what's a chicken coop pilot slat

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I just got my K4 back from the B man, He’s ok
and I now have a slat pilot

I vaugly remember having seen a heavy steal cow catcher ???
is that it ? this pen is still in the box and has not been open.
SWEET… it’s not the biggest steam I have, but these little darlings have run great for me before

Ken

2

K4s were originally fitted with a fabricated pilot

3

K4s were originally fitted with a fabricated pilot made up of horizontal and vertical flat bars. Usually referred to as a slatted or bar pilot, no doubt these were also known as “chicken-coop” pilots, as they are similar in appearance to the wooden coops used to transport poultry. The sheet steel pilot - also fabricated, not cast - was used later, incorporating a drop coupler.

Cheers,

Mark.

4

thank you mark
I was at a loss on this one