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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. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    We tend not to boast about our locos up here, it's just accepted as the norm......:rolleyes:
     
    RalphW, Oct 7, 2014
    #21
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  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I remember in 1999 Green Arrow progressively winding up her 13 coach train out of Crewe to a little under 80 in order to regain time on a late start. Given the load, 24 miles in under 27 min start to stop was rather impressive. Another Gresley triumph I thought. Express Freight...Express Passenger. Seemed interchangeable to me.
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
    #22
  3. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    No the boasting comes with a pint in your hand, I am told. ;)
     
    Big Al, Oct 7, 2014
    #23
  4. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    And I have hardly started yet!

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 7, 2014
    #24
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  5. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Would this be about 1996?
     
    Matt37401, Oct 7, 2014
    #25
  6. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    It must have been around then.
     
    RalphW, Oct 7, 2014
    #26
  7. 46223

    46223 Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    See post 16
     
    46223, Oct 7, 2014
    #27
  8. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Sory only for some reason only read the second line of that post and missed the date....:oops:
     
    RalphW, Oct 7, 2014
    #28
  9. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    I posted before reading the other posts but March 23rd's CME (the infamous one from Didcot with an 0418 start) had a rather quick start from Crewe not confirmation of 90+ but damn close!
     
    Matt37401, Oct 7, 2014
    #29
  10. GWR4707

    GWR4707 Nat Pres stalwart

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    It was a hell of a run and totally changed our perception of the V2's.

    For the record the timings were taken using mileposts and a stopwatch.
     
    GWR4707, Oct 8, 2014
    #30
  11. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    How could you ever have doubted the capabilities of the "engines that won the war?" :)
     
    Spamcan81, Oct 8, 2014
    #31
  12. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Agreed on your view about V2s. Quite remarkable given their MT status. When was the 98 you mentioned?
     
    Big Al, Oct 8, 2014
    #32
  13. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    Lets lay this one to rest shall we? The V2s were 7P/6F with a nominal TE of 33700 lb whereas the Bulleid light Pacifics were 7P/5F with a TE if only 27700. Both had 6 ft 2 inch drivers so why is it so surprising that a V2 did 98 mph when I timed two Bulleids at 100 mph and many at 90 plus? 34042 was also timed at 102 mph down Roundwood by a respected member of the Brighton design team and well known to us in the days if steam.

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 8, 2014
    #33
  14. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    How much difference would the shorter piston stroke of the Bulleid make I wonder?
     
    Martin Perry, Oct 8, 2014
    #34
  15. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    Yes it would and to be fair the V2s were designed as a true MT engine whereas the Bulleids weren't but had to be given that status due to being built in WW2. The V2s were also much more at home on heavy trains.

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 8, 2014
    #35
  16. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    I'll have to dig out the relevant RCTS if I can find it. BR days IIRC.
     
    Spamcan81, Oct 8, 2014
    #36
  17. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Found this on Wikipedia. Usual caveats apply. The 101 is news to me though.
    " One locomotive was reliably timed at 93 mph (150 km/h) on the Yorkshire Pullman while another attained 101.5 miles per hour (163 km/h) on a test train."
     
    Spamcan81, Oct 8, 2014
    #37
  18. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    Right so here are my 90 mph + runs from 1965 but starting with one I had missed from late 1964:

    05.12.1964-34018-90 at Winchfield/MP 38 on the 'Club Train' (1916 ex Soton). Redmund
    30.01.1965-60007-90 at Cargill on 0710 Aberdeen
    28.02.1965-35022-90 at Andover and Sherborne on the East Devon Tour. Spot King
    02.03.1965-35022-90 Winchester Jct on 1830 down
    13.03.1965-34064-93 Winchester Jct 0835 down Gordon Hooper
    04.04.1965-35012-93 Winchfield/MP 38 and 94 Brookwood up Belle with Gordon Hooper
    (Yes THAT run where we topped Roundwood at 76 mph with 455 tons 3,000 IHP)
    24.04.1965-35022-93 Winchfield/MP 38 on the 1116 Soton Gordon Porter
    14.05.1965-34006-95 at Winchester Jct on 2235 down Gordon Porter
    15.05.1965-34008-90 at St Cross on the 0830 down Bert Fordrey
    15.05.1965-35005-90 at Newnham Siding and 105 after Wallers Ash on the 2120 down Gordon Hooper
    16.05.1965- 34089-93 at Brookwood on the up Mails Gordon Hooper
    22.05.1965-35026-91 at Fleet on the up Royal Wessex Sooty Saunders
    (Timetables slowed down for electrification works so lots of trips to Scotland but no 90s)
    23.07.1965-35007-90 at Winchester 0n 1730 down Gordon Hooper
    03.10.1965-35022-90 at Sherborne on down Exeter Flyer with Gordon Hooper
    09.10.1965-34071-97 at Winchester Jct on 0835 am down Gordon Porter
    01.12.1965-34013-100 at Hurstbourne on the 1800 down Matthews
    11.12.1965-34098-93 at Winchester Jct on 0245 down Gordon Hooper

    That's all for now folks. 1966 is next when the light pacifics feature more and more. Already though I can see that the engine I had most tons with was 35022.

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Oct 8, 2014
    #38
  19. maddog

    maddog New Member

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    It really does show how useless tractive effort really is as a measure of performance, it's like comparing car engines on displacement alone when the massive differences in performance are shown. Also as regards to wheel diameter, surely not every locomotive used the same distance from centre regardless of wheel size?
     
    maddog, Oct 9, 2014
    #39
  20. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    In that context it's certainly interesting to look at where some of these speeds were achieved. Discount for a moment anything going downhill like Stoke, Wallers Ash, Winchester Junction, Hurstbourne, Andover etc. You are then left with very gentle falling grades like at Fleet, Hartford, Three Counties and flat like around Thirsk. Those are the impressive ones.
     
    Big Al, Oct 9, 2014
    #40
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