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The 90+ Steam Hall of Fame

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by Big Al, Oct 7, 2014.

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  1. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    By way of a bit of Forum participation I thought it might be fun to bring together a hall of fame of those locomotives that we have travelled on in the past at 90 mph or over. For obvious reasons we will not stray into anything contemporary as only Bittern has officially travelled at 90 mph in recent years and those of us who might have noticed something rather quick on other occasions all know that this was just an aberration.

    So a few suggested guidelines.
    • Simply list the locomotive(s), speed, location and the driver if you know who it was.
    • If a particular locomotive hit 90+ more than once with you on it then just name the highest speed.
    • Be honest with no exaggeration. It's not a fantasy league.
    • What your friend might have told you doesn't count!
    Sorry but this isn't a totally inclusive activity. However it will be interesting to see what we end up with and whether any class of locomotive stands out.
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    My rather 'one region biased' list is:
    35023 - 102 - Andover - Bert Hooker
    35007 - 97 - Fleet - Gordon Porter
    35030 - 97 - Fleet - Roy Sloper
    35028 - 96 - Fleet - Frank Burridge
    4498 - 95 - Hartford - ?
    4472 - 93 - Essendine - ?
    34087 - 92 - Fleet and Brookwood on the same trip - Bill Anderson
    35013 - 91 - Fleet - Gordon Porter
    35026 - 90 - Sessay (Would have been more but apparently the driver was using the wrong loco settings)
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2014
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  3. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    I have so many, nearly all with Bulleid pacifics that it would take me weeks to go through all my bash books to list them.

    One of my few non Bulleid 90 though was with 60007 at Cargill on the 0710 Aberdeen to Glasgow in 1965.

    May do more later but I will start with my Bulleid tons:

    35005 Wallers Ash- 105 Gordon Hooper. Timed by three others as well.
    35003 Winchfield/MP 38 - 106 and 105 on consecutive nights. Frank Burridge. Timed by quite a few others as well including the Yeti on the footplate of one.
    35028 at Winchfield/MP38- 103 (the best of all due to the load. Gordon Porter. Timed by two others as well.
    34102 at Bramshot/MP 35-100. John (Boy) Gaffney. Disputed by some but I have no doubt due to the evidence. The noise was unbelievable.
    34013 at Hurstbourne-100. Frank Mathews. Timed by three others as well.

    All timed by stopwatch and with good supporting data-i.e. times at every milepost

    Unfortunately I missed the run with 35023 as I was at a family christening in Bridport.

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 7, 2014
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  4. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    How recent is contemporary? 60009 down Whiteball and 46229 down Shap on its last run for example?
     
    5944, Oct 7, 2014
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  5. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Whilst accepting "not contemporary" for valid reasons of discretion does that preclude runs in the public domain such as Tornado's reported 75+ speed ?
     
    Fred Kerr, Oct 7, 2014
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  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Well anything that would involve identifying a member of the footplate staff who is currently connected with main line steam in any capacity strikes me as a very sensible health warning. We are not doing this to compromise any individual, TOC or loco owning group for that matter I would suggest. So take it from there.
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  7. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I seem to recall that there was a 'consequence' arising from that alleged speed spike. Common sense suggests we shouldn't go there unless it has already been reported in a national railway periodical. And one criterion is also "I was on it".
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  8. Big Dave

    Big Dave Member

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    BR could and did sanction high speed running when it suited. One would need to be stupid if they thought these things were not going on.
    An example when 46229 came south to spend a period of time out of Marylebone.
    The run was beset with problems, the run was poor to Toton were we took water and then we went onto the freight only line via Castle Donnington we were constantly stopped because of hot box detectors and we were losing time hand over fist.
    From getting back onto the main line at Burton the run came to life very fast running to our water stop at Tyseley.

    After Tyseley we absolutely flew and although not a timer I would not be surprised if we had got up to 90mph.
    I had heard a figure in the high 80's mentioned I seemed to remember we were 15 down at Marylebone after being extremely late away from Tyseley, it would have been obvious to any railwayman that some extremely fast running had occurred.
    46229 at the time was only registered for 60mph.

    What was really impressive was the absolute ease that 46229 did her job.

