The Rail Enthusiast thread

[BrumJim]

Wonderful sound of birds, ruined by a diesel kicking out so much smoke it looks like it wants to be a steam train!

 

[Gravity Aided]

You can hear birds anytime. Napier Deltics, not so often.
Opposed pistons!

 

[ianrauk]

Here you go...just found this, think I mentioned it before..
60 trucks train in the desert of Utah.

(loud wind noise warning)

 

[the_mikey]

On BBC iPlayer currently there is a programme called 'Bird's Eye View - Beside the Seaside' which is a helicopter view of parts of the UK narrated by John Betjeman( in the late 60's) which features a glimpse of some railway activity, notably a class 52 hauled train a DMU and others.

 

[vernon]

It is filthy. Were they always that bad?

Usually only when starting or in need of a service which was quite often. If I remember correctly roughly a third of the class were being attended to at any given time.

 

[Gravity Aided]

If the Napier Deltic was anything like the Fairbanks-Morse locomotives in America, (also having opposed piston design) the repair record was much the same, about 1/3 of units out. Piston wear was a great problem for F-M in their opposed piston engines, and caused them to smoke quite a bit, as oil leaked past piston seals and was burned with fuel.

 

[flyingfish]

I was told that early diesels and late steam locomotives had similar levels of emissions
Pete

 

[Gravity Aided]

And both had about the same down-time. Steam took 5 minutes to find a problem, and 5 days to fix it. Diesels took 5 days to find a problem, and 5 minutes to fix it. Or vice-versa, dependent on the problem. In all honesty, when some of the early diesels were new, they ran quite well, with low emissions, for their time. Then railroads started losing money or funds, and maintenance slid, and these latter day problems, witnessed by later observers, form some basis of that view. Case in point:-I'm in the states, and saw Alco RS-3s belonging to both Penn Central and Gulf-Mobile and Ohio. Penn-Centrals smoked it up quite a bit, GM&O's did not. All in the maintenance.

 

[robjh]

I recently had a day at the Bluebell Railway, with an old friend of mine who now has links with the railway. It was a great day out - my first one at the Bluebell since I was at school - and culminated in a footplate ride from Horsted Keynes to Sheffield Park. I was particularly struck by the large range of really old locomotives and coaching stock, and the careful restoration of old wooden coaches that was going on.

on the footplate of an ex-Southern Railway S15 class 4-6-0

the view ahead - running tender-first

arrival at Sheffield Park

 

[flyingfish]

Sorry for late notice but A4 Bittern is coming down the ecml passing hitchin around 19-30 tonight
Pete

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Bittern schedule here;

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t14/t1230a.htm

 

[flyingfish]

Thanks Richard I can't post links from my phone
Pete

 

[theloafer]

this might come in handy soon.. just found on my phone.. was at Railway Museum Shildon

 

[vernon]

I paid a visit to the Middleton Railway as an excuse to get out on my bike. The railway was closed but I was allowed to explore the maintenance shed by one of the volunteers.

Kitson 5469 of 1933, essentially a Manning Wardle design.

Far locomotive Brush 91 near locomotive Peckett 5003 of 1958

Near locomotive, Greenwood and Batley coke oven locomotive. Unusable because of it's unusual dimensions but preserved as an example of a Leeds built locomotive.

Hunslett, Picton of 1927 rescued from Trinidad but unlikely to be restored.

Sentinel LNER Yi vertical boilered locomotive.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Nice!

Not been to Middleton Railway for a few years (August 2007, according to dates on pics)

Here's my contribution;

Matthew Murray


The climb up, under the M1 bridge




'Duchess of Sutherland' restarting at Pontefract Baghill (the Hobbit station??), after watering
A nice tight curve. & a masterly display getting moving
Saturday 29th June 2013





'Tornado' at Burton Salmon, by site of the old station (taken from the 'Tadcaster Turn-Pike'/A162)
Saturday 7th July 2013