New builds - how many will ever really work?

Has anybody heard anything of the A1 trust's P2 project?
Or the other P2 project?

Havent heard a peep from either for some time now

 

The A1 Trust's P2 feasibility study process is progressing again after being on the backburner whilst the A1's boiler issues were attended too. No idea about the other one though.

 

On the subject of obtaining certification. The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust have no aspirations for NR operation in any form although there is every wish to see it on other heritage railways as a guest. Unless someone with very deep pockets comes forward to pay for the cost of all the gizmos needed once it is complete it will always be moved on a low loader.

Is that such a bad thing really?

 

Well, they always said Tornado generated her own weight in paperwork during construction and certification! Type approval for any new build is always going to be costly, so I guess it is a pragmatic decision to avoid it unless you really need it.....

Foxy

 

That's good to hear. Fingers crossed it's "doable".

LNER no. 2007 in a decade or so's time, please.

 

Also fingers crossed for 2007. 2001 Cock o' the North as built is for me one of the most beautiful engines ever.

 

Interesting the P2s. Is there a speed limit for locos with a leading pony truck? Then there's the long fixed wheelbase.

Bulleid told Gresley that the ash pan and dampers were wrong but the latter chose to do nothing about it, which may explain why such a good engineman as Norman McKillop (Toram Beg) thought they were useless!

Dave

 

I don't quite understand what makes running 2-8-2's so difficult in the UK, europe's been running them for decades. Until earlier this year you could ride behind a pt47 in Poland at circa 80mph quite often, indeed in Germany their are at least 3 BR41's mainline certified and certainly give good mainline running... Last time I looked europe had hills, curves and interesting point work.. so I'm not sure what's missing over here ?

 

Didcot's Facebook update today has pictures of the County's driving wheels arriving from Bury. One step nearer to the rolling chassis, and one step nearer to the 1014 County of Glamorgan project reaching fruition.

 

The Gresley swing link pony truck as originally fitted to the P2s, V2s, and the K3s, was not exactly well known for its design. There's numerous reports of it not doing its job - which is to help guide the front driving wheels round corners, and in at least two major accidents the design was to blame. One of the few positives Gresley fans find in the Thompson era was that he (Thompson) had this design replaced, trying to eliminate failures and accidents before they happened.

So if a new P2 is built it is more than likely it will not have the Gresley swing link type, but something akin to that on the preserved K1, K4, or Green Arrow (which I think although I may be wrong, has the Thompson type and not the original Gresley type).

 

V2's had their pony trucks replaced with a design based on that of the LMS 8F I beleive. The P2 would use something similar, dependant upon the outcome of the vehicle dynamic modelling work to test its suitability under today's track geometry. Spring rates etc can be adjusted in the model to determine the optimum design.

 

Fair enough Sheff, I stand happily corrected. I take it you are referring to the way in which the Delta Rail P2 model can be analyzed?

 

Yep. That's how I understand it from the presentation at the annual covenanters convention.

 

Sheff, . Couldnt make this years so interested that once again that project is on the agenda.

Beleive im right in thinking for new builds that its not just a case of building it and then sticking on the neccessary gizmos.
for mainline -Every but, nolt and washer has to have the appropriate certificates of conformance etc.? though you probably need these for heritage purposes as well these days....

 

It's a shame, I couldn't make it either. I must make it next year. I think the idea of the shared components and boilers, but ultimately presenting an entirely different look in a P2 is what appeals most to me. By working out the flaws and problems with the new boiler type now, a second one to the improved design would work straight out of the box.

 

I thought there wasn't a problem with the boiler, it just needed extensive maintenance every few years?

 

Real droll Neil, you know perfectly well what I meant. If I've said it once, I've said it a dozen times - the 118A boiler just needed to sort out all the bugs. It's the first of its kind, and hopefully not the last either. It's been improved on with the modifications made at the start of the year, and it's been commented on in the press that the boiler is even more free steaming than it was before. A new boiler to the current spec of Tornado's boiler WILL work out of the box first time, I'll wager.

 

Mmm.... looking at this photo on the A1 website you can see the new 'brick' arch design which has exposed more of the firebox sides and there has been talk of fitting draught excluders around the grate! Are those they? Looks like equal rights are also well-applied at the A1SLT!



Foxy

 

Not an easy job I'll wager. There's another photograph on the A1 Trust website showing the original style for the brick arch - will make an interesting comparison if I can remember what page it's on!

 

No Equality whatsoever i was refused access to the firebox - on the grounds of erm .....being 15 stone
SArah is probably half that, definitely has Steam in the blood that one....

SHOULD SURELY BE ON THE TORNADO THREAD ?