What loco?

[Malcolm]

Can anyone help me to identify this loco?
(I seem to have a thing with locos and water)

Malcolm

[jwealleans]

One of the ex-GE F series tanks, I think, Malcolm. Hopefully Adrian will be along shortly to sort it out for us.

[52D]

you beat me to it JW i cant add any more than you

[sirbrian]

It looks like a J69 to me. I remember them well, including riding on one between Thaxted and Elsenham when there was a branch line between these two places and I was a teenager. The J69 pulled two six-wheeled carriages, with gas lighting, if I remember correctly. There was nothing electrical on the entire train!

Sir Brian

[Bill Bedford]

Yep, J69. It has a 3 link coupling and the number looks like 73xx

[redtoon1892]

Anyone hazard a guess where this very well looked after crane tank is working ? its not Sunderland Docks.

[52D]

Ive seen this picture before but cant remember where, Stoke on Trent or Scotland seem to stick in my mind.

[Malcolm]

I know it's not, but it looks very similar to one built by Andrew Barclay in 1942 for Clyde Alloy Steel Company, Motherwell.

Malcolm

[industrial]

An export engine on test most likely ie test box with 4 ton on it, and looks more like 5'6" gauge with the over all width of the buffer beam for India?

[Malcolm]

Got it! ( I think )

Builder: Hawthorn Leslie,
Year Built: 1923
Service: GIPR (Great Indian Peninsula Railway),
Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0T Numbering: Initially 3538, GIP no. 3 Named: ----
Rail Gauge: bg (5' 6")

Now preserved at the National Railway Museum, Chanakyapuri , New Delhi.

The old photo must have been the testing before export. ( I think again )
Anyway, I'll let you guys be the judge.
Here are three photos from India.

Malcolm

[52D]

Well **** me i didnt notice the test weight (shame on me because thats part of my job) or if you look closely at the loco there appears to be a dual gauge track i was concentrating on the picture of the loco and did not consider Indian gauge.
The photo i thought id seen appears to concern the same locomotive as Malcolm above had mentioned as being at Motherwell.
Note the low cab it must have been uncomfortable for the crew to have such a low cab to allow the jib to slew over it.

[Caledonian]

Quite a similar one, built by Barclays in 1942, in the SRPS collection at Bo'ness

[Malcolm]

That's how I got it.

An export engine on test most likely ie test box with 4 ton on it, and looks more like 5'6" gauge with the over all width of the buffer beam for India?

It made me take a closer look at the track and the gauges. I thought the photo was taken in the UK so all I did was look at all the companies that made locos for export. Then went for crane tanks....................and there it was. Got the history from Hawthorn Leslie and then went to India (not literally of course) to see if there was anything there. There was.

Malcolm

[redtoon1892]

This crane tankie worked and lived at the Hawthorn Leslie shipyard in Hebburn Upon Tyne, dont know what happened to it after its life there. Sadly this famous old shipyard in now vitually extinct as are the rest of the Tyne shipyards.
Pic is courtesy of the very excellent "Hebburn Folk" website.

[industrial]

This crane tankie worked and lived at the Hawthorn Leslie shipyard in Hebburn Upon Tyne, dont know what happened to it after its life there. Sadly this famous old shipyard in now vitually extinct as are the rest of the Tyne shipyards.
Pic is courtesy of the very excellent "Hebburn Folk" website.

If you are correct, was it a canceled export engine what was used and regauged to 4' 8 1/2" gauge as the photo must show it to 5' 6" as the buffers are too far apart and the ends of the buffer beams are further out than on British engines also there is a wide gap between the boiler and the tanks which means it will be too wide for the British loading gauge also one of the people in the background lookes to be holding a camerer as well. There seems to be at least 4 gauges of tracks as well so I think this photo was taken when the engine was on test when new and to the fate there is still more homework still to be done.