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P2 Locomotive Company and related matters

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by class8mikado, Sep 13, 2013.

  1. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Thought it might be somthing to do with that, thanks.
     
  2. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

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    OT, but it's always intrigued me that the Brit's didn't have oval front buffers, but the Duke did - although I think a couple of Brit's gained them in later life?
     
  3. Sheff

    Sheff Resident of Nat Pres

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    Maybe locos only needed oval buffers if they worked through Rugby ........
     
  4. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Here all week Sheff? :rolleyes:
     
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  5. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    Just occurred to me that with:
    - A shorter boiler.
    - Smaller cylinders of a composite construction
    - Springs instead of a swing link
    = theres a lot of weight gone off the front end of this particular P2...
    What would be a creative way of re adjustment I wonder.
     
  6. S.A.C. Martin

    S.A.C. Martin Part of the furniture

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    Can't say that is true. If you look at all of Thompson's Pacifics - particularly the A1/1 which was the longest Pacific the LNER built and was in fact a good foot longer than a P2 as it happens. Not a hard and fast rule.
     
  7. fergusmacg

    fergusmacg Resident of Nat Pres

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    Can't just be the length of the pacific, just look at the Std 4 tank, and their predicestor the fairburn tank both with oval buffers. Is it the distance from the driving wheel to the buffer - in the case of the tank loco the reverse being the worst case with the rear bogie? P.S. Of course the radii of the routes they are intended to run on is also in the mix.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2016
  8. Jimc

    Jimc Part of the furniture

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    Is it possible that we are trying to simplify a complex problem by looking only at a few headline dimensions? It seems to me that the throw of a given locomotive must be related to overhang, fixed wheelbase, design of trucks/boggies and quite probably other factors, and then a need for oval buffers would start with the throw and add to it minimum permitted radius and quite possibly anticipated duties and other factors I'm ignorant of. All to often, and I include myself in this, I fear we enthusiasts start to resemble the youngsters who'd come to the bike shop where I worked and evaluate relative performance of different bikes by the maximum number on the speedo and the number ( 125, 250, 750 or whatever) on the sticker on the side panel!
     
  9. Eightpot

    Eightpot Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Can'
    Can't help feeling that oval buffers are more for 'show' than anything. German locos at least as big as ours - if not bigger - never needed them as far as I am aware.
     
  10. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    75014 looked odd with them.
    In the diesel world, Class 40s had oval, but Classes 44/45/46, with the same running gear, didn't. No logic.
     
  11. Foxhunter

    Foxhunter Member

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  12. I'm not a fan of new builds*, but that is already very pretty. And even I will want to play behind the thing and at the lineside when it takes on the Dundee-Aberdeen road! :Hungry:

    * I'm not getting into that argument here.
     
  13. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    I'm not sure it will, wasn't one of the problems that it spread the track on the curves? Whatever routes it does use it will be an impressive sight. When I joined the Trust I said this was the one they should have built in the first place.
     
  14. Foxhunter

    Foxhunter Member

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    Scroll down the design section to see Graham Nicholas' piece about the pony truck and tight curves:
    https://www.p2steam.com/design/
    Foxy
     
  15. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    Thanks I somehow missed that
     
  16. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    Isn't track also rather different nowadays?
     
  17. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    St
    Still 4ft 8"1/2 last time I looked
     
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  18. Sawdust

    Sawdust Member

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    Indeed but it's like butter out of the freezer.
    (Difficult, if not impossible to spread!)

    Sawdust.
     
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  19. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Not any more - it has shrunk by 0.1mm since the days of steam ... :)

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2016
  20. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    How many thous is that?! ;) Apologies to @61624 I hope my comment wasn't taken the wrong way.
     

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