Thompson A2/2 60506

[upney sidings]

I have a negative featuring 60506 with BR number but with its tender liveried as LNER. Does anyone know when 60506's tender was changed to BR livery?

Mike M.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Hi Mike - in "Power of the A2s" - 60506 is shown with 60506 on the cabside, British Railways branding, on an Aberdeen express on 6th August 1949. I would presume it would have been before then. RCTS 2A has this wrong for 60506 as it states it carried LNER on the tender up until 1950 when it was repainted brunswick green.

This IS true of 60502 Earl Marischal however, and this combination of BR smokebox number, BR cabside number and LNER on the tender can be seen in "Power of the A2s".

I think the possible date for the change to British Railways for 60506 can be reasonably assumed to be the June 1949 date that RCTS 2A gives for the painting out of the number on the bufferbeam. It is plausible that the tender was attended to at the same time. This would fit in with the reasonably clean tender shown, complete with the British Railways branding, in the 6th August photograph.

[upney sidings]

Thank you most kindly for the historical background which I've incorporated into the newly uploaded image on my web site ................

http://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-ra ... c&lb=1&s=L

There was, as perusual, no documentation with the negative and so does anyone recognise the shed? That coaling tower is reminiscent of New England but I'm no expert on LNER sheds I'm afraid.

Sorry about my slow response. Although I already had the negative I held back on scanning it until I had more material to scan. Nothing exciting on the LNER front.

Mike M.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Doesn't look like New England, and it's certainly not Haymarket, which was my first thought. Could it be one of the other Scottish Region sheds? If we assume the photograph is between 1948 and 1949, she was (according to RCTS 2A and Power of the A2s) allocated to Aberdeen from 1949 before heading to New England in the November of that year, so Aberdeen seems a reasonable bet.

This doesn't solve my particular mystery of this locomotive, as I have found a photograph of her on shed at Leeds Copley Hill in the September of 1949, and again at Leeds Neville Hill in the same month - why was she so far south that month before heading back to Scotland?

[upney sidings]

I've received the following off-forum ..........

"Location is, I'm fairly sure, the west end of Haymarket shed ,Edinburgh. It is on the line nearest to what was the repair shed."

That seems to fit the profile as 60506 was a Haymarket engine for all bar a month or so before moving to New England in November 1949.