Top Gear - Steam Locomotive Race

[SantaFebuff]

Anyone else catch the steam locomotive race on the Top Gear premier tonight? Talk about intense stuff!

Cheers,
Joshua

 

[lonewood]

I did. I wanted the train to win, the bike to come 2nd & the car to lose.:hehe:

 

[UP5521]

I did. I wanted the train to win, the bike to come 2nd & the car to lose.:hehe:

your not the only one that wanted the train to win,it had a great amount of speed but water and something else may have prevented that,still a great contest though!

 

[mitch456yui]

I saw that one ages ago . Maybe Australia gets Top Gear before America?
It is a great contest. I've got it on my Ipod!:hehe:
The steam engine was going to win, but having to slow down for that commuter train... Back in 1949 the train would have won, because it would be higher priority than the commuter, being an express.
But think about this, the train my have got there after the car, but how many people did the car bring with it? One. How many did the train bring? Hundreds. The train was more efficient.

 

[seanoc17]

That was an epic race indeed 60163 "Tornado" showed the world that UK Steam entusiasts (or any natioanlity for that matter) can literally do anything they put their minds to.

Will be off to see her in a couple of months, I might even be able to sort myself out a cab ride, knowing a couple of people on the railway she'll be at

 

[jammydodger]

This is oooooooold mayn! I guess it comes in handy seeing as Top Gear is English :hehe:

 

[bassist118]

Shame they got rid of the water refiling troffs or had a second tender Tornado would have thrashed everything. With the show being motoring orientated I s'pose they had to let the feeble outdated mode of transport win.

Clarkson getting stick from the driver for not shoveling fast enough was worth watching alone, about time he got his hands dirty the winging conservative.



Andy

 

[martinvk]

The destination was also stacked against the train. They should have made the car park an equivalent distance from the bar and have the drive make his way there on foot too.

 

[seanoc17]

Even with a second tender, without water troughs Tornado could not make a non stop journey to edinburgh, it just isnt possible. Even a second tender doesnt increase water capacity suffeciently.

This is old indeed, I think we saw it in the UK towards the autumn last year

 

[Paulsw2]

Yeah, I thought Tornado was held back by lack of water troughs as well as the 75mph limit that Network Rail impose on steam locos (its obvious she can easily top 90mph), as well as not being given priority up the ECML.

However, do bear in mind that the challenge was to pit the fastest modes of transport in 1949 against each other, and the roads in 1949 were a good deal emptier in the UK than they are now. I suspect the car would still have won.

Paul

 

[amigacooke]

However, do bear in mind that the challenge was to pit the fastest modes of transport in 1949 against each other, and the roads in 1949 were a good deal emptier in the UK than they are now. I suspect the car would still have won.

Paul

Though there were not any motorways in the UK in 1949.

 

[paganwolf]

Though there were not any motorways in the UK in 1949.

No there weren't any motorways in 1949, however for all the speculation about Tornado, I'm afraid to have to say that the XK Jaguar was the fastest car in the world in its day and was designed to run at those speeds all day unlike many new supercars. The A1 did exist at that time and was after research, the fastest way from London to Newcastle and beyond and so i'm afraid to have to say that in my eyes, and it's ability to deal with inclines and hills faster and with less effort, the Jaguar would win hands down.
I do accept that there is an argument about a second tender but these to me are for duration, from a standing start and indeed to about 50% of the route, the loco has to take into account the extra weight of the tender, the coal and the water and even with one tender emptied, it is still a major factor in the total weight loading of the train