LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt102a

Close up of image 'mrsalt102' showing No 715's fireman topping up the locomotive's tender after trimming the coal as part of preparing the locomotive to go off shed. Normally the topping up the tender was a two-man operation with the driver to operating the water crane's valve at ground level. In this case, the water crane has had the valve located at the top of the column and fitted with an extended shaft to place the wheel by the 'bag' so it can be operated by the fireman. This was a labour saving feature which in the environment of such a busy shed would allow the driver to oil and prepare the locomotive in parallel. As crews were only allocated a given time to prepare the locomotive this design could in the course of a day save quite a few man hours.

N.B. The difference between a water column and a crane. A water column was simply a column with the canvas tube, or 'bag' as it was known to railwaymen, fixed at the top of the column. This required the bag to be lifted up horizontally and across the tender and in to the 'hole'. A water crane had a rotating arm which was of sufficient length to be swung over the track so that the bag hung vertically in to the tender. The former was therefore a slower and tedious process and in winter with ice in the bag making it heavy and more difficult.

back