Loco Tools

[john coffin]

Strange one I know, but
In my recent research about GNR tenders, one thing I have not found is the details of the toolkit that each driver and fireman took out every day.
I have seen the Midland type, in a copy of Midland Record, but never any drawings or information relating to Doncaster stuff.
SO I know that most of you who were drivers were BR or LNER but I kind of assume that Doncaster stuff was pretty standard for a long time.
So how many oil cans, and of what type, how many prickers, or firebar movers, ash and fire shovel, did all drivers have a jack,and if so of
what type?

It's all very well putting the slot in a tender kit for tools, but what goes there?

Any help would enable me to make it easier for others to detail, in particular, their GNR tenders, but it would be also useful for NE/GE/GC etc modellers
a major problem for us all these days is the lack of detail photos of the front of tenders when not attached to a loco, so any help gratefully received.

Paul

[Hatfield Shed]

I have the V2 tool list.

Four double ended spanners, Monkey spanner.
Small pin punch
Four hammers: Coal, Hand, Heavy, Lead.
Flat chisel
Pinch Bar
Firing shovel
Clinker shovel
Pricker
Rake
Dart
Tube scraper
Hand Lamp
Four head Lamps
Gauge Lamp
Two torch lamps
A two gallon water bucket
Four oil feeders: 9" spout 1 pint, 'long', 2 off 1 quart Tallow or thick oil.
Three oil bottles, sixteen pint, eight pint, four pint.
Hand brush
Two fog signal boxes. (It doesn't say so, but I guess 'someone' then put the detonators inside when the loco left the works.)
Grease gun
Padlocks and keys for all toolboxes.

Since you asked specifically about oil feeders, the detail is exactly as on the spec. So you get a fairly full description of a '9" spout 1 pint oil feeder', but the next one is simply 'long oil feeder'. This is where footplate crew or stores experience would help understand exactly what is meant.

[john coffin]

thanks that is a good start,
now we need to find out if earlier guys had less or more in their kit?

paul

[Hatfield Shed]

It wouldn't have changed a lot over the years, because the the basic principles by which the Stephenson locomotive worked were unaltered, would be my best guess.

The grease gun is probably a fairly recent addition to the toolkit, and maybe there would have been one fewer oil can and feeder can for a saturated steamer, since the high temperature engine lubricant for superheat wouldn't be required. On lighter locos, the jack you mention might well appear.

Also, there would be the crew's own tools, the best known of which was the 'Jimmy' to be secured across the blast pipe: these were widely available in a variety of designs at a small price by all accounts.

[John Palmer]

Can someone please say what handle shapes were associated with each of the four fire irons - pricker, dart, rake and shovel?

[Trestrol]

Does anybody know what size the spanners were? I have an LNER example that is 3/4 and 7/8, i wonder if this could be part of the loco tool kit.

[Hatfield Shed]

That combination heads the V2 tools list. Also, 1" x 5/8", 3/8" x 1/2", Ring spanner 1" x 1 1/8". 'Monkey Spanner'.

[greenglade]

This is a great thread that I've been watching with interest, I did ask a similar question some time ago in my own search for tools used on the Gresley A1/A3 pacifics. I would assume that most of the tools would be the same. Could I please ask those who may work these loco's either preserved or in general service that any tools specific for my chosen class get added here as a separate list. btw I'm modelling the late 30's

many thanks

Pete

[Hermit 109]

Just come across this thread, casting my mind back 54 years as a young fireman at Top Shed the tools issued for prep of a main line loco consisted of store issue bucket containing two spanners, the most important of which was the gauge glass spanner, a spare gauge glass complete with rubber washers, gauge lamp which was checked to ensure full of paraffin and sufficient wick, hand brush, can of 12 detonators (colour coded for issue date) plus 2 red flags, oil feeder and two oil bottles and lastly two headlamps (again full of paraffin and wick trimmed)

On arrival at the locomotive, the requirements were to find two firing shovels ( not the short handled met type ), one clinker shovel, one pricker, one bent dart, Stored in the appropriate place (mostly in the corridor on an A4). The spare firing shovel stored by the boiler side in front of the fireman's seat.

At the end of steam these tools became ever more scarce involving robbing other engines as they came on shed etc; and took up a large amount of the prep time. If the loco was to work a named train, there was a rack of name boards outside the running foreman's office.

If the engine was a quick turnaround where the fire and smokebox had to be cleaned ready to go back out, other tools such as drop grate key, cods mouth key on an A4, rocker bar lever etc; were just as difficult to obtain.

Hope that helps, memories starting to fade a little, but a great experience to have taken part in.

[Hermit 109]

I knew I had forgotten something ! Apart from the fire irons, the other tool you would never leave the shed without was a coal hammer. Some of the Yorkshire coal would drop into the tender hole the size of a small child, so much of the time spent firing involved breaking up the lumps small enough to fire under the flap while on the move.