Photo query

[Merle Haggard]

I've a few photos of 7700 at Addison Rd, one of which says on the back 'West London Extension Passenger train', and one at Willesden shed.
What's a bit unusual is that it still had a smokebox number plate - these didn't last long on ex LNW locos. One of the photos I have shows 7700 with a s/b plate and also an LNWR pattern shed code plate on the lower smokebox door. These were enamel, black numbers on white, and the photo clearly shows it to be '2', Willesden. I think if you look closely at the posted photo you might be able to make out a '2'.These shed plates were replace by cast iron ones in the format later familiar (a number above a letter). I think the change from LNW pattern to LMS shed plates happened about 1931-3, and possibly the number plates were removed around the same time.
I also have a photo of the same loco on shed at Swansea (Paxton St/Victoria) in 1946, - it moved around!
The 'motor-working' fitting in 1921 was the LNWR system, with rodding; the photo shows the later LMS (possibly originating from the Midland Railway) of vacuum controlled regulator (VCR)

 

[WesternLancer]

According to Bertram Baxter's "British Locomotive Catalogue", the loco details were:
New 9/1884 as LNWR 161
Renumbered 4/1921 as LNWR 3727 ("Duplicate list")
Renumbered 12/1927 as LMSR 7700
Withdrawn 3/1948 (not allocated a BR number.)

Fitted for "push-pull" working 12/1921
(officially described as "motor working"; that explains the small vertical cylinders near the front.)



The coach next to the loco is a LNWR 50 foot full brake. A photo of an identical coach appears in David Jenkinson's "Illustrated History of LNWR Coaches" (Note - some LNWR design coaches came under the "West Coast Joint Stock" pool: LNWR/Caledonian Railway) .
The other coaches do not appear sharply enough on my monitor for identification.

Interesting details there.

Many thanks for that information!

Do you have a rough estimation for a date for the picture?

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I've a few photos of 7700 at Addison Rd, one of which says on the back 'West London Extension Passenger train', and one at Willesden shed.
What's a bit unusual is that it still had a smokebox number plate - these didn't last long on ex LNW locos. One of the photos I have shows 7700 with a s/b plate and also an LNWR pattern shed code plate on the lower smokebox door. These were enamel, black numbers on white, and the photo clearly shows it to be '2', Willesden. I think if you look closely at the posted photo you might be able to make out a '2'.These shed plates were replace by cast iron ones in the format later familiar (a number above a letter). I think the change from LNW pattern to LMS shed plates happened about 1931-3, and possibly the number plates were removed around the same time.
I also have a photo of the same loco on shed at Swansea (Paxton St/Victoria) in 1946, - it moved around!
The 'motor-working' fitting in 1921 was the LNWR system, with rodding; the photo shows the later LMS (possibly originating from the Midland Railway) of vacuum controlled regulator (VCR)

Very interesting! Presumably 7700 was a regular sight at Addison Road on this service...was it just a shuttle to Willesden Jct? Presumably the loco moved away when the service was discontinued

Do you have a rough estimation for a date for the picture?

It's very difficult to be very accurate at all, but the earliest it could have been was January 1931 and the latest June 1933 (and that is assuming it was taken when he was at Leatherhead.) I've just been trying to decipher the earliest notebook I have, at the beginning entries are undated, and there are few SR locos - and then they tail off altogether and the odd N.Wales location is noted. After about twenty pages dates appear at the start of 1934, and then he journeyed from Dinas Jct to Glasgow in early February 1934 to go to sea for a while...sort of Gap Year!

 

[WesternLancer]

Very interesting! Presumably 7700 was a regular sight at Addison Road on this service...was it just a shuttle to Willesden Jct? Presumably the loco moved away when the service was discontinued




It's very difficult to be very accurate at all, but the earliest it could have been was January 1931 and the latest June 1933 (and that is assuming it was taken when he was at Leatherhead.) I've just been trying to decipher the earliest notebook I have, at the beginning entries are undated, and there are few SR locos - and then they tail off altogether and the odd N.Wales location is noted. After about twenty pages dates appear at the start of 1934, and then he journeyed from Dinas Jct to Glasgow in early February 1934 to go to sea for a while...sort of Gap Year!

Thanks - interesting as later than I had assumed (based on little evidence other than the look of the age of rolling stock - but just shows what was kept and used by that time)

 

[Merle Haggard]

Very interesting! Presumably 7700 was a regular sight at Addison Road on this service...was it just a shuttle to Willesden Jct? Presumably the loco moved away when the service was discontinued




It's very difficult to be very accurate at all, but the earliest it could have been was January 1931 and the latest June 1933 (and that is assuming it was taken when he was at Leatherhead.) I've just been trying to decipher the earliest notebook I have, at the beginning entries are undated, and there are few SR locos - and then they tail off altogether and the odd N.Wales location is noted. After about twenty pages dates appear at the start of 1934, and then he journeyed from Dinas Jct to Glasgow in early February 1934 to go to sea for a while...sort of Gap Year!

The big book about Coal Tanks (Bashers, Gadgets & Mourners by Peter Skellon) confirms this. At Willesden or Camden, fitted with V.C.R. 1/28 then Huddersfield by 22/2/28 - hauled last train to Kirkburton 26/7/30 then back to Willesden (although not stated in book this might possibly have been as result of the branch closure making it redundant at Huddersfield). Latest date would be when L.M.S. shedcodes were introduced, but can't find date.