4464 Bittern to do 90mph on ECML - 29 June & 27 July 2013

Stunning stills Mark!

 

Watching the videos, one thing that strikes me, is the sound of the exhaust..
at slower speeds it almost sounds off beat.. but at 90.. it's just purring along...
reminds of Concorde being much the same…

 

I also noticed how clean the exhaust was.I guess Welsh coal.
Colin

 

Thanks to everyone for sharing their videos. Particularly the one at Doncaster southbound. Just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!

Perhaps also a word of praise for whoever is maintaining Bittern at present. I bet they have made absolutely sure of bearing lubrication and condition, and in particular the infamous two-to-one derived motion for the middle valve. Did it used to be the middle big end that could cause problems when the A4's were in squadron high-speed service?

Anyway, whoever is looking after the loco on a day- to- day basis, they must be doing a superb job, and be confident of the loco's ability to run at sustained high-speed. Well done.

...And all this some 50 years since the A4's departed from the southern end of the ECML. Truly amazing.

 

At slower speeds you'll' hear the syncopation typical of Gresley three cylinder locos whilst that will be less evident, if evident at all, ay higher speeds. Regulator and cut off settings can make a difference too. On a run with 60009 over Druimuachdar in the early 80s all manner of rhythms came from the chimney as the driver adjusted his settings.

 

The big end was redesigned in early BR days and failures became almost a thing of the past. 4464 will have this type of big end. Also bear in mind she was never worked particularly hard at high speed, as opposed to the thrashing that Silver Fox received in the 1930s when Edward Thompson ordered the driver to "go for 100" when the loco was not set up for it.

 

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Tom, that has to go down as the Nat Pres post of the year. If not the post of the century so far!​

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So far as Saturdays run with Bittern, I've just had the first report fr0m one of the lifelong hardened timers. I think he's still sorting out all the data but a 90 max on the first section, then 93 max twice on the second. No doubt the detailed logs will give the final speeds. Highly creditable 67.0 and 69.9 mph start to stop sections.​

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This whole series of runs has to be seen as a major triumph for current steam locomotive rebuilding/maintenance etc and running , (by all concerned), of main line steam locos.​

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Of course I'd love to see a Merchant Navy really let loose on Basingstoke - Woking again. But watching this happen with the A4 is still pretty good for a lifelong Bulleid fan.​

 

Imagine how it's been for we lifelong Gresley fans.

 

It was the detail of the whitemetal application that was changed in BR days as well as the introduction of the machined as opposed to hand scraped surface. Originally there were pockets to take the white metal and bars of bronze remained to take the thrust and weight. The de Glehn type of thin white metal surface, as used by the GW and applied to the LNE design middle big end could run for 50000 miles and exhibit 0.0004" of wear. The big end strap was modified in LNE days and there were some detail changes regarding setting the whole job up. Thompson gave his infamous instruction and the original bearing surface detail failed to function. Some people believe that the whole centre big end design was changed, well next time you get a chance have a look.
As for the conjugated gear; it works. Fail to lubricate it and it won't. Just the same as any other valve gear. It has some advantages and some drawbacks ditto other types. You want a three cylinder engine without eccentrics between the frames and have good reasons for this what do you do? If you can solve the problem you also make the preparation task a little easier. Gresley's solution survives to this day. Perfectly good for 90+mph running 90 years or so after it was created.
Well done to all involved in keeping it that way and to those involved in exhibiting the truth of this statement over these three celebratory runs.

 

I'm sure I once read somewhere that the middle big-ends of the A4s were changed to "Stanier pattern". Anyone know about that?

 

Didn't the optical lining of the frames also help?

 

Perhaps the next target is to emulate the 140mph that an A4 once reached going down Stoke bank. Claim made this month's Steam Railway...!

 

Read that article ....it was certainly "rocking and rolling".....marvellous to read the driver/firemen accounts and how they loved their jobs......

 

True enough. The LNE could never manage to invest enough in Doncaster Works. The fact that the engines built could be as good as they undoubtably were speaks volumes for all the people involved. So the trains run this year serve to emphasise the qualities of the people that have been working on and with Gresley engines over the years.
Could Bittern or another of the A4s do even better than was achieved this year. Undoubtably yes. How much better? Sadly we will in all probability never get to know. But that does not prevent us from wanting to find out.
The prospect of a run at 100mph elsewhere could precipitate a reaction though.

 

It would certainly put bums on seats......including mine.......

 

Point. But did you have to? Season of goodwill approaching and all that. Any one can have an off moment. Some are more excusable than others. (Don't mention Saturday afternoon, don't mention Saturday afternoon............. Grrrrr)

 

Had to chuckle leaving York. A steward announced "no heads out of windows please. Cameras and microphones ok bit no heads." FAir enough but the then went and told anyone with a camera or mic out the window "shut the window please." So how can you get a mic or camera out of a closed window?

 

Now I'm an A4 man through and through but that's just nonsense. Proof that SR exists in the realms of fantasy.