My weekly email Hattons newsletter arrived in my inbox a short time ago, and I decided to order the publication below, featured in the email. I noticed that in the top left corner of the front cover is a small pic of "GT3" which some will recall my recently completed kit. There is also mentioned various Gas Turbine and 'Prototype' loco's, and as I have a particular interest in the 'unusual/oddball/different' loco's, this was a 'must' for me! Keith.
Yes I remember the GT3 build you did Keith , now talking of the oddball have you every seen pictures of Hookham's NSR Class D 0-6-0 tank engine built with 4 cylinder Walshaerts valve gear, the soft iron packing gland rings patented by Hookham became the precursor inspiring Gresley to incorporate this new design on his GNR Pacifics. The loco was converted into a tender engine and soon after and scrapped by the LMS.
I always fancied modifying a Doublo / Wrenn R1 + the Duchess valve gear to make one of them, but never got round to it (couldn't source the valve gear, and wasn't going to dismantle my City of Stoke-on-Trent ) The owd knotty rules, the only thing managing to keep the Midland Rly and LNWR apart Paul
When it comes to "Oddballs", I'm maybe grateful that this one never came into being! Underneath the skin (and it IS a skin, made from canvas and wood apparently) there is a "Schools" Class loco!!! It was a 'design exercise' carried out under Oliver Bulleid, but thankfully never came to fruition. At the risk of upsetting the LNER afficionado's amongst us, you have to remember that Bulleid was Nigel Gresley's 2nd in command for a number of years, and it was rumoured that Bulleid was largely responsible for the 'streamlining' of the A4's, and it shows in this proposed "Southern" abortion (sorry, can't think of a better description!) as in my opinion, it ain't pretty, whereas the A4's definitely were. Where Gresleys designs were mainly aimed at increased speed and efficiency, the "Southern" were less concerned with speed and record breaking (as in LNER versus LMS), many of the "Southern" designed loco's suffered from poor visibility from the cabs due to smoke and steam emissions, hence the various designs of chimneys and smoke deflectors tried at various times, particularly but not exclusively, on the "Merchant Navies". Keith.
Now your tempting me arn't you Paul... City of Stoke on Trent. As a very small child I remember being taken by Grandad to North Western Yard to see City of Stoke on Trent on the Centenary Exhibition, a rake of ex Stanier porthole stock marked up in Guilt Edge Carpet livery of black and silver formed an exhibition train parked up behind. New L number 2 was there also on an adjacent siding but I cannot say I have too much of a memory of that loco, I remember it was cold and raining... typical Stoke. I also remember wooden scaffolding planks laid in the 4 foot to help stop visitors tripping over on the tracks as they wandered about, walking towards the Cliffe Vale end of the carriage stock sidings was a large wooden hut in which an auction of old railway related artifacts was taking place... the room was filled with lots of men wearing raincoats and bowler hats and all smoking pipes. But I well remember the Duchess nicely polished up clean in a carmine red livery, such a shame that City of Stoke council turned the gift of this magnificent engine down when she was offered for free by Crewe Offices.
I'm sure there is a photo of me as a nipper at Stoke Station standing by the side of City of Stoke on Trent at Stoke station, when we were away to travel to Newcastle (upon Tyne) to visit my Grandparents. Just need to find where its filed away at my Mums house. Keith sorry for hi-jacking your thread, mind you I always thought Staniers streamlining was poor compared to the A4's, but that picture probably saved Staniers bacon. But even that isn't as bad as the GWR attempt Paul
Yes my apologies too for bombing your thread, I really don't know what to say about the streamlined Schools loco, it's something I've not heard about before but my initial thoughts are it looks very Continental and visually quite awful. Just how practical it might have been is another guess.
I'm not going to upset the GWR supporters here but this makeover converted what was otherwise an attractive loco into what can only be described as a thing... definitely not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of the LMS streamlining either however the LNER equivalent works superbly on the A4's.
Sometimes I wonder if the GWR was serious with their attempt at streamlining, or if they were trying to poke fun at the other railways. Whatever the reason, it makes the LMS Coronations look like elegant works of art..... And, am I imagining things, or did Manorbier Castle appear in one brief shot in The Ghost Train (the Arthur Askey version)?
Yes, I can certainly see the similarity, maybe an enterprising drawing office employee sold on the drawings when the project was scrapped???
Hello All, the VR S Class pacific streamlining was inspired by the NYC J1e Hudson # 5344 "Commodore Vanderbuilt" designed by Henry Dreyfuss, and Industrial Designer of some repute in 1930. The VR S class Pacifics were built in 1928 and all were streamlined from 1937 , which included a new and substantially larger tender. They were built for Australia's first fully streamlined and air conditioned Art Deco train, The Spirit of Progress / SoP which ran from Melbourne Spencer St ( now Southern Cross ) to Albury, where you changed into a NSWGR train for Sydney Central until the opening of the new Standard Gauge line in 1962 ( Through in '62 ). The streamlined VR S class became world famous with the SoP, and it maintained an average schedule comparable to the contemporary LNER Flying Scotsman express, both trains averaging a speed of 52mph non stop for the 190.5 miles. The SoP remained the fastest train in regular service in Australia for over 20 years, and its schedule was not exceeded until the introduction of the XPT in 1982. A model of the SoP appeared at the Australian Pavillon at the 1940 New York World's Fair, and was also extensively covered in various overseas railway journals and the British part work "Railway Wonders of the World". I should add that the ruling grade for the LNER was 1 in 70 and for the VR was 1 in 50. The Chief Commissioner of the VR who introduced the SoP was Harold Clapp, an Australian who had extensive business experience in America and who transformed the VR during his term from 1920 to 1939, when he was seconded ( and did not return from ) the Commonwealth Government to organise domestic aircraft production for the war effort. ( When I joined the VR in 1974 ,a work colleague described the VR as Harold Clapp's railway with diesels , and despite the fact Harold Clapp had not worked for the VR since 1939 he was still talked about by older staff as if he was still the boss , no mean complement 35 years later ! ) Regards, Echidna