26D_M's Recent Activity
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26D_M liked Jamessquared's post in the thread Remaining Ex Barry locomotives?.
I've fired over thirty different locos. Given that that list includes a 20 ton Fletcher-Jennings 0-4-0T from the 1870s and also Tornado, it is hard to give an absolute ranking; they really aren't comparable. But I doubt it is a great surprise if...
Jun 1, 2026 at 9:27 AM -
26D_M liked Matt78's post in the thread Remaining Ex Barry locomotives?.
Been lucky enough to fire a 57xx, 64xx, 1369, 14xx (2) 55xx, (2) and a 78xx. Considering the tank engines only I would rate the 64xx as the best for comfort, space in the cab and firing, and visibility but then it’s the most modern of the locos...
May 31, 2026 at 9:09 PM -
26D_M replied to the thread Remaining Ex Barry locomotives?.
My earliest GWR footplate experiences were 2857, 3822 and 6998. At that stage I had limited comparative experience but they each seemed decent to work on. Very soon I gained a wider knowledge of LMS stuff which provided more perspective! However,...
May 31, 2026 at 8:28 PM -
26D_M liked Aberdare's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
The correct name for the mechanical pump that pumps air to create a vacuum in the brake system on a GWR locomotive is the 'Air Pump'. Officialdom at GWR Swindon nearly always refers to it as such in drawings and documents. Outside of the works at...
May 31, 2026 at 8:03 PM -
26D_M replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
To be further pedantic, the "pump" maintains the vacuum, created by a steam ejector, once on the move ....
May 31, 2026 at 7:13 PM -
26D_M liked Jimc's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Well, strictly its both isn't it. Its a mechanisam that pumps air in order to create a vacuum. But to call it an air pump outside the strictly technical arena would invite confusion with pumps intended to produce compressed air eg Westinghouse.
May 31, 2026 at 7:11 PM -
26D_M liked Jamessquared's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Interestingly I looked up the section on brakes in the Black Book. The text refers to a "vacuum pump" and there is a figure caption to a drawing in which the caption is labelled "vacuum pump" (agreeing with the text) but in which the component in...
May 31, 2026 at 6:08 PM
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26D_M liked 35B's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Indeed! I agree about the importance of marketing, but I still take the view that sustainable marketing success relies on the integrity of what is being marketed. What Cossons did in the industrial history space, and Roy Strong at the V&A, was...
May 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM -
26D_M replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Is there an accompanying technical note to explain the way in which the 'vacuum pump' (sic) works?
May 31, 2026 at 1:16 PM -
26D_M replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Because to enginemen its function is to maintain the vacuum train brake. Most references to loco fittings in common use derive from how the footplate crews referred to them. I daresay defects would be booked as eg "vac pump not maintaining". In...
May 31, 2026 at 1:01 PM -
26D_M replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Martin, I was drawing attention to the colloquialism to which you refer is shared by the SM, not expressing any ill-will to "fellow humans" ..... However, as a point of principle the function of the Science Museum ought to properly reflect both...
May 31, 2026 at 11:40 AM -
26D_M liked misspentyouth62's post in the thread Remaining Ex Barry locomotives?.
I would agree : 68077 is more easy to see than 68078 however and is tucked inside the shed at Tunbridge Wells West last time I visited.
May 31, 2026 at 11:22 AM -
26D_M liked Steve's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Invariably, perhaps, but done so in ignorance and totally incorrectly. The GWR always referred to it as an air pump.
May 31, 2026 at 11:03 AM -
26D_M replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Our esteemed curators at the Science Museum need to be educated it seems .... https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co206311/crosshead-vacuum-pump-great-western-railway-crosshead-vacuum-pump
May 31, 2026 at 11:03 AM -
26D_M liked Jamessquared's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Indeed so. I have in front of me a copy of a GWR official publication 'The "King" of Railway Locomotives' and there is a chapter devoted to the construction. At one point it reads: Many parts are now added with a view to wheeling the engine. The...
May 31, 2026 at 11:01 AM
