Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Bang on, Sir.

There's a thing going on in the world of steam locomotives at the moment: a group of individuals are recreating a Pennsylvania Railroad T1. Now, apart from US railfans pointing at the Union Pacific "Big Boy" and saying "we've got the biggest steam engine in the world", it seems the sole raison d'être of this recreation of a T1 is to take away the world speed record for a steam locomotive from Mallard.

From https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/hi ... echnology/

By weight, the T1 Trust is more than half finished with No. 5550. When done, the plan is to make a run at the world speed record for steam locomotives established by London & North Eastern Railway A4 No. 4468 — Mallard — on July 3, 1938. The 126-mph record was set during a downgrade test run on Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, England, at Milepost 90 1/4.

They just can't take the idea that they're not a "winner", can they? "Nobody remembers who came second" indeed...

Boiler wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 12:20 pm Bang on, Sir.

There's a thing going on in the world of steam locomotives at the moment: a group of individuals are recreating a Pennsylvania Railroad T1. Now, apart from US railfans pointing at the Union Pacific "Big Boy" and saying "we've got the biggest steam engine in the world", it seems the sole raison d'être of this recreation of a T1 is to take away the world speed record for a steam locomotive from Mallard.

From https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/hi ... echnology/

By weight, the T1 Trust is more than half finished with No. 5550. When done, the plan is to make a run at the world speed record for steam locomotives established by London & North Eastern Railway A4 No. 4468 — Mallard — on July 3, 1938. The 126-mph record was set during a downgrade test run on Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, England, at Milepost 90 1/4.

They just can't take the idea that they're not a "winner", can they? "Nobody remembers who came second" indeed...

To me it's the same energy as Olympic Archery:
* Modern folks using an obsolete technology.
* But instead of "keeping the craft alive, and understandning its skills".
* Look at my $500 carbon fibre arrows, counterweighted 3d printed bow with frikken laser sights and micrometer offsets".

There's also Italy's Regia Aeronautica's obsessive mission to build the fastest biplane.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/wo ... ft-biplane

https://oldmachinepress.com/2016/07/13/ ... b-fighter/


If I were to build the fastest steam Loco, I think I'd forget cylinders and go with a turbine,
As there any reason why these hobbyists aren't following that line of development?

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 2:28 pm If I were to build the fastest steam Loco, I think I'd forget cylinders and go with a turbine,
As there any reason why these hobbyists aren't following that line of development?

There was at one time the 5AT project here in the UK, based entirely upon the ideas of Livio Dante Porta but that died a death due to it being "too different", I guess. We've tried a turbine locomotive on more than one occasion in this country - the LMS "Turbomotive", English Electric's GT3 to name but two but the latter came too late and the former was rebuilt in 1952 before being destroyed in the Harrow rail disaster shortly afterwards. It also couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding in reverse in turbine form.

But speaking of high-speed pursuits and getting back on track...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... oyees-musk

What. A. Surprise.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:29 pm Check out Mitch Benn 0n Youtube +

Are you one of his Patreon subscribers as well, Malcolm?

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 7:09 pm

The old "waking up too late" problem.

And after 4 years they'll all have forgotten, with Fox News whispering in their ears.

Samanfur wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 9:34 am

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:29 pm Check out Mitch Benn 0n Youtube +

Are you one of his Patreon subscribers as well, Malcolm?

No, just a follower