coradiafan2000
Member
I was reading "The Modified Bulleid Pacifics" by Tim Hillier-Graves and came across a claim by a Southern Region fireman by the name of Jim Marsh that there was an article in Locomotive Express where an Exmouth Junction driver claimed he had covered 3.5 miles in 1.5 minutes, at an average speed of 140mph, in an unrebuilt Merchant Navy. I thought it was a typo at first, but Marsh then goes on to say that nobody contradicted the story and that another driver he knew said he knew the writer and that he wasn't prone to exaggeration. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at this.
Is there any truth to this claim at all? I know that the Merchant Navies were incredibly quick in their original forms, but would 140mph even be possible? Much less on a stretch of line that isn't Stoke Bank? There's no mention of what stretch of line this speed allegedly occurred on. I know there were several instances of 100mph by the rebuilt pacifics so I'm willing to believe even higher speeds were reached by the original engines but 140mph seems very far fetched to me.
Similarly, are there any other rumours of Mallard's 126mph being broken, or any other exceptionally high speeds achieved by steam? I've heard rumours that a GWR Saint reached 120mph light engine while on test, which I find a bit more believable. And are there any similar stories with diesel and electric traction?
Is there any truth to this claim at all? I know that the Merchant Navies were incredibly quick in their original forms, but would 140mph even be possible? Much less on a stretch of line that isn't Stoke Bank? There's no mention of what stretch of line this speed allegedly occurred on. I know there were several instances of 100mph by the rebuilt pacifics so I'm willing to believe even higher speeds were reached by the original engines but 140mph seems very far fetched to me.
Similarly, are there any other rumours of Mallard's 126mph being broken, or any other exceptionally high speeds achieved by steam? I've heard rumours that a GWR Saint reached 120mph light engine while on test, which I find a bit more believable. And are there any similar stories with diesel and electric traction?