Castle at waterloo ?

A Warship would do nicely for me , so long as it isn't a fake English Electric one, mind you I wouldn't count that completely out either!

 

Swindon Works? Isn't that a Clothes Outlet complex, I don't recall too many steam crews waiting around for their next Turn last time I was there

 

I suppose I could riposte that the crews wouldn't be based at the works except I know that some crews were in fact based at the works for trials (and shunting probably). Then aga in I could say the word STEAM I guess....

 

Looking at archive film, it does seem to be standard southern practice to indulge in a spot of "rail grinding" when departing.

 

Must be why they needed all of these 3rd rails, just as spares for when they were broken through.

 

Of course, a propensity to slipping is generally a result of the highly desirable combination of high power with low axle load and correspondingly wide route availability - not a problem that Swindon ever had to deal with, what with all those feeble bloated copper capped things that needed a bridge strengthening programme before they could even venture out of the works...

Tom

 

What you save on lighter bridges, you lose on a much vaster re-tyring programme

 

I like this post, I really do.

 

The tyres on Bulleids weren't vast, they were of similar dimensions to other locomotives.

 

Don't you know fatter tyres give better grip ?, just don't get your batch off Pirelli...

 

It would seem that the old tyres were sent to Metal Box for melting down and remanufacturing into Brasso Tins, unfortunately demand from Swindon exceeded the supply of old tyres and so Swindon's back catalogue of locomotives were sent instead

 

we all know that Mr Bulleid (right this time ?)would have turned in his grave (if he had been dead) when so many of his locos had to be radically rebuilt so soon in their careers . They removed pretty well most of his radical ideas from them . At the same time he was squandering CIEs meagre budget for loco replacements so sorely needed and this hastened the clean sweep by diesels there ,steam eradicated much earlier than it would have been if he had built what was needed rather than experimenting with what he fancied.

 

Excepting possibly the SECR Reading-Redhill line, which saw regular workings by GWR Moguls and the occasinal Manor.

Problem is, even allowing for the lack of turning facility, Redhill is hardly the most exciting destination for a railtour!

 

I think, perhaps, this thread belongs in General Railway Chat, rather than What's Going On, even in this "silly season" ;-)

 

They did not have to be rebuilt. A rebuilding programme was decided upon yes, by the LMS dominated BR. Ron Jarvis was a Derby man.

 

Ha, brilliant !!! One of my last memories of seeing a WC out of Waterloo was 34002 with wheels spinning like a fruit machine, exhaust vertical to the clouds and full rake of coaches not willing to give an inch !. Did all the drivers do that out of Waterloo? Not to say I haven't seen Castles given the same treatment out of Paddington, but before Yeti defends the starting proceedures, I love both classes and wouldn't say no to seeing any of them ANYWHERE. Especially through READING now !!.....Pete. ps..it ain't arf hot

 

The alternative considered was scrapping them and replacement by BR Standard types, Clans probably.