Tornado

It's on Youtube

 

It appears an award for "outstanding paperwork project" is needed as no doubt it would qualify for that!!

 

No the HRA have not lost the plot. At least as far as this is concerned. I would suggest that 90 mph didn't just happen. It would be a real engineering project to bring all together to make it happen. Engineering is not just about cutting metal.

 

Not to mention that overhauls of long dormant locomotives are now - thankfully - not unusual.


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Perhaps there is some disappointment that a certain Southern show pony didn't win after it's return to the main line down south last summer?

 

OK.

 

That's the trouble with awards, there's always someone who thinks somebody else should have won.

 

Probably more concerned that their loco is partly dismantled again after all that hard work. Awards are all fine and dandy - we got one for 34081 back in '98 and were well chuffed - but the real buzz comes from achieving your goal whether others award you for it or not.

 

Loco restorations and overhauls are really run-of-the-mill these days; certainly nothing unusual or pioneering about them. On this basis, 90775, 73156 and 35028 fall into the run-of-the-mill category. The Tornado team certainly achieved something unique (officially, anyhow) in the annals or locomotive preservation. The only argument is that you can say that Tornado is not 'preserved'.

I'm not the greatest fan of Tornado but I am full of admiration for the achievement.

 

With respect, the 100mph run and 90mph certification was the result of years and years of 'back room' engineering which actually started in earnest on the GCR in 2008 with the track and vehicle dynamic testing conducted there. Since then the A1SLT has been involved in an almost continuous process of acceptance progression with a rolling programme of electronic and cab-signalling upgrades and enhancements as well as an engineering audit of the structures along given routes to ensure that NR was going to be happy with the increased speed. While computer modelling might not be everyone's idea of 'heavy engineering' it is very much part of today's reality - without the recordings made in 2008 on the ECML and Owen Evans' (DeltaRail) ability to blend these with track recordings made by the 'Flying Banana' to produce behaviour predictions the 100mph run would never have been permitted.

Also bear in mind that much of this work was adopted into the computer model for No. 2007, allowing the Trust to make key changes to the chassis design in a controlled computer environment with a certainty that these would form part of the acceptance case when Prince of Wales is presented for the main line for the first time. I appreciate that such work is not dirty or 'sexy' in modern parlance but it will keep steam on the main line for a good few years yet. I doubt Concorde generated half as much paperwork before it was allowed to fly at Mach 1! Take a look at the P2 design page if you want an insight into how this was achieved - https://www.p2steam.com/design-study/

Foxy

 

I think those that got Bittern to 90 must be feeling a little bit miffed...

 

Oh dear, pass the tin opener I fear a can will be opened...

 

While she was at the NYMR Tornado clocked up her 100,000th mile in traffic, not a bad start to her tenth anniversary year! You can read the story here.

Foxy

 

Good news from the A1 Trust FB page .....

"Following the recent issues with the AWS system on Tornado we are pleased to be able to report that the issue has been resolved. As an intermittent fault it was not easy to diagnose, nor had such a fault occurred previously on Tornado or any other locomotive fitted with the same system. We are grateful to Sharpe Engineering Solutions, Locomotive Maintenance Services and Thales for their help in diagnosing the problem.

A minor modification to the electro-pneumatic system has now resolved the issue"

 

Fuller story here.

Foxy

 

I think I have found the April Fool story in the new issue of Steam Railway. 60163 will be changing identity to 60164 Typhoon from next year and will be going back into Blue livery....

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