Posted on 12/23/2009 2:36:49 PM PST by Stoat
About 100 passengers climbed aboard the first mainline steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost half a century at London Victoria when electric trains were delayed.
The 1940s technology used to power Tornado, a £3million Peppercorn class A1 Pacific, was able to withstand the snow and ice that brought much of the South East to a standstill on Monday night.
Historic solution: The Tornado A1 locomotive came to the aid of stranded passengers let down by modern trains in freezing conditions
The locomotive's 'Cathedrals Express' service was offering festive trips in the region when staff on board heard about the stranded passengers.
The travellers were offered free seats and were dropped off at stations as it chuffed through Kent, said Mark Allatt, chairman of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the charity which built Tornado.
Mr Allatt said they were pleased to be able to help some of London's stranded commuters 'get home in style' and joked that rail operators could learn lessons from them.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Does the EU know that the Brits are running steam engines?
You’re so right, there really is nothing like the sound of a train off in the distance at night, even a diesel horn, which is all I hear anymore.
Once summer years ago I was driving up through northeastern PA and suddenly found myself running right alongside a locomotive, maybe 50 feet off to my left. I looked over and saw the engineer, I waved to him and tooted my horn, and he waved and tooted back. His horn was louder, though. The road curved away, and we both went our separate ways. I never forgot that moment.
There’s something special about a train.
“Probably no flange on the middle set of wheels.”
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That’s only true on toy trains, not full-size engines.
Railroads know what their radii are, and have worked for 150 years to make them larger, in order to accommodate larger motive power. The ‘Pacific’ three-driver-per-side configuration on this ‘large’ British engine was actually the most common for ordinary American engines in the 20th century (the ‘American’ two-driver was the most common in the 19th c., and perhaps is better known today from the movies.)
Articulated engines had two sets of drivers, mounted on pivots, to provide necessary power on roads where the terrain precluded regrading to larger radii. Modern diesels are also articulated.
It’s missing the armoured train the commissar rode around in the movie Dr Zhivago :( That was mean looking.
Dunno about that, just a site with a ton of cool pics tho.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks !
It works, so great!
Nice photos. I understand that the British fascination (extreme hobby) with recording military jet tail numbers (during takeoffs and landings) hearkens back to the days of recording locomotive numbers and times of passage.
ping
All the more reason to build an emergency fleet of backup steam locomotives in the event of a terrorist attack by an EMP device. Especially in areas that are served by third rail power.
My favorite American locomotives, the Challenger 4-6-6-4, Big Boy 4-8-8-4 and the GS-4 Daylight. I have the first two in HO scale, very expensive ones too. One of these days I will get the GS-4 4-8-4.
Hoping Steamranger can get 520 running again. 621 shouldn't have to carry all the load. (The 620 series is actually the older, smaller model)
Almost sounds like “The little Train That Could”
“I think I can, I think I can.”
They claim it is the “last steam locomotive-powered common carrier standard gauge railroad operating in North America”
They may be right. We lost our Union/Pacific narrow gauge track a year or two ago. Ours switched the Southern tracks and it doesn’t pass near our house anymore. Kirkwood, Missour, is a big railroad town. Cars used to park all day long just to watch trains go by.
Even though the Southern Tracks are a half a mile away, when it went through you could hear that whistle in the distance. I guess the locomotive and cars are now a permanent fixture at the Museum of Transportation out in DesPeres. Sad, but I don’t think I’ll get to hear it pass again.
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