Flying Scotsman

And some lines don't need sanding gear anyway... (I don't think they even work on GWSR locos unless they go off to visit somewhere more hilly).

Anyway, there was some degree of triumphalism/jubilation when we found out Dinmore Manor had to rescue FS!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

6024 - Nov 2006 - 11 coaches - first train of the day at 7.00am - cold and damp railhead. No rescue required (doubt if any available!) Continued through to Paddington.

 

That was a good trip. Centre road at Reading and mainline all the way to Paddington if I remember correctly. About an hour late at Taunton but on time at Paddington.

 

Presumably chimney first?

PH

 

Flying Scotsman and Royal Scot on the move at Yatton in poor light this morning, at least the rain had stopped.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/36389530903/in/dateposted-public/

 

In the BBC video that kicked this off 60163 is chimney first.

 

Perhaps Scotsman is banking some Swindon lump and the video is being played backwards. You can clearly hear the words 'Churchward is Satan' in the exhaust beats when you play it this way...

 

Is Scotsman known for being light on her feet?

One of my memories of tours in the early 80's was a Cumbrian Mountain express in the days that it was Electric to Carlisle, one steam loco to Hellifield and then a loco change and another steam loco back to Carnforth. No idea what had done the Carlisle-Hellifield section but on depositing us at Hellifield she drew the stock down the Clitheroe branch a short distance and 4472 backed on to bring it back into the station and then forward to Carnforth.

What then happened was that Scotsman could not get the stock moving to get it into the station, I am not sure what the gradient is but she really struggled for a prolonged period of time, no idea whether in the end they gave her a shove from the rear but it took quite some time?

 

Aren't all Pacific's light on their drivers due to the bogies to the rear of the drivers .

 

My footage of Flying Scotsman's visit to the West Somerset Railway. Enjoy.

 

Some are better than others - there's videos about of Tornado lifting 13 or 14 Mark 1s from a stop at Durham station, southbound, away over the viaduct and 'against the collar' towards Relly Mill, without a hint of a slip. That's the same load that poor Blue Peter had hanging on the drawbar when she slipped, 'caught the water' and wrecked both herself and her driver

 

Before her last withdrawal saw scotsman depart york on a scarborough spa, on starting the slow motion slip for the first ten yards or so ( must have just been a breath of steam on, ) was the most graceful thing ive ever seen from a machine
... Apparently the Clans we're amongst the most sure footed of pacifics.

 

There's a story of an A3 trying to get away at York which slipped that much, and for so long, that the rails required replacing. Tightly curved platform, heavy train, possibly greasy rails - not ideal

 

Saw Duke of Gloucester lift a massive load 12 from the station stop at Durham, including some mk. 2s in the set. No slip, just grip and application of power.

 

Fairly certain this has happened to a number of LNER Pacifics. They don't in general have a great factor of adhesion - a trait shared by Bullied's Pacifics and the Stanier Princess types.

Thompson's Great Northern did something similar at Peterborough too I believe - in the early days of the rebuild when it had a GCR type regulator instead of the Gresley balanced type (which does affect driving style).

That was promptly changed for the Gresley type and the locomotive kept an eye on for some time as it was possible the wheels had shifted on their axles. Happily that was not the case, as far as I can see from the records - but it was a worry.

 

You're spot on, Simon - but it was that particular story that stuck in the mind. It must have been some sight :0

 

This was bought up on here some time ago there's an account of it in an Eric Treacy book by someone called Tuplin, I think my copy's under the bed I'll dig it out over the weekend.

 

The Peppercorn A1 pacifics could certainly spin a wheel in anger. I remember vividly 60135 Madge Wildfire trying to leave Peterborough with a down Leeds express in the early 60s. The loco roared and spun its wheels, sparks flying everywhere. Eventually the driver got her moving, a few inches at a time, but the first few hundred yards were a pure symphony. I remember this as during 1963, but the A1 Steam website says she was withdrawn in November 1962. I must have seen her right at the end.

I've always understood that one factor affecting the tendency to slip is how well the springs are balanced on the driving wheels so that each wheel is bearing the same load onto the track. I expect the use of the weighing station is spot on with preserved mainline locos like FS.

 

I understand the A3 problem of slipping emanates from the Gresley conjugated gear which needs to be set set at full cut-off when starting off then set back to a lower value once movement is confirmed. Obviously the longer it takes to "set back" to a lower cut-off the greater the chance of slipping and I believe that it is this element of the process where the greatest risk of slipping arises.

 

Doesn't that describe pretty much any loco, not just an A3?

Tom