streamlined steam locomotives

Streamlined steam locomotives is an interesting subject I think. Some love it, others hate it, or you think that it`s absolutely OK.

So, what about a thread for us that really like streamlined steam locomotive!

Personal I think they are a very great variation to the "traditional" steam engines. And many of them are absolutely stunning and very well designed.
I like especially those who are more partial streamlined, (without valances etc.) so you can see the driving wheels and motion. Those with almost "full packing" like the German BR 05 001 or the BR 61 001 has a bit gloomy look I think, but this is of course a matter of taste.



If I should range them (if possible!) it is many candidates both in the UK and the rest of the world.

At the top in the UK it must be the legendary A4 (which else) I prefer them without valances.
Next one must be the streamlined "Duchess"

My absolutey favourite above all is the (partial ) streamlined , stunning, french SNCF 232U1!
Other beautiful french streamliners is the famous french pacific P.O 231. 726.,the famous P.L.M. "Coupe avant" 4-4-0, and Marc de Caso`s legendary 232 S/R.

Germany had many beautiful ones, like the well-known BR 18 201, and the BR 10. 001

In the U.S. it was a lot of famous, great looking streamliners, I like the very modern looking 4-6-4 New York Central Railroad class J.3 and Milwaukee road 4-6-4 class F.7 "Hiawatha". (and many more out there which i can`t remember now.)


Kind regards

Knut

 

A4 with valances and original "silver" livery cannot be bettered IMO.

 

It`s very sad none of them survived into preservation

 

A British built RS&H pacific:

http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/iraq/streamlined-steam-loco/

 

Or you could go NG with this:

http://users.fini.net/~bersano/english-anglais/DHR_B Class_John Ager_1942.jpg

 

What now?!?!? Please tell me this is a wind up....

 

Okay,

From the Antipodes

 

No wind up it did exist for a short time 1940s?- under that cladding is a Darjeeling B, all purely cosmetic of course with the limited speeds on a NG Hill Railway.

 

You might describe the Indian Railways WP pacifics as 'semi-streamlined'. I don't really know why they bothered as they were rarely required to run at more than 60mph and were quite small-wheeled which added to their lack of gracefullness.


China and Poland both had streamlined pacifics. Don't have the photos to hand but the examples I saw were out of service and in poor condition with the streamlined casing very battered!

 

For me the perfect streamlined loco is the Coronation Scot Duchess class. (I prefer in Caledonian Blue than Red Crimson Lake) , plus you have the famous Coronation Scot music by Vivian Ellis to go with it !

 

Agreed, but they soon looked shabby once muck was allowed to accumulate through all the joints in the plates.

Still a 'guided by the hand of God' design of timeless elegance, nonetheless.

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/PO_MIDI_231-726_Carenee_1939.jpg

 

The preserved PKP, Ex DR one at Warsaw Railway Museum in 2015..........



There was a paintbrush wielding team in action on the day I was there, which meant that the locos were finally getting some attention after several years of decaying in the open!

 

The worst looking streamliners were the GWR ones, just an ugly stupid attempt to copy the LNER and LMS efforts, it didn't last long before removal.



I was really pleased when Duchess of Hamilton was re streamlined a few years ago, well worth a trip to York to see it and one day hope to see it run in that condition (ideally in blue with silver stripes). Great also that there was still the skills around today to do it. Steel sheets of the required size were specially made for it.

 

Well if the GWR had looked after their staff they could have had a Duchess!

 

The GWR streamliner wasn`t that bad (in my opinion)

One another interesting british streamliner, is the one (or two?) School class locomotive. I have search the internet, but it seems to be very few photos or information about it.

Knut

 

I had a laugh at this description on a website about the GWR, Churchward, Streamlining and Plasticine, Funny if true ! (although it may have been Charles Collett as I think Churchwood was dead by then)

"During the mid-thirties the fashion for streamlining locomotives was widespread and in the UK the two major exponents were Gresley and Stanier of the LNER and LMS respectively although to be fair to Stanier he was pushed by the PR department. Whilst Stanier might have not have been convinced by the benefits of streamlining he at least approached the subject scientifically with wind tunnel tests on the Princess Coronation class.

Churchward was said to have been totally against streamlining seeing few benefits only extra costs associated with building and maintaining the engines. Consequently it is reputed that he applied 'bits of plasticine to existing designs resulting in what can only be described as an ugly reincarnation as seen as above. The streamlining was rapidly withdrawn and the locomotives quickly resumed their normal identity. "

 

It was CB Collett who was CME at the time (JG Churchward retired in 1921 and was tragically killed by the Fishguard express near Swindon in 1934) . Collett took the view that streamlining, at least for the GWR, was not worth the effort. When asked by the GWR Board in 1936 to produce a streamlined design, he took a model Castle which was on his desk and some plasticine. The resultant "design" was applied to King class No 6014 and Castle class No 5005. Both locomotives lost their accoutrements during WWII. GWR 4-6-0s are beautiful enough without streamlining!

 

Looks like something out of Thunderbirds.

 

There was one - 935 "Sevenoaks", mocked up as 999, complete with "Sunny South Sam" on the smokebox door. The streamlining was plywood, designed just to show the concept, though supposedly it ran a few trips around the yard at Eastleigh and then tender-first to Micheldever (about 18 miles away) where it was found to have a hot bearing. They let it cool down and then came back, loco first, at about 40mph, where the casing was described as vibrating very strongly. After that, it seems to have been returned to normal condition, I suspect to the disappointment of a few and the relief of many. I imagine that it probably served its purpose though, which was to let the world (or at least the SR workforce) know that OVSB had well and truly arrived and things weren't going to be the same again!

https://www.gettyimages.com.au/deta...-carrying-mock-up-proposed-picture-id90775543

Tom