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Sheff's Recent Activity

  1. Sheff liked Jimc's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.

    Yes, like all pretty much all engineering its about tradeoffs. We enthusiasts are very prone to talk about success and failure, but most likely in most situations its more nuanced than that. The French compounds on the GWR, for instance, weren't...

    Jul 7, 2026 at 9:34 AM

  2. Sheff liked MellishR's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.

    It is nonsense to say without qualification that compounding is good or compounding is bad. The choice between simple and compound expansion is like many choices in engineering, with each having pros and cons. Two factors in France, the high cost...

    Jul 7, 2026 at 9:33 AM

  3. Sheff liked RAB3L's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.

    I think that you will find that the match between Churchward's locos and the French Atlantics was fairly equal but only because the former had advanced large, long-travel valves whereas the latter had narrow steam passages and slide valves for...

    Jul 7, 2026 at 9:32 AM

  4. Sheff liked LMS2968's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.

    Boiler maintenance and repair is dictated by time, and not even time in steam. Extensions are possible, but the amount of steam generated isn't likely to be a factor. Steam cycles have a greater effect.

    Jul 7, 2026 at 9:31 AM

  5. Sheff liked 26D_M's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.

    To watch the "asthmatic figurehead"?

    Jul 6, 2026 at 1:42 PM
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