BTB Crab Pack

[CWill]

Hi those who can help me,

I have plans to put together a BR Crab pack for the Bristol - Birmingham route, but I need numbers. Could some knowledgable people about loco numbers help me by supplying some suitable BTB numbers. I prefer ones that would work in early and late BR days. I'd like a total of six if possible.

The sheds I know of are:

Bristol Barrow Road (22A/82E)

Gloucester Barnwood (22B/85E)

Worcester (85A)

Saltley (21A) might do as well.

[mickrik]

Hi Cody,

I have only got allocations for Saltley out of those in 1960.

42758, 42761, 42791, 42823,42846, 42857, 42890, 42900, 42903,

42921 was allocated to Gloucester in 1948

Mick

[dee4141]

I have an LMS Shed Allocation book for 1952 but I would need the Crab numbers........

[Iluka]

Hi Danny

There were 245 Crabs built with the Number Series 42700 to 42944.

42818,42822,42824,42825 & 12829 were fitted with Lentz rotary camshaft valve gear in 1931 but were rebuilt with Reidinger valve gear in 1953

Regards

Mike

[michaelhendle]

Hi Cody
Worcester is a Western Region Shed so I doubt if Crabs were sheded there

[rufuskins]

I have the Hugh Longworth book on "Steam Allocations, etc. in BR days" at home, which I will consult this evening and give a reply unless someone offers one before.

Alec

[dee4141]

Thanks Mike...........looking at that range there were NONE shedded at 22A,22B or 85A in 1952. The 21A shedded Crabs are shown as......42758+42764+42790+42818+42822+42824,5+42827+42829+42857+42900+42903.

I'm not familiar with the Midlands, but there were quite a few at Newton Heath (26A)....42701,2,3,4,5 + 42707,8,9,+42710,11 + 42712,14,15,+42750+42766+42820+42871+42901.

If you'd like any other sheds checked just ask.

[1crick14a]

http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamcl ... ?item=CRAB

Try this site has all

[CWill]

Well thanks to all of you for the help. I guess I'll be making a Saltley Crab/Mogul Pack. It'll still work for BTB. Probably for BC1 as well.

[michaelhendle]

Hi Cody,
Bescot is in the same area as Saltly.

Bescot shed code is 21B and had 3 Crabs based there 42779,42851/853

[mickrik]

Hi there,

I will upload an AWS fitted model in the next few days. Roughly half of them were fitted as such after 1959. You will need to rely on photographic evidence to see if AWS is fitted.

Mick

[CWill]

Hi Mick,

What is AWS?

[markh5682]

What is AWS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Warning_System.

[mickrik]

Hi There,

AWS

Automatic Warning System

Was an apparatus developed in the 1930's but not introduced wholesale untill the late 1950's.

Explained better than me here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Warning_System

It will involve the fitting of a battery box, reservoir cylinder, timing cylinder and a coupling guard.

I am just numbering her up now as 42858 allocated to 9a Longsight (Manchester)

Mick

[mpeffers]

Have a little collection of pictures of the railways around Cheltenham and I don't recall seeing that many Crabs amongst them. That said, my interest lies more with the Western Region lines and I guess branchlines and passenger workings would have got much better coverage in photos than the more mundane traffic the Crabs worked...