35018 British India Line

One for the "not terribly good club", so just for the record. There does still seem to be quite a bit of steam escaping from 35018?

 

Nice to see the premier locomotive leading

 

No 9 on the front for a quick getaway at Carnforth. They only stop there for 3 min to uncouple.

 

I'm assuming with a WCR vehicle behind BIL's tender, there will have to be some sort of shunt to pair No.9 with her own POB?

 

Correct, now why didn't I think of that?

 

It makes sense to have dealt with the little end fault (if that's what it was) at York rather than run the loco back to Carnforth with the rod removed completely, but to leave the less urgent matter of the steam leak to be dealt with back at base.

 

When engines are stabled at York either for servicing or in between tours, are they generally accessible to visitors to the NRM, or is that part of the yard closed off?

 

Pictures in #2190 seem to show them at the platform in York going backwards?

 

Yes the thoroughbred has to be in front!

 

Nah, I don't think they were still going backwards when this shot was taken?

 

Except for the GWR, I think normal practice when double heading is that the engine doing all work is attached to the train with the show pony in front ...

Tom

 

All wrong, the reason is obvious.

Streamlining.

 

Yes the reason was to test out the new snow plow to see how it handled being propelled

 

The general rule with the GWR was for the train engine to be on the front with the pilot coupled inside, the theory was that the driver with the responsibility for running the train should be in charge of the brake. It didn't seem to occur to anyone that this could be achieved simply by the crews changing footplates. This often went out of the window in the SW on a summer Saturday and, no doubt to avoid shunting delays, there are a lot of pictures of 2-6-2Ts on the front of Kings and Castles on the way up Dainton Bank.

The LNER rule was the loco with the most carrying wheels at the front always lead. Look at pictures of double heading with K1/K2/K4 2-6-0 s and B1/Class 5 4-6-0s on the West Highland Line and it's normally the 4-6-0 on the front. As far as I can see the LMS and Southern used the logical approach of putting the assisting engine up front.

 

The triangle is long gone - replaced by the new turntable.

 

We can enjoy a bit of banter about the relative merits of the two engines but what struck me, seeing them coupled together, was their contrasting fates since the 1960s - 60009 being earmarked for preservation before the class were all withdrawn; always one of the most popular main line stars but now looking at a static future. On the other hand, 35018 was sent, unloved to the scrapman in 1964 and even when it was purchased for preservation, it took a further 36 years before it steamed. It has had a pretty static past for much of the past 50 years but looks set to become a really popular performer in the future.

Or, to put it another way, 60009 is in the twilight of its main line career while 35018 is at the dawn of its.

 

We've done to death the arguments for/against 60009 but when put like that, I feel even more despondent for her.

35018 on the other hand, a lovely thought and I hope she has many years of good running ahead of her.