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Project to develop a new type of steam loco in the USA?

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Harbon 1

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I apologies if I've seen it wrong and worried anyone! But I saw today at Glasgow Central WHSmiths on one f the steam magazines had a corner of the front cover with something along the lines of 'Americans to break Mallard's record'

Does anyone know any anything about this? I've had a quick search through google, but can't find anything...

Mods: If this needs to be in 'Traction and Rolling Stock, feel free to move it, and if I'm going mad, please feel free to lock this thread!

Cheers,
Matt
 
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BestWestern

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Anybody other than the Yanks and I'd have thought it doubtful, but once you said 'Americans...' :roll:

Nobody would respect such a new record anyway. The moment has well and truly passed.
 

Monty

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This the project I think you mean. I'm still trying to decide if it's a bad joke or a con in order to raise funds to restore the locomotive to running order. The locomotive in question they want rebuilt is a Baldwin built 4-6-4 built in 1937 number 3463 (which makes it older than mallard!) You can find infomation on her here. The real pity of the whole affair is she is the only survivor of her class and they want to rebuilt it completely!

The current claim in some of the articles published in this month's magazines is that once the rebuild is complete they see no reason why they cannot get 130mph out of her...

I'll let people draw their own conclusions.. ;)
 

D841 Roebuck

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The Germans could probably have an attempt with a reasonable chance of success.

Loco 05-002 apparently managed 124.5 mph in 1936. Sister 05-001 is preserved. If fettled up, it'd have a good go given a run on part of the ICE network with straightish downhill gradients.

Unlike Mallard, it wouldn't remain in front line service for a further 24 years, though!
 
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The Germans could probably have an attempt with a reasonable chance of success.

Loco 05-002 apparently managed 124.5 mph in 1936. Sister 05-001 is preserved. If fettled up, it'd have a good go given a run on part of the ICE network with straightish downhill gradients.

Unlike Mallard, it wouldn't remain in front line service for a further 24 years, though!

And also unlike Mallard 05-002 didn't need a long downhill run. It's record was set on pretty much level track.
 

AeroSpace

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CSR plans to test the locomotive in excess of 130 miles per hour, out-performing any existing diesel-electric on the market

This seems to be untrue.
 

Oswyntail

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And, of course, everyone knows a Duchess could easily have broken the record (and still could) with teh favourable conditions that Mallard had! <D
 

ainsworth74

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And, of course, everyone knows a Duchess could easily have broken the record (and still could) with teh favourable conditions that Mallard had!

And more than sixty years after their respective companies ceased to exist the rivalry continues!

:lol:
 

gordonthemoron

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The Germans could probably have an attempt with a reasonable chance of success.

Loco 05-002 apparently managed 124.5 mph in 1936. Sister 05-001 is preserved. If fettled up, it'd have a good go given a run on part of the ICE network with straightish downhill gradients.

Unlike Mallard, it wouldn't remain in front line service for a further 24 years, though!

The High Speed Line between Frankfurt Airport and Siegburg-Bonn has quite a steep descent toward Siegburg
 

LE Greys

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According to his son on a documentary I once watched, Tom Bray once claimed to have done 130mph when heading down Stoke, but they had to hit the brakes before going over the points somewhere (probably Helpston). Bill Hoole famously had a crack at the record on a railtour in 1959, but was told to slow down when he hit 112 (it's still the post-war speed record though). So it might just be possible to get an A4 above 126. Still, unless we see a new loco built, I doubt that anything will, purely on the grounds of safety.

http://www.sirnigelgresley.org.uk/23-05-1959.html
 

WatcherZero

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For speed attempts they always used a train that was worn in though but by now age will have robbed most preserved steam trains of their youthful power.
Wasnt there a UK project where they were going to build a steam train from scratch using modern technology like materials and CAD to see how much you could push steam?
 

LE Greys

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For speed attempts they always used a train that was worn in though but by now age will have robbed most preserved steam trains of their youthful power.
Wasnt there a UK project where they were going to build a steam train from scratch using modern technology like materials and CAD to see how much you could push steam?

http://www.5at.co.uk/

Apparently, the project is 'currently suspended', but may start up again at some time in the future. It certainly looked promising.

Image is from a livery competition I once entered.
 

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WatcherZero

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Mmm, reading the last newsletter seems to be the sad admission that while they have the engineering principles they would need £10m to build a prototype and even then theres no team around with sufficent experience of steam technology to actually physically design it.
 

E&W Lucas

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I apologies if I've seen it wrong and worried anyone! But I saw today at Glasgow Central WHSmiths on one f the steam magazines had a corner of the front cover with something along the lines of 'Americans to break Mallard's record'

From someone who's been involved in preservation for an awfully long time - don't take too much notice of what you read in magazines, and of that one in particular. A lot of their "journalism" seems to comer from grazing internet forums, rather than first hand sources!
 

12CSVT

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Sorry to be a killjoy, but in my opinion the only thing A4 loco 4468 broke on 3rd July 1938 was its wheel bearings.

Yes I know it is an official record, but given the circumstances (in particular the damage to its bearings), I've never understood why it was regarded as a valid record (other than a publicity stunt by LNER).
 

LE Greys

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Sorry to be a killjoy, but in my opinion the only thing A4 loco 4468 broke on 3rd July 1938 was its wheel bearings.

Yes I know it is an official record, but given the circumstances (in particular the damage to its bearings), I've never understood why it was regarded as a valid record (other than a publicity stunt by LNER).

This was hooked to the back, so the event was fully recorded (unlike City of Truro or Coronation for instance). Both the German record and Flying Scotsman did the same thing.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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Youthful power, steam loco, Tornado?

Could be fun on a run down HS1...

I am sure Tornado or indeed some of the other older main line certified Steam Locos (King Ed I, Lizzie etc) could get up to 100 mph at least if they were not subject to the present limits which they are restricted to by network rail or H &S or who ever decides these things.
 

DaveNewcastle

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. . . . .the only thing A4 loco 4468 broke on 3rd July 1938 was its wheel bearings.

Yes I know it is an official record, but given the circumstances (in particular the damage to its bearings), I've never understood why it was regarded as a valid record . . . . .
Didn't the damage occur after starting to break before reaching Essendine? Or was that the alledged damage to its middle cylinder?

Otherwise, I share some of your skepticism, on one hand, the attempt was highly contrived, with a short train and downhill run, but on the other was handicapped by the temporary speed restriction through Grantham and the stop before Peterborough.
 
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