West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Pity those unusual light fittings didn't survive.

 

As a complete lay-person when it comes to the operation of steam locomotives, I find it strange that a powerful main-line express locomotive such as Flying Scotsman has trouble travelling along the West Somerset Railway and has to be "Pushed" by a smaller, less powerful locomotive up some of the inclines just because it's a bit wet. It sort of destroys the mystique of this powerful, iconic locomotive thundering up and down the country in it's hayday. Can someone explaine please?

 

I was told she has 'too much tractive power and big wheels'. Pmsl, she has disgraced herself too many times in this short visit . Are we able to claim for all the damage it must be doing to the rails or are they going to claim for the damage to their wheels ....
Send her back to the flatlands

 

Dave, Gresly pacifics & indeed Bullied pacifics , were;nt meant for stop start meanderings on a country branch line. they were built for main line high speed work over long distances , which they both did very well. You've only got to read the many books about them to know what they did in the past. A pacific also hasnt got the sure footedness of a 4.6.0 either due to the trailing truck ,especially Western 4.6.0s which are renowned for keeping their feet. Having said that ,she is the only A3 left out of an illustrious class , & the company are to be applauded for getting her for the visit.

 

FS was designed for fast running over long distances on fairly level straight routes. The WSR is a twisting hilly line (though by no means the steepest in the UK) with longish climbs where railhead conditions vary considerably due to moisture, shade, overhanging trees which drop slippery substances, and in couple of places flange greasers to reduce rolling stock flange wear. FS is also a 4-6-2, ideal for the job it was designed for but it has wheel arrangement which can allow the adhesive weight over the driving wheels to be reduced due to having carrying wheels at each end. Although on paper the Manor is far less powerful it is much more suitable for the conditions having smaller driving wheels and importantly being a 4-6-0 will dig in when real power is needed.

 

No doubt others will be along with a more technical explanation. Essentially all locos have their strengths and indeed weaknesses. They were all designed to do a specific task. In the case of FS that was haul express trains over relativly flat routes. The WSR is anything but flat and straight. Under certain conditions when the track is wet or contaminated with decaying leaves the simple physics are that there is insufficient grip to prevent the wheels slipping. The loco has provision for feeding sand onto the rails to improve grip. This is quite normal and not a fault of the loco as some ill informed posters have suggested. The use of a banker loco at the rear to add extra power is a normal occurence. As a motorcyclist you will be accutely aware of how samll amount of water can cause lack of adhesion and likewise how slippery dead leaves can be. On a wider point however well maintained a vintage loco may be they will not run faultlessly and they never did in their heyday.

 

Exactly how has FS disgraced herself? AIUI FS is being driven by the owner's own drivers.

 

Bit of a mystery, that. The lamp posts were there until very late but disappeared. Don't know where.

Robin

 

West Somerset Free Press - widely read.

 

Her paper boy's got a big round.

 

A big round.......what?

 

Possibly a local crew would have done better?

 

Surely the NRMs crew are well versed with the route now having done any number of trips , I think the problem lies in with FS being a 4-6-2 and a mainline express and not ideal for trundling along at 25 mph maximum . Now if she had come off the mainline at NF and hit BL at some speed then I'm certain there wouldn't have been any problem climbing up to CH

 

Perhaps it is merely evidence that big chufferitis is not guaranteed to be advantageous!

PH

 

They will have a had a local crew member as well.

 

But not very pretty. It's a pity they couldn't have made additions more in keeping with the original building.

 

Agreed. a blot on the landscape... a carbuncle even.
RobinL

 

There were WSR drivers on the regulator on several of the workings today.....(with FS folks also in the cab).... Driving turns appear to have been shared....

 

There would have to have been a WSR driver and fireman on board and in charge as it is being operated on their railway under their SMS. If not the good gentlemen at HMRI would not be happy chappies if they heard about it. That was made clear when FS visited another railway. Who was actually pulling the levers and operating the fuel transfer equipment is a different thing.

 

All pacifics suffer from weight shift on starting. It is not just LNER and Southern locos but it afflicted the LMS princess and coronation pacifics as well. This is how I understand the problem. Tkeep axle weights acceptable all pacifics have a trailing truck under the cab to take some of the load. The problem is that this reduces the adhesive weight on the driving wheels.

When a loco starts off there is a weight transfer from the front to the rear.. Think of a biker doing a wheeley. Some of the weight is transferred to the trailing truck which lowers the adhesive weight and therefore the likelihood of a slip. A 4-6-0 has the advantage that the weight transfer is onto the rear drivers and contributes to the adhesive weight