    Cheers Dave
     
    Big Dave, Oct 7, 2014
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  9. 46223

    46223 Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    I remember that run. Is it ok to reveal the maximum speed? It is nearly 30 years ago!
     
    46223, Oct 7, 2014
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  10. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Only if it doesn't stumble over any criterion in #6, I suggest. Remember that the professional 'good sense' spirit of Mike Notley is still with us and pub talk isn't the same as public talk.
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  11. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    There was also a run by Princess Margaret Rose north from Crewe where 90mph was reached in the Hartford/Acton Bridge area, but it's one of those that I just cannot put a date on it.
     
    RalphW, Oct 7, 2014
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  12. GWR4707

    GWR4707 Nat Pres stalwart

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    We had a run mid/late 1980's with Green Arrow from York to Marylebone. From recollection we crawled from York to Dorridge where we had a crew change and then flew to London, my father was spotting mile posts and doing back of envelope calcualtions and had us at 90+ through I think Bicester.
     
    GWR4707, Oct 7, 2014
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  13. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    I suggest we need definite 90s supported by stop watch readings only as by definition anything with GPS would be too recent. Could I suggest that Al adjudicates and keeps the definitive list which could be posted from time to time. As I have a bit of spare time this week I am going to go right through my books from day One in 1960 and post the results later

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 7, 2014
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  14. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    That would have been a V2 in absolutely top form. AFAIK no 100mph runs were recorded behind them and the maximum on record is 98mph.
     
    Spamcan81, Oct 7, 2014
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  15. Big Dave

    Big Dave Member

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    I don't think your criteria in #6 applies to BR they only got cross if the train was running to time and 60mph was exceeded. Case in point on the Welsh Marches Express the climb from Shrewsbury would be abysmal, deliberately so as to lose time.
    The departure from the photo stops an run pasts was well late but they would be right time at Hereford.

    On one of these runs 5000 ran at speed well into the 80's this one was not disclosed until recently.

    Cheers Dave
     
    Big Dave, Oct 7, 2014
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  16. 46223

    46223 Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    11 February 1995.

    46203 also hit 90mph southbound through Wigan NW on 4 March 1995.
     
    46223, Oct 7, 2014
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  17. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    OK here is my list up until the end of 1964. It isn't set out quite as Al intended but when I have finished I will put in loco order with no duplication:

    16.07.1962 -35020-90 at Hinton Admiral 230 pm Waterloo
    23.07.1962- 35014-92 at Broad Clyst on down ACE driver Spray
    25.07.1962 - 34059-92 at Broad Clyst-down local
    03.07.1963-73155- 90 at Byfleet Jct 740pm Bomo up
    08.07 1963- 35009-90 after Grateley up ACE driver Bert Cambray
    29.02.1964-35020-91 Gillingham, 96 Sherborne, 91 Axminster down ACE driver Bezley
    30.05.1964-35012-90 Sherborne, 92 Broad Clyst down ACE driver Cook
    05.07.1964-34096-90 Porton 4pm down driver Frank Turner
    21.07.1964-35025-91 Andover down ACE driver Fred Hoare
    22.07.1964-35009-90 Andover, driver Fred Hoare, 92 Gillingham, 94 Sherborne. Down ACE-driver Cook
    31.07.1964-70054-90-Weedon-up Irish Mail relief

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 7, 2014
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  18. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    There is also the reported occasion of 4771 / 60800 on its return to the main line in the 1980s running between York and Leeds but re-routed from Church Fenton via the ECML and Selby but lost little time overall by virtue of an 80 mph run on the ECML; not fast perhaps but in clear breach of BR's then 60 mph speed limit but authorised on the day and monitored by the footplate inspector.
     
    Fred Kerr, Oct 7, 2014
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  19. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Was hoping for folk out there who were up and down the ECML and WCML in particular when others were doing the same on the SWML. Current data suggests that we have just under half the rebuilt MN class recorded at 90 or faster. That feels a bit one-sided but in a nice way though!
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
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  20. david1984

    david1984 Resident of Nat Pres

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    On a slight tangent, is that likely to be a record for a mixed traffic type* ?, would be hard to imagine a Black 5 or Hall matching that.

    *Bulleids don't count, despite what Oliver wrote on the design spec!.
     
    david1984, Oct 7, 2014
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