5AT Group Complete Project Feasibilty Study and start fund raising.

Announced today - 5AT group are to officially launch the fund raising stage of the project! Reads ...

"The Railway Magazine has advised that they are planning to publish an article about the 5AT in the June 2010 issue of their magazine which is expected to appear in the bookstalls in early May. The article has been prepared for the purpose of announcing the completion of the 5AT Project’s Feasibility Study and to seek interest both from potential investors and from people with the experience and expertise that will be needed to take the project forward"

The web site has also been overhauled and looks even better than before ... http://5at.co.uk/index.php/home.html ... an absolute mine of information - everything from liveries to thermodynamic calculations and 3D modelling.

A fantastic opportunity to show the world just what steam can do by combining the best of the last generation of locomotive engineers with the very latest computerised design methods.

What with the P2 and now this, I can hardly beleive it's all happening!

 

My heart says what a wonderful idea, but my head worries that the whole thinking behind it is fundamentally flawed, the equivalent of the Boris Routemaster; a fascinating project on paper but one that simply doesnt make sense in the real world, especially when you consider the £10m cost. I think its very important to remember that the appeal of steam to the general public is not just based on the use of it to drive the wheels - history, and a recreation of the past (however technically accurate) are arguably just as important.

Chris

 

How about a steam loco design that doesn't need a turntable, has 100% of its weight available for adhesion and has no hammer blow at all? Sounds like a modern Leader is required!

John.

 

I'm not sure where the £10m comes from as the loco cost was stated as £2.5m - unclear what the rest is for right now. As for the general public, I think the majority aren't at all fussed as to the pedigree so long as it hisses and puffs in a traditional manner.

 

Well I suppose the proof of that particular pudding will be how successful their fundraising is.

I don't know how much they rely on steam enthusiasts though for their funding, rather than the general public. I suspect quite a lot. And from what I've seen and read, there's a lot more interest in recreating things missing from our past than there is for this particular project. Nice as it would be to see it.

 

I hope they raise the funds and intend to put a few bob their way. The Green Monster was promoted as the first new steam loco built since the end of BR albeit a reasonably faithfull reproduction and drew the crowds. Properly promoted, the first new steam loco designed for the 21st Century should at least be an equal pull.

 

This project does nothing for me, what is the point steam dissapeared in the 1960s it had a history, and thats what people relate to, The railways today are electric and diesel with no place for steam on the main line other than specials.

The design is hidious too.

A few years back someone proposed to build a new steam loco that would break Mallard's spead record that idea disapeared too.

David

 

I look forward to the livery debate.

 

Personally, I can't see the purpose of this project. It's just a lot of money being spent to prove someone's ideas on out-dated technology. Diesel/electric are generally cleaner to operate/overhaul both for the staff and the environment, and instantly available to use.

Next, someone will be breeding a huge horse which can pull a cart as big as a Ford Transit. It may be possible, but you still need someone to clear up the s**t afterwards.

Richard

 

It may be a viable proposition in terms of power but it still doesn't avoid all the muck and hassle of steam power, which current railway operators are probably very happy to be rid of.

Their website claims that this project will "ensure that the steam locomotive continues to evolve." Steam locomotives haven't been evolving for decades - they have been preserved and kept operating for their historical interest. Not exactly mainsteam railway operation in my view.

If they could invent a steam loco which got up to working pressure in a couple of minutes using only one person, and could be switched on and off between duties, then I might be interested.

Richard

 

Have to agree, its a solution to a proble that doesn't exist!

 

I wonder when the Bachmann model comes out ?

 

So are the Green Monster and all of the other replica builds the solution to a problem that doesn't exist?

 

No - they are not claiming to be the new "evolution" of steam locomotives which can compete with diesel/electric traction. They are specifically for the preservation/leisure market and will (probably) only be one-offs. Reproducing history is one thing - but trying to reinvent old technology for the commercial market is a waste of time in my view. The handful of railways where gas-producer and other systems have been fitted have shown some benefits for their existing steam locos, but haven't most of them stopped using it now?

Richard

 

5AT website clearly states that this loco is for hauling mainline steam and railcruise trains - no different from the replicas.

 

When was the last time some put sets of high powered motor boat engines into a canal barge, and built a multi floor set of cruise ship cabins on top of it..

and then said it's all about carrying tourists on a boat ride..


Interesting yes, would i ride behind it yes, would it get invites to gala's probably ?, but

would it get cult following of Tornado ? would people swoon over it's first repaint ? would people continually book behind it repeatedly ?

I'm not so convinced and so I dont think it will make money, set of a stream of new builds or inspire the next..

Maybe if they added carbon capture technology to it the government would put some money in though.

This is the kind of project, which if it were based in the US would attract all kinds of interest.

 

I must admit my first reaction was 'why?' Nothing I've read here convinces me it has any point whatsoever - sorry. My dosh goes to the P2

 

I could say that all the discussion here is pointless as it will never be built.

But I said that about the Tornado project!

Which does rather indicate that, in the words immortalised by Manuel, "I know nothing" !