goathland on the NYMR and had a go at firing up the 1 in 49. I soon discovered how small the footpate is and with my back bent to reach the firehole door which is at floor level, my knuckles found plenty of hard surfaces and edges to collide with and were soon bruised and bleeding. Wouldn't have missed it for the world, but I would guess that trip workings with the J52s were not sort out by firemen. Much easier to fire when standing still between shunting operations.

Eddie

Thanks for the information Eddie, especially the "bruised knuckles" firing technique!. I believe the NER fitted something similar to one of its tank locomotives.
Cheers - Steve