I'm not a steam train person, but Mrs C is. I've just been booked into this on the 13th July.
I imagine anyone interested already knows all about it, but just in case.
Even I am looking forward to getting some snaps anyway.
www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/mallard75.aspx
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Worth the visit I'd say.
However.... the ULTIMATE experience would be to see all six of 'em together in steam.
The NRM is a wonderful archive and truly deserving of its status as a visitor attraction, but I'm sure I'm not alone in deriving as much, if not more pleasure from seeing an Austerity or similar actually working rather than six sleeping giants, even if some are in running condition.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sat 23 Mar 13 at 13:33
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Agree would be great if thay could all be in steam but the nice paintwork covers a multitude of sins especially on the two visitors from across the pond, niot practical unless you really want things to go with a bang
Hopefully the three which are in good order will be in steam together at some. Point during the event
At some point in the 2 weeks we will be there, not booked yet
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I'll be around in July so I'm up for that. I've never liked boilers, pipes and whistles hidden under the streamlined covering but there something amazing seeing six of them together (the six sisters with their dressing gowns on).
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>> Worth the visit I'd say.
>>
>> However.... the ULTIMATE experience would be to see all six of 'em together in steam.
No chance, Dwight D Eisenhower & Dominion of Canada (the two repatriated locos) were in a right old state, you wouldn't risk making a cup of tea in those boilers, and Mallard herself cant boil the kettle either. Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley, & Union of South Africa, can all still raise pressure, gather up their skirts and shift.
There is a better event coming up next year featuring these 6 next year at Shildon, were some of them will be in Steam, and they will light some smoke in the fireboxes of the others for effect.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 23 Mar 13 at 18:11
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How does one find out why etc a steam train regularly passes my house (several fields away) on a main line?
It went past today about 4pm and is regular enough to be...well, regular.... but not enough I can remember.
I've tried Googling, to no avail.
It's the main Westcountry line through Devon to Cornwall (near Ivybridge).
I'd like to be on it and/or sit up and watch it.
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The where, when and why is here.
www.uksteam.info/tours/trs13.htm
You had a shed load down there today.. Tangmere doubled headed with a Black 5, and a very late running Tornado (had a brake pipe problem at Slough) .
If it was one engine, I guess you saw Tornado.
Me, I was chasing a pair of 80 year hall classes around the west midlands and Welsh marches.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 23 Mar 13 at 19:59
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>> The where, when and why is here.
>>
>> www.uksteam.info/tours/trs13.htm
>>
>>
>> You had a shed load down there today.. Tangmere doubled headed with a Black 5,
>> and a very late running Tornado (had a brake pipe problem at Slough) .
>> If it was one engine, I guess you saw Tornado.
Absolutely ideal..thank you.
Took my 5 year old on the Dart Valley Railway to see Santa at Christmas..I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most, him or me. When I was his age my grandfather took me on it, he was a volunteer.
Last year I did the Fort William to Mallaig one...enjoyed that, especially over the long corner viaduct.
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Is there any way of finding what is scheduled for the 'Hounslow Loop'.
Does not appear to get mentioned on the timetabling.
Daughter lives closeby and sometimes sees the steam trains and would like to be prepared with camera for some future events.
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>> Is there any way of finding what is scheduled for the 'Hounslow Loop'.
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>> Does not appear to get mentioned on the timetabling.
>>
>> Daughter lives closeby and sometimes sees the steam trains and would like to be prepared
>> with camera for some future events.
The routing varies for Southwesterly routes out of London mostly dependent on the loco used or any temporary gauging issues. You have to check the listing for services heading out of Victoria, or Waterloo, then you have to check nearer the time if they are round the hounslow loop. There hasnt been much this year so far, its all been via Teddington since a gauging issue there was resolved.
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>> No chance, Dwight D Eisenhower & Dominion of Canada (the two repatriated locos) were in
>> a right old state, you wouldn't risk making a cup of tea in those boilers,
>> and Mallard herself cant boil the kettle either.
I know; just seems such a waste to ship those two all the way over here for what is effectively (with respect to the workers) a lick of paint.
Having been involved in one of the more rapid big loco restorations myself (92212) I've got a pretty good idea of the costs and labour involved, so realistically i'm not surprised. Shame to see the opportunity missed though.
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I like the streamlining on the A4 Pacifics, and also that on the Spam Cans of Southern Railways.
However, I prefer the LMS Coronation class without the streamlined casing, and this is just horrid (and I am a GWR fan) tinyurl.com/d2ccad9 .
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What was the point of the 'blinkers' some steam locos used to sport. Either side of the boiler at the front and protruding forward?
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>> What was the point of the 'blinkers' some steam locos used to sport. Either side of the boiler at the front and protruding forward? >>
Most likely, I would think, to create an air flow that would raise the height of the smoke output and make it easier for the driver to see ahead.
