Mallard to visit Germany

Don't worry Eddie, she'll still be in Shildon until mid June probably.

 

The international connection i had in mind would be Locomotives that had an Influence on British design, dont suppose there are any DeGlehn atlantics, Pensylvania k4 Pacifics, Chapeleons Rebuilds etc left, but the S160 and to a lesser extent the German standards had an influence on Later LMS/ BR Standrd designs...

 

When you enter the main museum at Nurnberg, the first piece of rolling stock which you see if a caldron wagon marked "S & D" and carrying a notice sayinbg that it is on loan from the National Railway Museum at York, England. The whole of the first gallery is telling the story of the birth of railways in the UK with models of Locomotion, Rocket etc.

The NRM has two overseas exhibits but the story of the railways is a worldwide thing and probably by the turn of the 20th Century, steam locomotive development in Europe had passed this country and certainly I think 4468 and the LNER were lucky to be able to claim the World Speed Record, having more to do with the superior ECML track or rather poorer track elsewhere limiting machines that were capable of high speed. 4468 is also luckly that there were certain interventions when the anniversary of its record was being marked by 60007, as reports I hear (and logic of the improvmeents in the A4s mechancially) says a new record must have been possible then!

Of course, sadly the war was the main thing which kept 4468 it's record as it was years beofre infrastructure or machines were in anything like the right condition to try such things again.

 

Two Actually, one at the RR Museum of Pennsylvania - http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/k4a.shtml and one in a protracted attempt at overhaul by the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum - http://www.railroadcity.com/K_4S_1361/index.php http://www.trainweb.org/horseshoecurve-nrhs/k42.htm

 

There may be severe height limits around the NRM at York. However, no such limits apply at Shildon, do they? So a visiting foreign loco could be displayed there, provided that a suitable road route can be found from the port of entry.

 

Sorry, but I just do not see what the Nation gains from this loan. I am also unhappy about an irreplaceable National Icon being sent by ship. If it could be transported by the tunnel I would be much happier.

 

I wonder what the insurance quote was like for an A4 pacific travelling by ship?

 

Re: Mallard to visit Germany...........

Impossible because the british loading gauge is far too much restrictive!!!!!!!for me, a french railway enthusiast ,it's a true drama ! I imagine any of your nice steam engine(and diesel too) with a berne gauge size! what a sheer "spectacle"!
regards
noel

 

Does everything have to be about "whats in it for me" mentality ?
At the very least... cant we bank the favour for some other day ?

who knows maybe someday an ICE car will grace the great hall... it has afterall been to the UK already.

 

Perhaps the export license will be refused...

It's a nice idea, great publicity for the NRM (or is that International Railway Museum these days?!) hope the Germans appreciate a beautiful British engine.

 

Please remember, Mallard is going to Germany for only a short time to appear in an exhibtion with the 05. Exported it's not, because it's coming back. And it's still the National Railway Museum!

 

Well lets have guess. If No.563 was about £3.5 million because it crossed the Atlantic; Tornado cost £3 million to build from new; Mallard is only crossing the channel (as far as water is concerned), but is deemed to be one of the most famous locomotives in the world. Any idea's? Shall we open a book on this, winner gets a tube of smarties.

 

A new P2 is quoted at £5mn, Flying Scotsmans's purchase/restoration is at £3.2mn...

Who knows the falling £.. maybe the Germans, being flush with cash will just pay the premium and keep the engine ;-)

 

.....and start world war III, oh dear. Well I'll start the price at £4m. Over to you.

 

Hmm.. my bet would be £4,027,000, £4 mn for the replacement bits and £27k to buy back the spare A4 Boiler.

 

But you would be waisting £27K. Mallards boiler is ok apart from the usual tube change. In anycase, I doubt very much that Mallard will ever steam again. After all, theres three A4's working, why have another. Much better spend money on 'Green Arrow'.

 

Indeed - it can and does happen!

 

Oh please.

I assume your:
a. Joking
b. Scaremongering

How many accidents happen on roads everyday, there's a much higher chance of the engine being in an RTA (and there's several precedences for locomotives being in road altercations.. not least with 6100 a few years ago catching fire)... since 1945, what was the last locomotive sank ?

Not least the North Channels only 25-100 m or so deep, in this modern age of recovering an A330 from the middle of the south atlantic, after finding it hidden in an underwater mountain range 2 miles deep, recovering a WW2 bomber from the Channel, discovering the Titanic and recovering a ship full of BMW's from a harbour.. you think they couldnt recover the locomotive if the 1 in 100million event (read dinosaurs walk the earth again, statistical chance of me winning the lottery, aliens landing, and Mallard sinking ever happened ?)..
Artwork and ancient artifacts thousands of years old travel the world every year.

Personally i'd be more worried of damage from a rough shunt

 

For some people the glass is always half empty...

 

I fully expect Mallard to be back in steam for the 100th anniversary of breaking the record. Too good an opportunity to miss.