A Prototype for Everything

[BEAUSABRE]

Imagine the comments you'd get if you ran this beauty on your pike

https://imgur.com/iZJuJl5

And check out the striping (white wall drivers!) that would do a queenly passenger locomotive proud on an industrial engine

Hey, the tender really is a coal car!

[dknelson]

All dolled up and ready for prom night!

But it IS a good reminder that builder's photos (such as this one) are not necessarily reliable sources of prototype information.  Often cars and locomotives were painted gray specially for the benefit of the black and white film of the era, and to show details that would be lost in the pure black paint the locomotive would be delivered in.  The striping on the drivers and highlighted driver tires are examples of what would sometimes be done.  The official photos would be taken and then the loco would head right back to the paint shop for its "real" coat of paint.  I have also seen tank car factory photos that look like the car was painted lighter gray for photographic purposes.

Similarly, sometimes a work-a-day timber company locomotives wouod be selected to show at an exhibition as an example of the builder's work -- not looking like you'd expect to see out in the woods.   One of the McCloud 2-8-2s was known as the "Showgirl" because of that background.

That little tender is a neat touch, as if the basic loco design was meant to be an 0-6-0T or 0-6-2T and the customer wanted just a little bit more fuel capacity. 

All in all a neat picture and neat find.

Dave Nelson

[ndbprr]

I don't think that car is for coal. I think it may be an auxiliary water car and it may be a divided tank for oil firing the engine but I don't think so.

["JaBear"]

BEAUSABRE

Hey, the tender really is a coal car!

I’m not convinced that the tender is for coal.

 

Was there any information attached to the photo?

 

Even though the photo contains the turbo generator, and the air compressor, I’m trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to determine the dimensions of the locomotive.

 

Some of the small NZR tank locomotives had a coal “bunker” on the floor on fireman’s side of the cab (LH) between the firebox and the cab wall, but I feel that would be a totally inadequate supply for this particular locomotive, which I consider is somewhat larger than the locomotives I’m referring to.

 

So, unusual as it seems to me, was this locomotive oil fired? I say this because, unless the tender detail was brushed over there doesn’t appear to have an opening for the coal, and besides the deck of the tender is noticeably lower than the cab floor, which I suspect no self respecting fireman would put up with!

 

Cheers, the curious Bear.

 

[snjroy]

Industry did put tenders behind some tank engines:

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/industrial/steam/other/gallery.htm

I believe tank engines operating in yards could re-load fairly easily. When used in more remote locations, the tender would allow longer hours of operation before repleneshing. For the modeler, it's a great excuse to add extra power pickups to a short engine!

Simon