Coronation_Streamliner Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Congrat's Hornby on your recent release of the Duke of Gloucester. I just got mine from our model shop a fortnight ago, and am totally impressed with its looks and performance! What do others think of the the model, and the fact Hornby (bless 'em) are producing many models that we never thought we would see RTR? I am particularly looking forward to getting the Franco-Crosti boilered 9F, which I understand has required total re-tooling (not even the same chassis). Does anyone know of the history of these ten 9F's, where they ran on BR, and how and if they were successful or not? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The Crosti boilered locos were first allocated to Wellingborough on the LM region for the Midland line coal trains between Nottinghamshire (Toton) and London (Brent), the same traffic that used to be in the hands of the LMS Beyer Garretts. There were also normal 9Fs allocated there too. After 1959 the Crosti fittings were removed or blanked off and the locomotives now of normal configuration did not need to be concentrated on a particular depot and some transfers away took place. Some went to Speke or Birkenhead, others went to Carlisle Kingmoor, some to Saltley, and frequently swapped around. Their work took them all over the Midlands and Lancashire and Yorkshire, and up to Scotland on the WCML as well as excursions further afield. I have seen reports on at least one at Eastleigh Hampshire for repairs! The removal of the Crosti fittings still left them looking different to the rest, this distinction remaining with them until they were scrapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Prat Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I have read (God knows where !!) that because of the smaller boilers the Crosti locos were actually power class 8F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coronation_Streamliner Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Postman Prat said: I have read (God knows where !!) that because of the smaller boilers the Crosti locos were actually power class 8F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coronation_Streamliner Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Thanks LC&DR for some background info on the Crosti 9F's, and to PP for noting there smaller boilers and downgraded power status to 8F! I wonder if any of those 10 Crosti 9F's survived into preservation albeit now of normal configuration? It would also be of interest to know why the Italian Railway Crosti's were successful, yet the British refitted Crosti 9F's weren't? Does anyone know of a specialised book on the 9F class that may still be available? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Prat Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Hi When LC&DR referred to the removal of the Crosti fittings he was talking about the chimney halfway down one side and the boiler pre-heater. The actual boiler shell, so far as I know, was retained although reconfigured as a normal boiler. Certainly they were of a totally different appearance to a normal 9F. I would not have thought a Crosti engine could accept a 'standard' boiler. None of the Crosti engines made it into preservation The Crosti system was well established in Italy but the 9Fs (or 8Fs, call them what you will) were the only attempt at using the system in the UK, to my knowledge. Therefore, to a large extent, they were experimental machines and they appeared at a time when it was obvious that steam only had a short-term future. As a result there was little interest in 'following up' the experiment. In the same way there was little interest in the experiment of installing Giesl ejectors to a 9F and a Battle of Britain pacific. To my knowledge there are no books specific to the 9Fs, certainly there is nothing in my library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Another device that was tried but never really caught on was mechanical underfeed stoker. The device was popular in the States, but the trials here were inconclusive. The stoker was used on an Austerity 0-6-0ST, and on a 9F and a Merchant Navy, and possibly some others. The Giesl ejector was successful and showed a considerable improvement in performance BUT it came too late to be worth fitting it to a lot of locomotives. The Austerity 0-6-0STs also got a few, but the most celebrated fitment in the UK was to Talyllyn No 4 'Edward Thomas', which it carried for a number of years. Sadly the best book about the 9Fs was published by the RCTS as Part 4 in their history of BR Standards but is now out of print. You may still be able to buy it at Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Although I am a Southern modeller through and through I will certainly get one of the Crosti 8Fs (see I got it right this time!!) they are so gloriously ugly. There is an apocryphal story that in the late 50s a motor magazine described a race between a sports car and a train on the M1 / WCML in the days when there was no speed limit on motorways. The car passenger photographed the locomotive that they matched speed for speed where the two route ran side by side for a few miles. At 90 mph guess what was pulling the passenger train? ........ a Crosti 8F!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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