Amtrakguy76
Amtrak P42 Lover
does anyone know what the fastest steam locomotive is in ts 2010?
Fastest Steam Engine?
- Thread starter Amtrakguy76
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cascaderailroad
New member
The PRR S1 was a huge failure built in 1939 and cut up for scrap in 1941.
It was reported to do 140 mph but documents only show @ 100 mph.
That loco would not stay on the rails, and often derailed on curves. Another PRR loco only had a handfull of miles on her, and she was torched due to constant derailment and switch picking.
It was reported to do 140 mph but documents only show @ 100 mph.
That loco would not stay on the rails, and often derailed on curves. Another PRR loco only had a handfull of miles on her, and she was torched due to constant derailment and switch picking.
Stationbeem
Over 60's Club
Fastest steam locomotive was "Mallard" (Pacific type---Eastern no. 4468) holds the world speed record for steam locos at 126m.p.h (1938).
Torpedo423
Steam Forever
Wasn't there a N&W J class that made it up to 117 MPH, but the engineer closed the throttle because he was afraid of how fast they might end up going?
yes, the J could have broken the Mallard's record (and her crew cheated anyway...she was on a 1% downgrade when she hit the record) personally i think the only reason she got the record was because she was british. it was a matter of national pride. For the real fastest engine, it's probably a tie between one of the German engines or Pennsylvania's 4-4-2 7002. But personally, i think it was one of the Milwaukee's F7 4-6-4s that pulled the Twin Cities Hiawatha. their normal operating speeds where 120mph and several engineers claimed to have broken 130. that would shatter Mallard's so-called record.
Let the flak begin. :wave:
Let the flak begin. :wave:
Dean_Forest
Member
Ready...Aim... :hehe:
Seriously though, there was no rule saying that the train cannot be on a 1 in 5 hill (the sort of hill that requires rack and pinion) and a 50mph tailwind so if the PRR were that desperate for the record there was nothing stopping them from finding a suitable hill.
As for the yanks getting 130, there was never any evidence to prove it (given that they didn't bother with dynamometer cars/people with stopwatches). Meanwhile, Gresley was planning another attempt the next year for 130mph but Hitler got in the way.
All the record books give the award to the A4, so there should be no dispute.
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that's the thing. There should be no deliberate attempt to break the record. there should be no dyno cars, no stopwatches (other than the engineer's Hamilton Timepeice) no nothing other than the engine pounding beneath your feet and the passengers to back you up. The F7s, the 999, the 7002, they all did their runs in regular service. The Mallard had five coaches tacked on behind in a sad attempt to prove it was a mainline train. come on people, we all know they went out there with every intention of breaking that record, wether it was just them and the dyno car or the coaches added on.
and the PRR wasn't desperate for the record. We just got, for lack of a better term, railroaded. the 7002 hit 127mph on a regular mainline train. But the record committee (all British, by the way...see a connection?) paid her no attention. It was a matter of national pride that a British engine win the record. that's why the rest of us, even the Germans and French, were thrown by the wayside and not even mentioned. the 999 broke the 100mph mark years before the city of Truro and guess who gets the fame? you guessed it, the Truro.
and the PRR wasn't desperate for the record. We just got, for lack of a better term, railroaded. the 7002 hit 127mph on a regular mainline train. But the record committee (all British, by the way...see a connection?) paid her no attention. It was a matter of national pride that a British engine win the record. that's why the rest of us, even the Germans and French, were thrown by the wayside and not even mentioned. the 999 broke the 100mph mark years before the city of Truro and guess who gets the fame? you guessed it, the Truro.
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Dean_Forest
Member
If you can't prove that it was faster, then it won't be accepted as faster.
In sport, the use of lightgates and all manner of other items of electronic wizardry is commonplace and accepted as the best way to record events, especially where world records could be at stake.
Besides, Mallard did the run with seven coaches, not five and this is actually the length of many intercity trains in Britain today and also of many express trains over here such as the Bristolian.
Anyway, it was important in those days to get the record, airlines were beginning to bite as well as the rival railway companies and the Big Four all needed to boost custom to pay a dividend to their shareholders.
In sport, the use of lightgates and all manner of other items of electronic wizardry is commonplace and accepted as the best way to record events, especially where world records could be at stake.
Besides, Mallard did the run with seven coaches, not five and this is actually the length of many intercity trains in Britain today and also of many express trains over here such as the Bristolian.
