Best British Locomotive

Best British locomotive has not been made yet.
Riddles is quoted at least three times for saying as old man that 4-8-0 had been best.
Two times with wide firebox and once with narrow.
Cox desribes the hungarian 424 and writes that had been the way to go.
Both were wrong.
2-10-0 with a Zara or Krauss-Helmholtz truck up front will be more usefull and kind to track.
To go fast ,thats 75 mph ,two-cylinder flangeless 9F or WD 2-10-0 are not good enough.

20 inch outside cylinders are nearly on the platform edges and getting closer.

Either three simple 16 inchcylinders something like 2-6-4 tanks
or
Webb layout that is two 15 inch outside hp and one 30 inch inside lp
or
a 30 inch inside lp driving second coupled axle and an inside 20 inch hp on fourth axle.

For smaller locomotives, use same wheel castings and boiler tubeplate.
Still Stephensonian and can have copper capped chimney

 

???

 

Oh yes it has!! 38 of them, at Crewe, between 1938 and 48.

 

"if you had to choose the Best loco ever built, which GWR loco would you pick?"

 

Rover class?

 

Hall or Grange

 

I have a feeling this isn't going to end well.

 

probably not, reminded me of the Vicar of Dibley sketch along the lines of "if you could pick your favourite character from books, which Womble would you choose"

 

We all know which of the big four built the best engines now don't we?

(Wont mention the class 3 2-6-2 tanks or Austin 7s though)

 

I recall reading a report (in the GW Echo if memory serves) of one of the area group meetings of the GWS where one of the old-time footplate inspectors was the guest speaker and was asked that precise question. The writer mentioned the King and Castle supporter groups immediately sitting up and preparing their arguments in response to his expected answer only to be deflated when he said " the 47xx - no doubt. Followed by the Granges"!

That's from the footplate perspective - and other points of view will inevitably differ. And what does 'best' mean anyway???

Mike

 

Best GW loco - simple! The 8Fs Swindon built!!

 

You ask 100 people and would probably get 90+ different answers, similar to the above when he worked inside at Swindon my father used to spend his lunchtimes making a bit of a nuisance of himself asking questions of the trials inspectors, when asked the same question they would answer almost without exception the Saints.

 

Question to the GWR section. Were the County 4-6-0s intended as a Saint replacement?

 

The only one I could even consider would be the 15xx pannier tank, when they finally attempted to drag their designs into the 20th century

 

I'm not sure which is best, but if you consider:

go-anywhere operational flexibility


popularity with the crews


the latest technology


and aesthetics


I'm sure you'll agree the answer has to come from Swindon.

(Sorry moderators. I just discovered the 'embed image' button. I'll try to be more disciplined in using it from now on.)

 

test bed for his Pacific I reckon.

 

That is just an 08 shunter with an extra wheel!

The best loco, probably a P2, or an A4, or maybe even a B1, no a K3, yes, a K3 would be my pick.

 

Well that's Didcot's next what passes as a 'new build' sorted!