Great Central Railway Loughborough Leicestershire 5th June 2016

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.