Kerr Stuart Builders Plate

That's an interesting way to determine originality! All I see on the photo of the NRM plate is that it's been polished leaving tarnished duller metal in the hard to reach places. If the person polishing had been a bit more thorough in their efforts it could have been a bright golden colour all over. I dare say if the plate in Howard's photo was shown a polishing mop it could be made to show similar patination after only a couple of minutes effort.

The fact that both plates show the same casting imperfactions (obvious characteristic shaped recess above the "E" of 'Trent' and a casting line above the first "R" of 'Kerr' indicates that both plates share a common parentage. The fact that they're both the same size means one can't be a copy of the other, so that suggests they're both copies from something else. Just because it's in the NRM collection doesn't preclude it being a "non-original". It would be interesting to learn what the NRM's provenance for the plate is? It's also perfectly possible that one or other of the plates were originally fitted to the loco, but the original pattern was found at some point and multiple additional plates cast. The recess above the 'E' could be a speck of muck stuck on the pattern.

...but in the absence of a cast iron history for the NRM origins I'd be more inclined to wager a bag of ash that they're both copies from summut else.

 

Thank you to all of you who took an interest and helped me decide, on my sister - in law's behalf, that she doesn't own an original builder's plate. Howard

 

Unlikely perhaps but is there any possibility that both plates are original from either side of the loco? Both cast from the same original pattern might both contain similar casting imperfections.