Post your Steam Train Locomotives!

[Klinger]

If it was "as fast as the Mallard" it would be in the 'Guinness Book of Records' as 'joint record holder', but
it isn't, so can't have been.
(image removed)

The Mallard speed record is a long standing joke in the steam industry. Just because the Mallard holds the "official" record, does not mean it was not broken.

It's important to note, that after the Mallard, no other railroad made an attempt at the record, so no other accounts can be held as official. However, I have heard stories of the Union Pacific FEF's breaking the record across Eastern Wyoming and Nebraska, and the Southern Pacific GS-4's hitting speeds exceeding 110 MPH on the daylight service. And due to the Hiawatha's routine service speed of 100+ MPH, it would not surprise me if the more modern engines on the Hiawatha did not at some point break the record.

The only reason the Mallard still holds the record is because it was an official attempt, and is based on an average after making runs in both directions. The record itself was set, going downhill, with 7 mostly empty cars. The GS-4's and the FEF's have been reported to exceed the record, going uphill, with 10+ cars.

 

[BLACKWATCH]

The only reason the Mallard still holds the record is because it was an official attempt, and is based on an average after making runs in both directions.

Totally wrong, I challenge you to back that up from an official source. It was a timing logged on one run, in one direction only.

The GS-4's and the FEF's have been reported to exceed the record, going uphill, with 10+ cars.

"Reported" doesn't prove it ever happened, "Reporters" are well known for their over imaginative stories. (alien bodies in area 57 comes to mind) :hehe:

 

[cascaderailroad]

snip~"Reported" doesn't prove it ever happened, "Reporters" are well known for their over imaginative stories. (alien bodies in area 57 comes to mind) :hehe:

The US Govt created those alien stories to cover up what strange US fighter aircraft the public was seeing in the sky ... it was intentional disinformation ... You would be suprised just how little was gong on in Area 51, as it was just a top secret secluded site that they wanted foriegn governments not to see ... and that is all Area 51 was. And news reporters bought it, and took the bait, hook, line, and sinker.

 

[nathanmallard]

Let's end this argument here. LNER A4 Pacific No.4468 'Mallard' is the fastest steam locomotive in the world, and that is FACT. The only other officially recorded runs of steam locomotives over 120mph at the time took place in Germany, and the maximum speed reached in these tests was 124mph, 2mph short of Mallard's record-breaking speed of 126mph. The people who claim otherwise should educate themselves here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard

 

[flyboy559]

Wikipedia is not the worlds greatest source of information. Just because something is written there people believe it is infallibly wrong. Im not saying that the Mallard isnt the fastest or that I disagree with anyside here. Im just saying don't trust what you read there.

 

[BLACKWATCH]

We don't need Wikipedia .......................

http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/mallard75.aspx

On 3 July 1938, A4 class locomotive Mallard raced down Stoke Bank at 126mph to set a new steam locomotive world speed record. That record still stands.

 

[Klinger]

Union Pacific documents back up my information, not "newspaper clippings". Once again I state, while the Mallard holds the "official" record, other more modern, far superior engines have gone faster, and are by far, theoretically faster.

So, back to Union Pacific Documents. This is from the book, "The Mighty 800" by William W Kratville, published in 1967. This is information from the Chapter "Big Test and Operations"

"On one of the streamliner tests with the 837 hauling a consist equal to the City of Los Angles (16 car consist) on the South Central District, the test men had the train up to one hundred ten miles per hour in a quick time at only 8 pounds of back pressure, way below the maximum of ten to twelve pounds. There is no telling how fast the 837 could have done if pushed to the limit under those conditions but the operating department man aboard would not allow speed beyond 110.

 

[hauntedclipp]

Ok, guys. Let's just all agree that, official records or not, steam locomotives can go fast.
We don't need an argument such as this to escalate into something ugly and close a perfectly good screenshot thread.
And if you don't want your "friends across the pond" to make a stink about it, don't engage them. We can agree that the official record-holder is Mallard at 126mph, as it is in the official records.
Whether there were any that succeeded that anywhere in the world, there is no official record. If you want to argue, take it somewhere else.
Let's just post more of those beautiful steam locomotives.

These classes are some of my personal favorites;
LNER B12/1 (GER S69)

LNER J15 (GER Y14)

LNER J72

WD Austerity 2-8-0

GWR Earl/"Dukedog"

LMS 2mt

There's definitely more, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.

