But somewhere up thread it was stated that the NF with steam loaded to 400t, and that a MN was used alone, at least at times.
We all know that the light pacifics slipped like billy-oh, and I assume the original MNs weren't much better (I never saw them, consciously, in unrebuilt form). I just think it would have been interesting to try a Brit. Yes, as pacifics they would slip more easily than, say, a Nelson, but I suspect they were easier to handle than an original MN/BB/WC when starting. Having said that, of course, as mere 2-cylinder machines, the variation in force at the wheel-rail interface would likely be greater than with a 3-cylinder machine.
Still, it's all in the rather dim and distant past now.
Incidentally, the Class 71s having to take up to 750t is VERY impressive - and one wonders how prone they were to slipping with such loads - I mean, as Bo-Bo locos with a weight of just 78t, that's not a huge amount of adhesion available for the tractve effort needed to shift that kind of load. Even climbing the bank out of Victoria must have been a challenge.
That's a real treasure!