OT. 90mph Steam train celebrates 75 year old, 126mph speed record

Mark Rand · Jun 29, 2013

This is OT, but may be of some interest, if only for some of the scenery.

Today was the 75th anniversary of the 126mph speed record set by the steam locomotive Mallard. This record still stands. Her sister locomotive, Bittern was given special dispensation to exceed the national 75mph speed limit for steam locomotives to pull an excursion train the 200 miles from London to York in celebration:-

gwilson · Jun 29, 2013

Wish I could have been there to see it!!

oldster · Jun 29, 2013

If that doesn't bring a lump in your throat...you have no soul. :cheers:

Lee (the saw guy)

NCForster · Jun 29, 2013

I went to Newark to see it and got in a traffic jam , guess what I missed it Gutted

bob ward · Jun 29, 2013

Gawd that takes me back. Some English railway stations had 4 tracks, 2 at the platforms for local trains and 2 down the centre for through trains. It was awesome while waiting for the local train to watch the expresses blast through the station at 60/70 mph.

Limy Sami · Jun 29, 2013

Magnificent, so good to see an oldie being run as originally intended and not pussy footing around a short line preserved railway.

ronan · Jun 29, 2013

Rushing by, the hiss of the steam, smell of the oil and eerie shriek of the whistle as it races along, absolutely magical. The modern world is crap.

Greg White · Jun 29, 2013

Thank you!
that was so pretty,had that lump mentioned above...
Gw

jkilroy · Jun 29, 2013

What a thing of beauty. Nothing, and I mean nothing, sounds like a steam whistle. To be standing track side and feel the ground shake, oh my. If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times, if I was a billionaire, I'd break that record. And what a wonderful undertaking it would be.

Rick Rowlands · Jun 29, 2013

At only 90 mph Bittern had a lot more to give!

oldster · Jun 29, 2013

I get a lot of my info about the world from the BBC, and this is part of their current offerings:

Bittern set off from platform four at King's Cross, stopping at Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, to pick up more passengers.

Richard Corser, general manager at organiser Locomotive Services Ltd, said: "Today is the culmination of a lot of months of preparation to make this happen, to go at a high speed and to give the passengers a bit of a flavour of what high-speed steam was like.
"This country's very famous for its engineering skills and steam was its cradle."
Bittern and Mallard are two of 35 A4s designed by engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, but only six survive.

The surviving locomotives will be reunited at the National Railway Museum in York to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Mallard's record on 3 July.

Dominion of Canada was shipped from Montreal last October while Dwight D Eisenhower has reached York from the US and both have been restored for the anniversary.

Union of South Africa and the Sir Nigel Gresley will also join them at the museum.

Anthony Coulls, the museum's senior curator of rail vehicle collections, said: "What we're planning is a major celebration - people will be coming from four corners of the Earth.

"The gathering of the six locomotives is the jewel in the crown."

Damn! I'm stuck here in the Colonies and green with envy!

Lee (the saw guy)

motion guru · Jun 29, 2013

Best bit of mechanical poetry I have witnessed in a long time.

tdmidget · Jun 29, 2013

And look at that stack! As clear as any diesel! That fireman has got it goin' on!!!

tdmidget · Jun 29, 2013

And to whet your appetite, Norfolk Southern has stated that if the Roanoke transportation museum can get N&W 611 ovehauled ( Approx 3.5 million) they will let it run on their system. 611 could drag that limey engine around like popping a whip. Search N&W 611 on you tube to see her run in the previous steam program. Also N&W 1218. If only, oh if only, a Y6b had been saved.

stephen thomas · Jun 29, 2013

Wonderful event and fantastic videos! I ended up spending too much time looking at other steam locos from youtube links from the first.

GB certainly does seem to have more engines in steam, often running on regular lines than we ever do here. But the passenger rail infrastructure is better there, too; so probably makes it more cost effective to run specials, excursions, and even somewhat regular tourist routes in steam.

Bittern and Mallard are two of 35 A4s designed by engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, but only six survive.

Only!.
Of 275 Hudsons produced for the NY Central ("20th century limited" including the iconic Dreyfus "streamliners" toward the end of service) & the final development of 27 Niagaras as the ultimate steamer for that service (flat, fast, long distance)....None survived.
These were trains that often operated above 90mph on the ~950 mile run between NYC & Chicago and were reputed to have sometimes exceeded 120mph. In a careful cost analysis by the NY Central in the 1950's, the Niagaras bettered diesel-electrics in first cost as well as service and maintenance costs. But the writing was on the wall and all were out of service by 1957 & eventually all scrapped.

smt

Limy Sami · Jun 30, 2013

Rick Rowlands said:
At only 90 mph Bittern had a lot more to give!

Oh she had

but was restricted to 90 by the rail authorities, who upped the limit from it's normal 75mph.

railfancwb · Jun 30, 2013

tdmidget said:
And to whet your appetite, Norfolk Southern has stated that if the Roanoke transportation museum can get N&W 611 ovehauled ( Approx 3.5 million) they will let it run on their system. 611 could drag that limey engine around like popping a whip. Search N&W 611 on you tube to see her run in the previous steam program. Also N&W 1218. If only, oh if only, a Y6b had been saved.

A Y6b is preserved at the transportation museum outside St Louis, but is unlikely to ever steam again.

The 1218 was partially rebuilt at the time NS abruptly canceled the steam program in the mid-1990s, and was dressed up cosmetically for exhibit at the museum. I was told while visiting the museum last month that one of the engine units would need to be rebuilt as it was in that process when work stopped. Then the usual boiler and flue work would be needed.

At least the NS management currently in place appreciates the good will a steam program can provide.

railfancwb · Jun 30, 2013

Here is a link to the 611 restoration project...

http://fireup611.org/

Jim Christie · Jun 30, 2013

Railfan ,
Thanks for starting the thread .
Here are some pictures I took of the Dominion of Canada ready for shipment to England taken at its Canadian home Expo Rail near Montreal last September .
Some more related links from Expo Rail
Welcome to Exporail | Exporail - Le musée ferroviaire canadien
Travelling | Exporail - Le musée ferroviaire canadien
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2967708008161&set=o.110933262266375&type=3&theater
Regards,
Jim

Peter. · Jun 30, 2013

I notice in the vid, the lack of any appreciable amount smoke from the smokestack. I wonder if this is from the coal being used now (following some regulation perhaps) or from the heat of the fire where it's working hard?

I do recall my father telling me it was difficult for them to find a particular type of coal nowadays but remember what he said was special about it (might have been something about sulphur). Alas, he's no longer around to ask.

OT. 90mph Steam train celebrates 75 year old, 126mph speed record

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