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They are, as Stuartli surmised, called "smoke deflectors" designed to keep the smoke away from the side of the casing and the cab so the drive can see.
For the most part, they fail in this task spectacularly.
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My father-in-law was a BR steam train driver (later driving the electric equivalents on Merseyside) but, sadly, no longer with us to ask the question...:-(
However, the pride he had in his job was exemplary. Incidentally, the Merseyrail services are amongst the most punctual in the UK at around 93 per cent on time, although the occasional breakdown can drag this down slightly.
www.merseyrail.org/about-us.html
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>> My father-in-law was a BR steam train driver (later driving the electric equivalents on Merseyside)
>> but, sadly, no longer with us to ask the question...:-(
I have had the pleasure, of handling the same steam regulator that my father did, and driving the same engine he did, Britannia, albeit 60 years later.
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>>I have had the pleasure, of handling the same steam regulator that my father did, and driving the same engine he did, Britannia, albeit 60 years later.>>
Something you will never forget...:-)
If my father-in-law was driving the last electric train of the day and I was on it (after courting his daughter!), he used to let me drive it for the remaining three stations...:-)
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At the risk of being castigated for diverting the thread; after the undoubted success of "Tornado", which extinct steam locomotive class would you most lie to see re-created?
For me, it has to be the Great Eastern's beautifully proportioned "Claud Hamilton", as much for its exquisite lines as for anything else; there's also the fact that the 4-4-0 passenger engine is under-represented in preservation.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GER_Classes_S46,_D56_and_H88
I believe that plans are already in hand with a group in Norfolk.
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>> At the risk of being castigated for diverting the thread; after the undoubted success of
>> "Tornado", which extinct steam locomotive class would you most lie to see re-created?
Tornado works well because being a new build they were perfectly happy to use more modern engineering techniques and prepared to make modifications to the original design.
So, given that rational, I would like to see LMS Turbomotive built from scratch.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LMS_Turbomotive
>> I believe that plans are already in hand with a group in Norfolk.
Wont go any further. There is insufficient finance and engineering resources left available to repeat the Tornado story. Existing running stock is backing up for overhaul.
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There are a few under way now, known as the ' Lazarus locos ' Groups are building a Brighton Atlantic, a GWR Saint and I'm involved with the LMS Patriot build at Llangollen which is progressing fairly quickly.
The frames have been there for some time, the last frame stretcher is being made and the wheelsets and motions are complete. We have two tenders...to make one out of, and someone has even donated a correct, brand new whistle still in its packaging. The boiler and smokebox is to be made soon.
This will be the national war memorial engine, The Unknown Warrior , completion is hoped for by 2018. The British Legion have been involved with the project from the start.
Britain had 3 war memorial engines after the great war. The Brighton line had a tank engine named ' Remembrance ' , The Great Central named an express loco ' Valour ' and the North Western named a Claughton class ' Patriot '. Some Claughtons were nominally rebuilt into the new Patriot class by the LMS, but none were preserved. They were very much liked by the men who drove them.
Ted
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My late father's best mate used to work at the English Electric works near St Helens helping, IIRC, to build the Deltic locomotives.
The prototype of these locomotives was built at the Dick Kerr works in Stand Road, Preston, which I used to pass every day as I worked in the town (now city). As an aside, the Dick Kerr works was famous for its hugely successful women's football team in the years after the war; a friend of my late wife (who has also since passed away), was a member of the team for some years.
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Dick Kerr, in the early, experimental days of electrification, were keen to electrify a stretch of railway somewhere. They approached the Lancashire & Yorkshire Rly Co. at Manchester Victoria who were pleased to let them convert the short branch line from Bury to Holcombe Brook in Lancashire.
The L&Y played a blinder there, Dick Kerr did the whole thing at their own expense with overhead pickups. New trains were built and Dick Kerr even paid for a power station at Agecroft to supply the leccie.
The system lasted into British Railways days before wearing out and reverting to steam......a good bargain from the operators point of view !
Ted
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>> I would like to see LMS Turbomotive built from scratch.
IIRC the LMS deeply regretted doing that the first time round.
Ended up being rebuilt as a conventional piston/cylinder design as the turbine powered version suffered from the problem of being unable to pull the skin off a rice pudding "from the off".
Conventional steam engines produce bootfulls of torque at zero revs. Turbines not so much.....
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If steam turbines are anything like gas turbines, they'd work best as a constant speed and load device.
The gas turbine generator at the Bilsdale TV transmitting station burned nearly as much diesel turning itself round as a full load situation. Reasonable economy when every thing was on, but when most tv transmitters shut down at night, dreadful.
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One for the steam train buffs - Harleyman
