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What Ifs, and Locos that never were.

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by Jimc, Feb 27, 2015.

  1. Jimc

    Jimc Part of the furniture

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    I believe it was a Beyer proposal to the GWR.

    How did the crew operate the self trimming bunker? Was it just given half a turn every now and then? I always envisaged it turning continuously as a child, but presumably that would swiftly create a tender full of coal dust...
     
  2. Corbs

    Corbs Well-Known Member

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  3. Corbs

    Corbs Well-Known Member

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    Also, just today received a copy of 'British Steam Since 1900' by W.A.Tuplin, which contains the following sketches of a proposed UK Outline Chapelon-style 4-8-0 and 4-6-0
    [​IMG]
     
  4. 22A

    22A Well-Known Member

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    I've been told by one retired fireman that the Garretts were limited to 99 wagons plus a brake van (100 total) not because of TE, but if they had to leave the main line, 100 wagons was the capacity of the longest siding.
    In his opinion the brake van was wasted as if the wagons did start pushing the loco, one brake van wouldn't have been able to do much to stop them.
     
  5. Jimc

    Jimc Part of the furniture

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    The brake van would be useful in the case of a divided train though.
     
  6. flaman

    flaman Well-Known Member

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    A major responsibility of the guard on an unfitted goods train was to use his handbrake to keep the couplings tight and thus avoid "snatching". When a loose coupled train decends a gradient, the wagons tend to bunch up. If this is allowed to happen, when the train reaches the bottom and starts to climb an incline, the resulting snatch is likely to break a coupling.
     
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  7. LesterBrown

    LesterBrown Member

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    Who needs Garretts or brake vans for such long trains? There's a story of a 99 wagon train on the broad gauge Cinderford branch with no brake van and presumably a Gooch 0-6-0, though admittedly there's the report of any accident in 1863 when a 70 wagon train broke in two and the unbraked rear portion crashed into the front part when it stopped. It took 5 days to clear and trains were subsequently limited to 45 wagons.
     
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  8. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    That wasn't exactly a flat gradient either :) I wonder if it was longer than Haie Hill tunnel?
     
  9. LesterBrown

    LesterBrown Member

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    Downhill, up to 1 in 50, all the way. Three guards rode on the wagons. I do wonder what happened to the train at Bullo; was it broken up, if so how (the wagons would have been loaded with coal) or did the trains continue along the main line to Gloucester? As more locos were later provided in order to permit shorter trains it doesn't appear that they were double headed.
     
  10. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Must have been fun marshalling it too; the sidings at Bilson might have been extensive enough but I would be pretty sure that those at Bullo would not have been (Am not near my books just now).
     
  11. Corbs

    Corbs Well-Known Member

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    Matt of The Bluebell Model Railway has built this monster in model form....
    16734917405_72e2f77ecc_c.jpg
     
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  12. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    PH won't approve ... :eek:

    Tom
     
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  13. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Thats an impressive piece of kit. Is it 4-8-2 or 4-8-4? I can't zoom in properly. Now would the full size version be able to get out of Ilfracoombe without a banker?
     
  14. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    P.S. I want one of those!
     
  15. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Very impressive, the way it was built too, a combination of 2 dapol kits, a 3D printed chassis, some scrarchbuilding and filler all brought it together. And I only suggested BR blue as a joke, but it looks great!
     
  16. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    No problems as long as it remains merely a model.

    PH
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 14, 2015
  17. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    But think of how much electricity it will use compared to a standard 4 tank, and it'll only be pulling a few coaches. :)
     
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  18. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    It's a model. Unlike the full sized article the extra cost of operating a stupidly large and unauthentic machine over a sensible one is peanuts. Then a model is a fantasy world and the full sized thing is not. Wait a minute (he says, Eureka moment dawning) perhaps most heritage railways do live in a fantasy world. It would explain a great deal about their decision making processes.

    PH
     
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  19. Corbs

    Corbs Well-Known Member

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    Something I frankensteined together, mostly from the leftovers of my Cathedral project.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  20. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    It looks like Maeve but with blinkers. Very nice looking beastie.
     
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