The most crappiest or pathetic locos in this country.

Not that I wish to decry Bulleid any further but his Irish turf-burner was hardly a flaming success (unless you were unfortunate enough to own a field of standing grain near the lineside!)



Courtesy of www.bulleidlocos.org.uk

Foxy

 

The articulated version of River Esk on Ratty wasn't a resounding success either, with a Poultney steam tender. However, it apparently was far better than the original articulated River Mite, an amalgamation of parts of Colossus and Sir Aubrey Brocklebank, with a new boiler, but with scale (and therefore quite weedy) motion, and frankly looking like a dogs breakfast.

 

Im quoting from memory here but am I right in thinking that the original light pacifics completely blitzed all the competition during the locomative exchanges in the 1948 trials? Hardly seems to be the hallmark of a 'crappy' or 'pathetic' engine. OK the coal usage was a bit higher that the others but apart from that they were brilliant engines although the rebuilt versions aren't to bad either...def look better.

My vote would have to be for the U class 'rivers' in their original tank engine form. Unstable and dangerous (OK the track condition had a part to play as well).

 

The "Stanier" 0-4-4 tanks were probably not his finest design.

 

They had nothing to do with Stanier. They were already being built at the time of his appointment. He simply signed them off as CME.

Meic

 

It could be argued that it was more successful than the Leader, and it did perform well at 70MPH. I think CC1 helped to go some way towards proving that the concept was sound; I just feel that the execution was a bit conservative by Bulleid's standards. The cabs seem a bit too far back from either end; when running in reverse (ie. No. 2 end), both fireman and driver were cramped into a small cab (probably done in an effort to exorcise the ghost of the fireman in the Leader's central cab), and he relented on sleeve valves (which was a pretty good thing, despite the theoretical advantage of more efficient operation of steam inlet/exhaust ports) and their over-complex oscillator gear to improve lubrication.

 

For me it has to be "Fake" Yankee Tank 30075.

 

6233 when it is painted in Crimson Lake, it will run so much better when it is painted BR Blue

 

Yes and its a well known fact that locos with stripes on go much faster than them others...

 

Yep, the Bulleid light Pacifics recorded the highest horsepower figures during the trials. IIRC they also recorded the highest coal consumption too but what the heck, performance comes at a price. I would have loved to have been on the lineside when 34004 blitzed the climb to Druimuachdar summit and winded the banking engine into the bargain.

 

http://www.bulleidlocos.org.uk/(S(y5meowspgnc3kd21hzpvugks))/_ldr/ldrKevan1.aspx

 

Ian, that had never occured to me, but now you've said it. It is blindingly obvious!

 

I'd have to say Robert Wightlegg GSWR locomotives. The locos he rebuilt he turned from some fine if ageing engines into gutless and poor steaming heaps, and his huge and magificient looking baltic tanks could do no more than a lowly MR 2P 4-4-0. Apparently its all in the valve timing.......

 

Oh and GWR Krugers. Not only were they possiably the most monstrously ugly engines ever built (steam equivalent of GE class 70s?) but they were spectacularly rubbish too and were withdrawn within 4 years.

 

Oh! The Kruger 2-6-0s were dire but the 4-6-0 prototype was even worse:



Courtesy of Wikipedia

Frankly the G.W.R.s obsession with re-boilering everything in sight with Belpaire fireboxes in the early 20th Century produced a raft of ungainly machines, from the Dean singles to the "Barnums" and then on to all the absorbed engines....

Foxy

 

Am I right in thinking though we only have that story from one source, and that second or third hand? Doesn't mean it did'nt happen, but doesn't mean it did - or that it did't grow considerably in the telling...

 

What's that thing behind the chimney with the steps leading up to it?

A horrific looking engine. Hard to believe the Great Western Railway built such an ungainly looking locomotive.

 

I realise we are in steam traction, but can any loco have led a more futile life than the Raven express electric?

 

That, believe it or not, was the sandbox.

Meic

 

It's the sand box.