 

[Azervich]

Turbo

Standing on Mount Newport

The Turntable

That turntable is a screw type, after turning always had to reset it, I was able to do that on my own with ease.

Cheers.

 

[brokensleeper]

Easing into the station yard

Topping the grade

Flying Along the flats
The locomotive featured in these pictures is South Australian Railways locomotive 621, It's owned and operated by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway

 

[mezzoprezzo]

Polish steam!

[video]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=eee_1368049932[/video]

 

[Klinger]

Ok, guys. Let's just all agree that, official records or not, steam locomotives can go fast.
We don't need an argument such as this to escalate into something ugly and close a perfectly good screenshot thread.
And if you don't want your "friends across the pond" to make a stink about it, don't engage them. We can agree that the official record-holder is Mallard at 126mph, as it is in the official records.
Whether there were any that succeeded that anywhere in the world, there is no official record. If you want to argue, take it somewhere else.
Let's just post more of those beautiful steam locomotives.

These classes are some of my personal favorites;
LNER B12/1 (GER S69)


LNER J15 (GER Y14)


LNER J72


WD Austerity 2-8-0


GWR Earl/"Dukedog"


LMS 2mt


There's definitely more, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.

This is a long standing "across the pond" rivalry.....and it get heated when you put british engineers in the same cab as an american engineer (had that happen on the 9 last year)

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

Lemme guess, A4 Pacific Union Of South Africa(LNER) and Isambard Brunel Kingdom GWR Steam Locomotive?

 

[BLACKWATCH]

Lemme guess, A4 Pacific Union Of South Africa(LNER) and Isambard Brunel Kingdom GWR Steam Locomotive?

It is 60009 Union Of South Africa (LNER) ..................... but it's not Isambard Brunel Kingdom GWR Steam Locomotive.
The GWR loco is 4965 Rood Ashton Hall.

 

[flyboy559]

 

[peterwise]

GWR Hall Class No. 4965 "Rood Ashton Hall"

As Kev said the GWR loco mentioned a couple of times above is GWR Hall Class No. 4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" (that's my sort of steam loco!).

This loco is preserved at Tyseley Locomotive Works.

The loco was bought by them as 4983 GWR Hall Class No. 4983 "Albert Hall", but something sinister happened in the past! Read about it at:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110813193616/http://www.tyseleylocoworks.co.uk/tlw/4965_story.htm​

Peter.

 

[Azervich]

Earlier this morning

Cheers.

 

[jadebullet]

I say that the Mallard's record doesn't count because it broke down, thus being unable to sustain that speed. (Okay, yes, I am just joking around here. No that doesn't disqualify it, but I wonder if this sentence will even be read)

Anyway, there is something that would disqualify the Mallard's high speed record if it would be attempted today. The high speed record attempt was conducted on a downward graded track, thus adding an assisting variable to the attempt which would render such an attempt invalid. In today's record setting guidelines, you are unable to use any external force to your advantage. This is why you must attempt to break the record for longest paper airplane hang time inside of a controlled gymnasium as gusts of wind could provide added lift.


As for whether or not the Mallard is the only steam locomotive to achieve the 126mph mark, I am going to have to say yes and no. Officially, it is the only steam locomotive to reach this speed. Unofficially though, there were probably instances of this speed being achieved. In the US there used to be sections of track called "air lines" where a long tangent allowed an engineer to make up lost time by throwing the throttle wide open. Towards the end of the steam era, speeds in some places were between 90 and 100mph for normal mainline running so there is a possibility that the 126mph mark could have been hit by a crew unofficially, especially because crews probably wouldn't even report such a speed, or even be paying attention enough to care since they had a lot of other tasks to take care of.

Also, the PRR T-1 duplex possibly could have achieved and exceeded that speed. The T-1's top speed was never achieved. They got it up pretty high, but the crews would back down before the engine would show any signs of topping out. (though the rotary poppet valves that they were delivered with ended up being replaced with Walschearts valve gear since the springs couldn't keep up with the 100mph running that the T-1 would regularly perform.)




As for the NYC #999 vs GWR 3700 debate, the 999 achieved 102.8mph in 1893 where as the GWR loco achieved 102.3mph in 1904, thus the #999 broke 100mph before the GWR locomotive. (though both speed recordings have their own doubts thrown into the mix)

 

[TrainzAreTheBest12]

I wanna see some US cab forward trains!

 

[jadebullet]

I wanna see some US cab forward trains!