WD "Austerity" 2-8-0: In Game, Part 2 (Post War)

Continuing from last week we start with images from the footplate of the war time variants of the WD 2-8-0.

Sparsely outfitted they only had locomotive steam brakes and train air brakes (in TS they are set up with vacuum brakes behind the code so they can be used on standard rolling stock), but the Riddles/LNER design influence can be clearly seen, even down to having comfy padded seats!


Speaking of the LNER, after the war 733 engines were returned to the UK and the LNER took 200 of them into service.

The Southern also took a number of them, the only significant modification being the addition of 2 extra lamp brackets on the smoke box door for use with the Southern railway's 6 lamp head code system.

Even the GWR took some WD 2-8-0's.

They fitted them with Swindon clack valves and a protective cover however these were frequently lost, exposing the valves as per the originals.
Friday Fun Fact: later in life when some of the Swindon modified engines were transferred and used on the WCML they were banned from working south of Crewe due to the clack cover height and the overhead wires and they carried the yellow stripe on their cab side denoting this.

Another peculiarity of the GWR engines were that some had a new fire iron tunnel fitted in front of the cab on the right hand side of the engine. These seem to have been very unpopular and although some BR engines still had them fitted even ex-GWR crews didn't use them, preferring the additional fire iron storage on the side of the tender.

That wraps things up for this week.
Next week our WD 2-8-0's will be having a bad case of the "blues" ;-)