Class 31 Tablet Catchers..

[Big Jumby 74]

Piggy backing off Matchmakers thread about class 27 tablet catchers. I know a small number of class 31's were likewise fitted I believe. I have seen a pic or two of the odd loco with a recess cut in to the lower cab door skin, so effectively below and behind the drivers seat. But also, I've recently seen a picture with the front nearside of a class 31 just into the picture from the right had side, and this loco has (I think) a tablet catcher fitted in the more usual place, below the drivers side window, where the later TOPS style loco number usually sat. Annoyingly I can't now find the picture, which is around here somewhere!

I have noticed there was at least one location (Emneth) between Magdalen Road Wisbech where the tablet was aloft on a pole trackside, so a driver would seemingly have to lean out and do a manual exchange, so am wondering if these examples may have been early experiments on Eastern Region?

 

[Magdalia]

Six Brush Type 2s were fitted with tablet catching equipment in the driver's door. These were D5671-76 which became 31243-248 in TOPS renumbering.

The purpose was for the network of ironstone lines around High Dyke, near Grantham. The equipment is thought to have been fitted in 1965, as part of the elimination of steam on the Eastern Region, though there's no confirmed details of exactly when and where it was done. My understanding is that the tablet catchers were Manson but it would be good to have firm evidence of that.

When first fitted the locos were based at Finsbury Park, but they moved to Immingham at the March 1967 timetable change. Moving ironstone out of High Dyke by rail ended in 1973, after which the tablet catchers were removed. The recesses that housed the equipment remained for some time after, for 31243/246/247/248 until Heavy General Overhaul. 31244/245 never went through Heavy General Overhaul so still had the recesses when they were withdrawn.

I'm not aware of any instances of tablet catchers being fitted under the driver's window. I would like to see the picture, when you find it!

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Thanks for that Madgalia. Magdalia (Sorry. Think I suffer from mild dyslexia). I may be mistaken about the position of the TC (in the pic concerned), but it struck me the first time I saw pic, how I'd never before seen a Brush 2 thus fitted. But only noted it briefly whilst looking for something else, so have forgotten which book I saw it in. Have been trawling through my collection just this morning trying to find it, and when I do, I'll post it here.
31248 is the loco I have also seen latterly in a pic with the empty recess still in place in the door.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 May 2022 ==

My understanding is that the tablet catchers were Manson but it would be good to have firm evidence of that.

Following on from above, and ironically not the picture I found and lost recently, but another from my 1968 Ian Allen Combined volume, is evidence of both position and type. D5672 is the star