John Bee and locomotive.

[Redroger]

Rode in a cab with my female cousin in an National Coal Board steam locomotive. The fireman put a couple of detonators on the tracks for us to have as squashed souvenirs.

Rode on a South African steam locomotive  in the 1970's. the driver however put us off and we climbed back into the carriages before we got to the terminus.

Sat, yes sat, in the cab of Mallard when I was on a private tour in Clapham when the museum was there.

Have from time to time travelled on the Clapham Omnibus. I attribute that for what I am today.

NCB Not mainline railway, but extensive system.South Africa railway had its own practices.
I believe though I haven't been to York lately keep off is the Health and safety norm.

[Henry7]

No fewer than six of this class of thirty-five engines are still in existence, but not Kingfisher which was withdrawn from service in 1966 and sold to a scrap merchant.  One of the six is in Canada, one in the USA, and four in Britain, including Mallard in the National Railway Museum at York.

I like Trishanne's colour work, but I think the top of the tender, next to the coal and above the beading above the driver's head would have been black, as would the roof of the cab.  The number '24' would have been chrome-plated (silver) rather than polished brass, but I'm not sure about the oval plate below the number, or the cab window-frame.

As for Mr Bee getting the sack because he took his little nephew onto the footplate, maybe this was his last day at work before retirement.  I'd say the date must be 1948, because camera films were unobtainable by the general public until then.

Harry.   

[japeflakes]

..

[Trishanne]

Harry,I was using this photo of the Mallard as my colour guide. It is difficult to see the roof colours, but I can change anything if necessary. I was also guided by the colours of the numbers on the Mallard. I know nothing about trains even though I used to go train spotting with my brother in the 1940s 

[Henry7]

Yes Trishanne, I think I was wrong about the top of the tender being black (relying on memory!), but the cab roof wasn't painted blue.  The cast stick-up numbers were 'silver' rather than brass, but that style didn't last long.  On the tender there would have been 'L N E R' in similar stick-up letters (in Gill sans lettering, like the number '24') and although very unclear on the photo, I think the two dark marks just above the driver's elbow are maybe part of the 'R'. 

As to children on footplates, an early memory is being at our local station aged about 5; the driver of a halted goods train took me onto the footplate (I think it was a Lancs & Yorks 0-6-0).  The brightness of the fire amazed me, and the grinning driver and fireman: "We'll gi' thee a job, Sonny!"

[Redroger]

Gill Sans was the letter font as stated in aluminium or silver letters on the Garter Blue A4s. The cab roof was black (white when working a Royal train ,with white buffer heads, lasted about 10 minutes, white emulsion used quick drying)tender top blue.
Regards footplate riding, I had several trips, both official and otherwise during my railway career. A highlight came in 1959 when I actually drove a B1 class engine. Automatic train control was being introduced on the King's Cross line and all engines which might work into Peterborough or Grantham in our immediate area were fitted with the mechanism. All drivers and passed firemen were trained. Since it was part of my job to process any reports of failures I asked to he trained ( in that era clerical staff were supposed to know everything usually without training and then got kicked hard if we did the job wrong!).This time they agreed and gave me the full works on 61082 (Immingham or Lincoln engine) on the back road at Boston shed completely isolated from all other lines and unde the supervision of a motive power inspector.
The line had also been fitted with the ATC package on the track, and surprise surprise a semaphore signal complete with operator. Distance traveled about 400 yards forwards and reverse . The next time I saw the engine it had just brought strain in from Grimsby driven by my father, so that was the only engine officially driven by 2 generations of my family.