Okay then, all my previous comments are retracted - caused too much friction, which was never the intent of my original post.
But, really, all you guys who have taken umbrage at my previous comment, take another look at the pictures of ugliness in this thread and tell me with a straight face you wouldn't rather see a photo of an A4 or some other graceful steed speeding across Digswell Viaduct. Come come, gents, have you no sense of aesthetics? Well, I guess that to see some sort of beauty in a diesel is all in the eye of the beholder - just not this one. Steam is THE WORD.
would love nothing better than watching a A4 come over the royal border bridge every day
it would be a better site than them CRAP class 66s and as for them 67s there just a upside down skip on wheels
steam may be the word but i still love the deltics and 37s there sadly missed
as for the new class 70 all i can say is - HORRIBLE
The locomotive photograph shown in the posting by hq1hitchin for 16 July is of the 4-8-4 (or 2-D-2) "Fell" locomotive, number 10100. It was an interesting concept for a large diesel-mechanical locomotive. It was a "functional-looking" locomotive, as opposed to a "styled" locomotive. It ran for some time in demonstration service.
I believe that the location for this photograph was Olympia because there appears to be a conductor rail outside the running rail in the photograph. I can remember attending exhibitions of railway vehicles at Olympia in the distant past.
The "Fell" locomotive was included in the Willesden Exhibition in 1954, where I saw it. I still have a brochure for this locomotive in my files. The description for the "Fell" locomotive in the catalogue for the Exhibition reads as follows:
This locomotive is powered by four 500h.p. Davey Paxman diesel engines, supercharged by two A.E.C. 150 h.p. engines. The "Fell" system of transmission is used incorporating differential gears as a means of grouping together the output of one to four engines. The final drive is by coupling rods. The locomotive is 50 ft. overall and weighs 120 tons in working order. The maximum speed is 74 m.p.h. and the locomotive can negotiate 5-chain curves. The maximum tractive effort is 33,500 lbs. The locomotive is fitted with boilers for steam heating and 780 gallons of diesel fuel are carried, together with 500 gallons of water.
Wonder if the failure of 'Mallard' at Tweedmouth in 1953 was the time that there was a problem with the regulator valve on one of her workings on 'The Elizabethan', causing her to be removed from the train.
Magic moments! A4 60024 on the up Queen of Scots 1962 -should have been a diesel- approaching Berwick station with a long blast on her chime whistle, then away over the Border bridge and another long, long chime heard in the distance as she passed Tweedmouth. Or Deltic D9020 on the up mail ,opened up passing Tweedmouth with sparks flying out of the exhaust on a January night all to the accompaniment of that 'sound track'!
I've only been on the footplate of industrials and narrow gauge locos. Nice enough in their way, but not the same as an A4 .
I have to say, the class 70 really does look ugly. It makes the 66 look elegant! There's speculation on another web-site as to what they are going to be nick-named - 'Baldricks' was one, 'Hippos' another. Bring back the 56s and 60s!
Interesting that it is being allocated as Class 70. Under the TOPS code this has already been used before although the 3 locos were withdrawn before the new numbers were applied.
Steam is THE WORD.
