Could 61994 do Shap Southbound?

Does anyone think this is possible given the speed limit(60mph) and the ability to haul 12 and 13 car trains? Or is this asking to much.

 

If she can manage the 1 in 100 up to Ais Gill, which she has recently and in the past, she could certainly manage the similarly graded southbound climb to Shap. You ask about 12/13 coach trains, The Fellsman is loading to 11 + support coach so that makes 12 so I guess the answer is "yes she has the ability."

 

Neither is the S&C the type of line the K4s were built for but she seems to be handling the Fellsman OK. Irrespective of the owner's wishes, I think that pathing a 50mph loco on the WCML would not be easy which I think you were alluding to in your post.

 

Posted elsewhere that now passed for 60mph.

 

Thanks for the update. Had based my post on info gleaned from uksteam.info

 

I've always believed that one of the reasons the K4's were taken off the West Highland Line was because they were largely unsuitable for the flat road from (Glasgow) Queen Street to Helensburgh with their small wheels running at speeds up to 60mph. Black 5s, B1s and Standard 5s may have had less hill-climbing ability north of Craigendoran Junction but they could run downhill faster without doing the locomotive any long-term damage. The K4's ended up having a reputation as very rough riders.

 

Horses for courses comes to mind, K4's are mountain goats, not racehorses.

 

Just a point or two.

If the engine was not deemed fit to run at 60mph it would not have been agreed that it should do so.

Yes, the class could be rough riding. A large part of this being put down to poor maintainance tied in to inadequate facilities.

If the locomotive owner is agreeable, ditto the operating company, that should be enough.

As to doing the job, it has probably done harder.

So there it waits at Carnforth, a Moorlander to run on Monday, larger engines dropping like flies. It might just get a chance but I suspect she will not show again until the 21st. Shame in a way. (I'd like to be wrong)

 

I know pretty well what is written in the more accessible books. It gets passed on as "Gospel" whole truth from one generation to the next. The only thing you can guarantee about it is that it will not be whole. Another locomotive about which much ill-informed opinion has been passed on as full honest, accurate and truthful assessment was number 10000, even Mr Brown overlooked the odd important detail.

That is how it goes.

As for the S & C, back in 1991 it was stated that 3442 had outperformed all engines on the route apart from the fabulous "City of Wells" and the various class 8s. I don't believe the engine has changed much since then and as it comfortably surpassed 850 on load trials a few years ago there is probably some truth in the statement.

My interest in the engine is not only because it is the only Gresley mogul we have left, it is because it tests out rather well the view that engines should be as small as possible for a required capability as opposed to as something of the reverse.

 

I presume you mean Glen Douglas the topographical feature rather than the loco.

 

I must confess that for a brief moment I envisaged a Glen piloting a rebuilt Scot over Rannoch Moor but than realised just what you meant.