Incredibly cool photos of trains

[SWTH]

My grandparents bought me the whole set! They’re in storage somewhere, really ought to dig them out.

[Silver Smudger]

FourWheelDrift said:

I understand the Coronation streamlining made maintenance very awkward (the reason it was removed) but I always see it as streamlining for style reasons, whereas the A4 Pacifics were streamlined for engineering reasons.

I suspect it was all for marketing for a 'modern' look. Has anyone done any analysis of the effectiveness of streamliners? It would be interesting to see CFD techniques applied

[RyanOPlasty]

I'll just leave this here



Gresley's A4s were originally schemed to have a front end like this, but after the first two P2s were built the familiar A4 front end was used on the remaining four.

This new build is still on target to be in steam in 2021; see more here

[Rostfritt]

Silver Smudger said:

FourWheelDrift said:

I understand the Coronation streamlining made maintenance very awkward (the reason it was removed) but I always see it as streamlining for style reasons, whereas the A4 Pacifics were streamlined for engineering reasons.

I suspect it was all for marketing for a 'modern' look. Has anyone done any analysis of the effectiveness of streamliners? It would be interesting to see CFD techniques applied

I think I read somewhere it was not that effective in reducing drag, whether that was for speed or efficiency it doesn't really matter. The cross sectional area of an object is more important than aerodynamics and in that regard trains are pretty good anyway. No other form of transport is long and thin like a train. Someone else can correct or elaborate, but I am sure I have read there is more drag caused by the air flow being disrupted by the gaps between carriages than the flatness of the front.

Obviously this depends on the speed, a modern high speed train has a well designed front, especially to cope with tunnel boom.

[rs1952]

Yertis said:

RichB said:

Funny that no one has mentioned the GWR Streamliners; King Henry VII and Manorbier Castle. Someone mentioned marketing people earlier!

Some things are best left unmentioned.

Charlie Collett had no interest in or enthusiasm for streamlining whatsoever.

When instructed by the GWR Board to do it, he sent an office boy out to buy some plasticine, then smeared it over a model of a "King" he had on his desk, and then issued instructions to the Works of "Here - go and build that"

He was probably using the age old trick of "if you do something badly enough they won't ask you again"

[meb90]

P5BNij said:

Further to the pair of 31s taking a stroll onto the North Circular, this is Stoke-on-Trent in the early '80s...

And Stourbridge Town in 1977...

I might well be wrong, but I'm sure I read somewhere that the Stourbridge incident was caused after some testing. Brake tests were being conducted having applied something to the rails to reduce friction. It was forgotten to be removed and the next train couldn't stop in time when it came into the station.

[Teddy Lop]

meb90 said:

I might well be wrong, but I'm sure I read somewhere that the Stourbridge incident was caused after some testing. Brake tests were being conducted having applied something to the rails to reduce friction. It was forgotten to be removed and the next train couldn't stop in time when it came into the station.

whyever would you carry out such tests at the end of the line?

Actually scrub that I went to colledge with a couple of brummies.

[meb90]

Teddy Lop said:

whyever would you carry out such tests at the end of the line?

Actually scrub that I went to colledge with a couple of brummies.

Haha, well whatever you think of Brummies, I was wrong. I've just found that is was a brake failure that caused the crash. From here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stourbridge_Town_bra...

[P5BNij]

meb90 said:

Teddy Lop said:

whyever would you carry out such tests at the end of the line?

Actually scrub that I went to colledge with a couple of brummies.

Haha, well whatever you think of Brummies, I was wrong. I've just found that is was a brake failure that caused the crash. From here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stourbridge_Town_bra...

It's an area of railway littered with deceptively steep gradients, I don't sign the 'Town' branch but I do sign the mainline through Stourbridge Junction up to Kingswinford, heading north it's a fair old climb with a heavy freight and coming back down with the empties you still have to be very careful because nine times out of ten you will be stopped before reaching the Junction. The line round to Cradley Heath is just as bad with Old Hill bank being a stiff climb.

[W124Bob]

I like my engines BIG, so here is 4014 back in the spring of 2014 on it's way to Cheyenne for $14million dollar restoration. On May 9th this year UP will steam her in public and it will then appear at the 150th annivesary of the completion of the transcontinental mailine the following day, it will then start an extensive US tour. Note the lead loco is the modern 4014 whilst the other diesel is 4884, the wheel arrangment of the Big Boy.

The rest of the UP heritage fleet, https://www.up.com/heritage/index.htm

[silverfoxcc]

Had a tour around the workshops last year and managed to see 6 of the 8 remaining Big Boys, and big Boys they are!!
I will tyry and rake out a pic of the tender!

[Yertis]

W124Bob said:

I like my engines BIG, so here is 4014 back in the spring of 2014 on it's way to Cheyenne for $14million dollar restoration. On May 9th this year UP will steam her in public and it will then appear at the 150th annivesary of the completion of the transcontinental mailine the following day, it will then start an extensive US tour. Note the lead loco is the modern 4014 whilst the other diesel is 4884, the wheel arrangment of the Big Boy.

The rest of the UP heritage fleet, https://www.up.com/heritage/index.htm

Do my eyes deceive or are there men riding along in the bunker?

[bobbo89]

Yertis said:

Do my eyes deceive or are there men riding along in the bunker?

I think it's just a bit of perspective thing and they're actually a maintenance crew watching it pass.

These old Big Boys are cool, if only for being un-apologetically American where bigger is better but they're still no A4 for me!

[W124Bob]

They are in the bunker! Infact at one stop during the journey a party of schoolkids joined the trip for a view miles. UP funeral train for George Bush , UP is the oldest US railroad with Lincoln having a hand in it's founding back in 1864.

Norfolk Southern is not as old but they also do things with style, this is there heritage fleet. Twenty brand new locos in 2012 were painted in the liveries of the merged railroads which became Norfolk Southern. NS also run 611 a 4-8-4 steam loco.

[marksx]

bobbo89 said:

I think it's just a bit of perspective thing and they're actually a maintenance crew watching it pass.

These old Big Boys are cool, if only for being un-apologetically American where bigger is better but they're still no A4 for me!

I had to look further as it would be a hell of an illusion, but they are inside.

Skip to about 10 min

https://youtu.be/WRxKpiD_ntY

[irocfan]

W124Bob said:

They are in the bunker! Infact at one stop during the journey a party of schoolkids joined the trip for a view miles. UP funeral train for George Bush , UP is the oldest US railroad with Lincoln having a hand in it's founding back in 1864.

wow, that is some turnout for a politician!

[bobbo89]

marksx said:

I had to look further as it would be a hell of an illusion, but they are inside.

Skip to about 10 min

https://youtu.be/WRxKpiD_ntY

Nice one, was trying to find a higher res pic but couldn't, bet that was a giggle riding up there!

[SWTH]

A very different method of running a train:

A matter of utmost gravity

[marksx]

SWTH said:

A very different method of running a train:

A matter of utmost gravity

Seen that somewhere before. Does it run from a slate mine?

[Flying Phil]

marksx said:

SWTH said:

A very different method of running a train:

A matter of utmost gravity

Seen that somewhere before. Does it run from a slate mine?

Yes, Festiniog Railway in North Wales, the slate quarries are high up along the valley and the railway goes steadily downhill to the dock at Port Madoc. Originally they used horses to pull the empty wagons back up then - and now, they use Steam locomotives. Sometimes they demonstrate the free running down the hill with brakes men/women on several wagons controlling the speed with handbrakes.