Steve's Recent Activity
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Steve replied to the thread FR & WHR & WHHR News.
Where is this 'rule' that all new railways have to be air braked? That's a new one on me. AFAIK the Regulations simply state "The operator of a vehicle shall ensure that a suitable and sufficient braking system is provided and maintained for...
May 10, 2026 at 6:55 PM -
Steve liked 5944's post in the thread SVR General Discussion.
They were called SNAIL until they came out of their shell...
May 10, 2026 at 6:46 PM -
Steve liked brennan's post in the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
The Stokers Poem; Set the burners open wide Do not touch the valves at side, Keep the pressure on the pump and up the bally steam will jump If the smoke is black and thick Open up the fans a bit, If the smoke is thick and white To slow the fans...
May 10, 2026 at 12:53 PM -
Steve replied to the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
Not wrong there, Peter. Oil firing can be used on copper boxes but they tend to suffer more as a result as flame temperatures can reach well over 2000degC and even with protective refractory insulation, they will feel it. You don't get blue...
May 9, 2026 at 7:54 PM -
Steve liked torgormaig's post in the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
I think that you need to think carefully which locos are suitable (in their current form) for conversion to oil firing. S160s, yes- WD 2-10-0s yes- Bulleid Pacifics yes - but the rest, I'm not so sure. As I understand it, the rapid temperature...
May 9, 2026 at 7:47 PM -
Steve replied to the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
Whether oil or solid fuel fired, the air flow is primarily controlled by the blastpipe and the driver. It is a wonderfully simple arrangement whereby the more steam that is used, the more that is exhausted through the blastpipe, whether through...
May 9, 2026 at 7:46 PM -
Steve liked brennan's post in the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
The fuel/air mix , unless some very sophisticated controls have been installed, is manually controlled. Achieving smokeless combustion on flash up is practically impossible but the control of smoke when under load will improve as crews gain...
May 9, 2026 at 7:18 PM -
Steve replied to the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
It's little different from the NYMR although granted, Pickering is a tad larger than Bishops Lydeard. The majority of people start their day from Pickering and have to have travelled there by road to have done so. Minehead and Whitby are...
May 9, 2026 at 6:54 PM -
Steve liked 60044's post in the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
It's the owners preferred colour, and I think he might have had quite a lot left over after his Garratt No. 132 was painted!
May 9, 2026 at 6:31 PM -
Steve liked torgormaig's post in the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Seat? They are for the old codger known as the driver. Those of us at the coal face think the "fireman's seat" is where the footplate passenger goes to be out of the way - but when there are two people to occupy it it doesn't work very well:(....
May 9, 2026 at 11:25 AM -
Steve replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
Do I take it that you don’t like giving up your seat to strangers, Peter?;)
May 9, 2026 at 8:01 AM -
Steve replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
We tend to think in terms of steam but, on many diesel locos, five people can easily be accommodated; and I don't mean just main line ones. At Middleton last year we had a visit from two Railway inspectors and we took them up the line on a...
May 8, 2026 at 8:08 PM -
Steve replied to the thread 6024 King Edward 1.
There's no defined limit. It is usually considered that four is a sensible number on most locos but I can think of those where three is more realistic and others where five and even six can be on board without getting in the way. At the end of...
May 8, 2026 at 6:33 PM -
Steve liked 5944's post in the thread SVR General Discussion.
More than one though. To provide a meaningful service, even just peak hours Monday - Friday, each box will require two staff per day due to the length of day. In which case are they employed part-time just as signallers or full-time, and do they...
May 8, 2026 at 7:14 AM -
Steve replied to the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
You’re right. My bad reading. :(
May 7, 2026 at 11:07 PM
