Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

I made a quick search of the web and although there are quite a few photos of 34064 the ejector is not visible from ground level. You can see it in this shot by "BarkingBill"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnneave/373625162/

 

That was the justification. But it was done as an experiment by people at Eastleigh who were interested to see if the giesel would improve the lifting of the exhaust as well. It worked very well on both counts, although it was initially over drafted. Dr Geisel personally attended, as he did in fact when 34092 was fitted. 34064 was a good performer due to the reduced back pressure, as well as being quite a good engine anyway. The spark arrestor was fitted in the smokebox, and one of the features of the giesel is that it is quite a rigid structure, which keeps the blastpipe and chimney in alignment. It was successful in every respect, and most people who worked on it thought it was a great engine. I've never heard any negative comments anyway. They tried to get approval to do another 20 but the expenditure was not approved. There was a licence fee payable, and that made it rather noticeable to people in Derby. Eastleigh only just got away with fitting the one.

Sadly 34064 ended its days being over-driven on the racing stretch near Fleet, and its coupling rods got bent, as often happened with the Bulleids. If I remember correctly, the same driver was unlucky to have two other engines fail on him in similar fashion.

 

Surely they had enough Coupling Rods at Eastleigh, from the earlier withdrawls?

 

Did he thrash them too hard?? :-k How many other drivers were unfortunate to do this?

 

Not that simple, because it's not just the coupling rods that get damaged when something like that happens. Ask NELPG how much work was involved in putting 60532 right after its uncontrollable slip at Durham. In an era when engines were withdrawn due to minor defects like a torn windshield, damaged motion and wheelsets wasn't going to get much attention.

 

Thanks for your reply Bongo,no need to ask NELPG, silly old me! ](*,) ](*,)

 

Just heard from a friend of mine and also looked it up to see if this was correct or not before I posted on here. But we have noticed that 34068 (Kenley) in 1960 exchanged plaques with 34058 in error, which was never rectified.... #-o

Are there any others that anyone can think of?

 

Hi all I was at the MHR this weekend and someone was on about 34051 (Winston Churchill) boiler being filled with concrete at some point in the past. Is this correct or is this an unfounded rumor. I can’t believe that someone would fill a boiler with concrete and what would be the point in doing this.


Thanks

 

It,s a wind up Lee.

Chris

 

THe thing that is missing both from the National collection and any of the preserved lines is a Merchant Navy in its original Airsmoothed (Over the cylinders and on as far as the buffer beam) condition - certainly a spectacular vision

It’s probably unlikely that anyone will ‘un rebuild’ a MN to this Condition (unless I get a massive lottery win) as most (despite some of the postings here) would consider it retrograde step ?
As for those down sides of the unrebuilts, i suspect todays Unrestored Bulleids get plenty of the TLC needed to keep the oil where its supposed to be and the chains nicely tensioned etc

Im sure the drifting smoke could be cured with a Geisl (City of wells) or ( seeing as no ones going to want to build the original gear from scratch and who's to know what goes on under that casing) Caprotti and Kylchap...(more running for cover)

 

I personally like to see bulleids converted.... But I see where you're going about the Giesel! Makes a bulleid such as 34092 (City of Wells) a legend!
Personally smoke always depends on the wind and how fab it looks and hitting the deflectors and therefore rising... I've had many a time with locos on the MHR and with winds and the smoke acting differently - So I can't see a giesel acting anymore differently...

Cheers

Andy

 

Have you not seen any footage of Wells running. As stated I think earlier in this thread the Giesl draws the blast better and throws the exhaust higher and clear.

AS your user name is 34007 I am surprised you are such a fan of unrebuilts!

There was a move a while ago by Southern Locos to unrebuild a rebuilt merchant. However the cost was prohibitive.

 

I am a fan of everything Bulleid! Huge fan! Fautless and sound fantastic in my opinion with their beat!

I rode on 34092 many years ago with my Dad and I was looked after by a friend of his while he sorted the fire out on 34092! And we were only passengers!

 

This has been mentioned in another thread but

I cant believe this?

 

I don't think I can either. Doesn't it rather depend on whether you are referring to an original or a rebuilt engine. The valve gear for each cylinder of the orginals is essentially the same. The rebuilds have the geometry of a modified BR class 4, and I know someone who has set a couple of them up, but I don't think he could be the same person who is referred to in the message. He discovered that the radius rod of one of them was the wrong length by almost 3/8", which is quite a lot. It had been like that since BR days.

 

Sorry, but come again??

The guy in question is well known to setting up 34092 - City of Wells in the past and is very hard to come by these days! And this guy worked on Bulleids back in the days of steam! Trouble is you will find some Bulleids of beat of the middle engine isn't set up right! I expect Darren knows more than me!

 

The wisdom of youth! #-o #-o

 

Never mind about the wisdom of youth....here is some ignorance in old age:

The outside cylinders of Bulleid Pacifics are at 1 in 40 to the horizontal, but the inside cylinder is at 1 in 7.75 (to clear the front axle). Doesn't this mean that the beat can never be exactly steady, because even assuming that the valve settings for each cylinder are perfectly correct, the inside cylinder is not operating at 120 degrees to the other two. Wouldn't a perfect beat be possible only if the three cylinders were in line? And just to confrm my ignorance/stupidity, are the cranks at exactly 120 degrees, or is there some compensation to adjust for the different inclination of the cylinders?

 

Do not worry nhthompson, you know what Einstein said "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing "

So its best to keep it simple, unless we are fitters, which we are not!

 

Good God it gets better by the second! 34051 with a boiler full of concrete, only one man
in Britain capable of setting up the valve gear on an unrebuilt or rebuilt Bulleid, what next!
I am sure the NRM would be interested in the first comment, its amazing the loco has not
fallen through the floor. Jock Adams has an excellent reputation for setting up Bulleids,
34007, 34092, 35028 to name but a few, but knowing Jock, I would expect that he
would be embarrassed by that comment.
If people are unsure about something, why publish it, unless you like looking a fool.
Middle_C