Silly season? - The K3 project

Have they picked a livery yet ? This is a must at the design stage for most of these crackpot schemes.

Bob.

 

The gradient profile on HS1 is pretty severe. Not sure how Tangmere did on its run there a few years ago, but sustaining a speed over 50mph would probably be quite tough.

 

The accepted qualifying parameters for this steam record were presumably set back before the war. Peak speed reached momentarily downhill therefore counts! Although I'd forgotten the profiles were severe on HS1 if anyone came up with a sensibly thought out attempt on the steam record that might actually help in the same way Stoke Bank did for Mallard's run.

Out of curiosity how are the modern rail diesel and electric speed records assessed are they sustained over a set length or by peak speed attained?

Where I think issues are likely to arise in any serious challenge would be in permitted drive options - it was set and challenged by reciprocating piston driven locomotives in Germany, the USA and here in the UK. Mallard holds it currently as a piston/rod drive engine but would a steam turbine, whether rod or gear driven, count? For example could Stanier's Turbomotive have had a go at it back in the day (probably yes) and if yes would that be a better starting point than a piston drive locomotive?

 

I missed that one. Please tell (or refer me to) the story.

 

As I said, I subscribed to the email updates just to see the silliness:

Anyone shed any light on the people or organisations involved? I note their timescale is comparable to the P2 which has a proven team and hundreds of thousands of pounds already pouring in....

 

If done seriously it would have to be a streamlined design with roller bearings on all axles something like an Tornado / A4 cross, where to do it, ? Paddington to bristol , the line is flatish and already engineered for high speed, it would need a water tender though as pathing would have to be done to maximise a high speed cruising speed at 100 plus with a maximum of a short section at 126,or higher if allowed .

 

Hmn, £7million,..............

 

Apologies if this incredible new build project has been posted elsewhere, but it seems to have crept under the normally reliable Nat Pres radar - maybe it's the stealth boiler casing?

http://www.k3steam.com/

Discuss

 

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/silly-season.540780/

(Mod edit to merge threads. Nothing is missed by Nat Pres!)

 

Cheers - I was away in Scotland when it kicked off and it had slipped my memory :/

Maybe modify the thread title to include K3 to aid future searches?

 

Yeh, but will it have a copper boiler?
BTW can anyone point me to the source of whatever the 'designer' is on? Must be good stuff!
Ray.

 

Rumour has it, to save money, they are going the 3D printed ABS route.

 

Re American groups the CSR 130 project to rebuild ATSF locomotive No. 3463 of 1937 to burn biocoal and run at 130 mph seems to have gone quiet.

I think the T1 Locomotive Trust have a driving wheel pattern and are having wheels cast, but there's a lot more to that giant than just wheels, one of their stated objectives is to achieve 140 mph.

 

ABS? So it's having anti-lock brakes then.

 

It will need them from that speed!

 

I think the plan is to use a servo-motor, operable from the cab, to open the cods-mouth doors to act as an air-brake from 140mph down to about 75mph, at which point the normal train brakes kick in. Research is underway at a University engineering department (which can't yet be named) to integrate control of servo motor, loco steam brake, vacuum and air systems all from one single "quadruple" valve that the driver can operate from a single lever.

Tom

 

You forgot to mention the point at which they drop the pantograph!........

 

I presume this will be a fully variable active aero system enabling the creation of increased downforce at high speed in order to prevent wheelslip when running with a wide regulator opening at speed?

Chris

 

First artists impression has been released.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...SYYlCklF13qiTeupVPZKBWWEdbl67Vlv7_5-KYiwUeoKz

You'll note that they have included the proposed 'hover mode' to remove the need for turntables.

Chris