Anyway, it was important in those days to get the record, airlines were beginning to bite as well as the rival railway companies and the Big Four all needed to boost custom to pay a dividend to their shareholders.
misterchugg
Active member
dean forest
if you check the history books you will find that the mallard was empty and on a downhill run
it was never tried to break the record on a standard run with a full load of passengers in regular service
if you want to believe the english propaganda
fine
but in real life things were done differently
its only when one mob has to have the record at any cost that you see things like this happening
cheers
ron
if you check the history books you will find that the mallard was empty and on a downhill run
it was never tried to break the record on a standard run with a full load of passengers in regular service
if you want to believe the english propaganda
fine
but in real life things were done differently
its only when one mob has to have the record at any cost that you see things like this happening
cheers
ron
cascaderailroad
New member
Personally with my Model RR and Trainz I like to operate at slow speeds @ 10-25 mph, and often much less.
Speed records are hugely debatable ... Alot of them were fast.
OK ... you can keep the Duck (said: Buddy Hackett)
Speed records are hugely debatable ... Alot of them were fast.
OK ... you can keep the Duck (said: Buddy Hackett)
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
One word in answer ........................ ASHES :hehe:
Dean_Forest
Member
Correct me if I am wrong, but surely if it were full, on a downhill run, wouldn't it accelerate faster? Which brings me to my next point:
If all of the reputable record books have decided that they don't mind whether it was on a slope or not then as I have seen no reports of the LMS/PRR/DR disputing the rules which they are using and so Mallard fully deserves to retain the plaque.
Going back to the with/without passengers issue, a few years ago, the Spanish claimed to have broken the diesel record but this was done on a test track but the longstanding HST record was done while the top record of 149mph was done with reduced formation, at least one of the other runs which broke 140mph did so with a decent load, even if they were rail enthusiasts and the press.
Oh, and Guinness World Records is owned by a Canadian Company and therefore it is no longer British propaganda.
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Kennilworth
Active member
Hi
It would have been impossible to make a record attempt in the UK with a normal timetabled run due to difficulties with line occupation on a weekday. The main problem with high speed runs isn't getting the trains up to speed it's stopping them as well. The timetabled high speed trains had to be double blocked (signaling) south of York due to the stopping distances required at the speeds that they were running so a deliberate record attempt with a service train would have been impossible.
I don't know much about line occupancy in the USA at this time but if it was less intense than in the UK then it may have been possible to make record attempts with a service train.
Regards
Brian
It would have been impossible to make a record attempt in the UK with a normal timetabled run due to difficulties with line occupation on a weekday. The main problem with high speed runs isn't getting the trains up to speed it's stopping them as well. The timetabled high speed trains had to be double blocked (signaling) south of York due to the stopping distances required at the speeds that they were running so a deliberate record attempt with a service train would have been impossible.
I don't know much about line occupancy in the USA at this time but if it was less intense than in the UK then it may have been possible to make record attempts with a service train.
Regards
Brian
I think the British National pride gets a bit to their heads now and then, sorry for that
The Mallard looks good, was fast and officially it's the fastest, but we all know better.
Britain always had to be "the fastest", look in the history books, they succeeded several times while their nation was collapsing around them and now they don't have a decent industry at all anymore.
The Mallard looks good, was fast and officially it's the fastest, but we all know better.
Britain always had to be "the fastest", look in the history books, they succeeded several times while their nation was collapsing around them and now they don't have a decent industry at all anymore.
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
I think the British National pride gets a bit to their heads now and then, sorry for that
The Mallard looks good, was fast and officially it's the fastest, but we all know better.
Britain always had to be "the fastest", look in the history books, they succeeded several times while their nation was collapsing around them and now they don't have a decent industry at all anymore.
Well I suppose you aussies will feel that way towards us brits after getting thrashed in the test.
But I think you'll find it's the yanks who always think they are the best, biggest, fastest, hardest of anyone, but that's been proved wrong on more than one occasion. :hehe:
It's easy to step on some toes if it comes to National pride.bassist118
Suffering for his art.
You saying the US government and Train operators let trains break records with people on board, what if a bareing overheats (very easy to do over 120mph when the pistons are going round at over 200 revelutions per minuite), passengers get a piston through their window. Mind you US rail safty is a little bit of a contridiction in terms.
Andy
Andy