Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: Sir

We were on the shed road 2 ash pit at Loughborough while prepping Southern Railway N15 4-6-0 777 Sir Lamiel for the Wartime Weekend. I have posted shots of a steam engine's fire from the footplate before but this shot of the fire is from underneath through the damper door showing the ashpan and firegrate ! Not for the fainthearted... The firebars in the grate are not really aligned in parts & there is a gap on the left. This is to a certain extent the legacy of using Welsh coal which burns very hot & has distorted them. The grate was later replaced with new bars. The curved pipe on the left is actually the hose pipe I had introduced through the damper door & used to damp down the ashes before raking out the pan so no loose abrasive particles get into the bearings, etc.

Always good for an impressive display Southern King Arthur N15 4-6-0 30777 Sir Lamiel storms up the hill out of Loughborough during the 2011 Winter Gala. GREAT NEWS! National collection locomotive N15, King Arthur class, No. 777, Sir Lamiel is set to return to steam following a new overhaul agreement with the 5305 Locomotive Association. The overhaul will take place to main line standards with work due to start later this year and due to be completed in 2023. To support the overhaul we have launching the Knights of the Round Table appeal. www.sirlamiel.org.uk/index.php/knights-of-the-round-table/

At speed on the Great Western Railway main line between Slough and Ealing and the only light is from the white hot coals through the partially open firebox door silhouetting the fireman's profile while the driver keeps an eagle eye on the road ahead. Among the many and varied noises as we rushed through the night was the satisfying ring of the AWS bell indicating a clear road ahead. Southern Railway N15 4-6-0 30453 King Arthur is on the Saint George's Day (Sir Lamiel was Welsh) Cathedrals Express steam special returning to Clapham Junction from Stratford upon Avon.