GNR Stirling No. 1

A blast from the past - what an elegant bit of machinery!




Tom

 

Had the great pleasure of riding behind that magnificent machine when it visited the GCR many moons ago.

 

I too remember riding behind the Stirling Single when it was at the GCR......it certainly went well, one of my quickest trips!
In the shed, sorry for the poor quality.

 

And a elegant bit of Alen G's language @2.30 - I'm totally surprised he managed to avoid the 'F' word in that short clip ! (I had a spell on the GCR whilst at collage and did a few jobs on No1 under AG's watchful eyes and err . . . elegant commentary) I finished collage just before the loco ran so missed the fun bit, but there are a few other faces I recognized on the early clips around the shed.

 

I wonder if it will ever be steamed again.

 

Doubtful, it's not really useful on even the flattest of preserved lines and although I'm sure it could do 75mph comfortably, Notwork Fail would surely never allow it... and again, low tractive effort limits what it can do. I can't see it screaming through Little Bytham with ten Mk1s on the back, somehow!

 

The great days of Weston, Coiley and Bellwood in command of the NRM, when everything was possible (except steaming Coppernob.) Will their like and mindset ever be seen again?

 

Humm - Coppernob - new boiler and tender chassis required . . . . . still it would still have more original bits than FR20!


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So many people lineside.... and no-one dressed as a traffic cone. What a beautiful machine

 

Big singles are magnificent hauling not very much.
I for one would like to try a footplate ride on one.
In the not so far NO COAL time a ligth Stirling,Dean Johson etc like locomotive with a Steam accumulator filed with green or nuclear electricity could move a driver and say 20 rich and paying old fools along GCR and back.Not all can be on footplate at once but tender holds no coal or water and will serve .
I could not be persuaded to travel to UK for sitting in a cramped wagon between a modern steam locomotive and diesel.
A tender and footplate ride on a Caledonian 123 copy would tempt me to sell daugthers in law and grandchildren.

 

Surprised you have chosen a replica Caley single for your dream - I’d have thought you’d go for one of the North Eastern Railway class I or class J Worsdell-Van Borries Compound singles ...

Tom

 

How about a Bulleid Spam Can single? ;-)

 

They slipped badly enough with six coupled wheels . . .

 

That would be three times more slippery than an already slippery thing!

 

In 1967 I courted a girl from Glasow of irish desent and I saw 123 in a museum and liked it.
Today I will make it with a central lowpressure cylinder between frames and a high pressure on one outside.
I have not quite decided what two kind of valvegears to use.They will be out of reach from footplate and are not dangerous
Something like Dugald Drummonds inspection ,salon that did many miles,could do very well
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/df6d73c0-1cac-4eb5-84b7-888fbe8c781d/d95znjx-84fceb95-c493-407d-b6a4-89a24a674222.jpg/v1/fill/w_1600,h_832,q_75,strp/lswr_drummond_f9_inspection_saloon_by_rlkitterman_d95znjx-fullview.jpg?