The real life little engine that could - "Gazelle"
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In today's video, we take a look at a tiny little tank engine that managed to capture the hearts of many people
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Imagine throwing together an engine out of spares and roundabout parts only for it to become an actual icon for the army
I think Gazelle is a very impressive steam loco despite being a small engine
It very much looks like "The little engine that could".
250 Pounds well spent.
The little engine that could
Average after school activity
That is cute. I love the fact that it evaded scrapping all those years.
And like, evaded is such an apt word too, considering how it was supposed to get scrapped like 5 times. Nobody was supposed to care about something so small and so weak, but ig they just were like "F it, it's cute, and not really worth it to scrap" lol
Tbh, they in cases wouldn't really even get much scrap out of it, as it's built with custom parts and small. Aka a headache to disassemble and noting much for return
Literally the silliest engine
real
real
real
Why ?
real.
this really demonstrates “little engines can do big things” pretty good
Funny you should say that since Gazelle was the real-life inspiration for Lady from Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
God both of these comments hit so hard for me having grown up with that movie and the music from it
Bro literally went “hey are you old enough to remember Stephenson’s Rocket?”
“Say no more fam”
I mean, did you hear the original 2-2-2 configurations 46mph AVERAGE speed it maintained along the line of that trip? In 1893 it was going intercity faster than modern road vehicles average in 130 years later. At the time (and until 1899) the worlds fastest car only did a record speed of 35mph, the Gazelle went 50% faster... sure that makes it FAR from the fastest train, but people aren't comparing their modern supercars to hundreds of tons of mag lev nor aircraft. That said its cost of £250 is buying power somewhere between £5,000 - £9,000 in todays money, the Ford Model T introduced 7 years later cost £1,000 (although the value of money had almost halved), so for a rich businessman it was a very affordable toy, rather than an extremely high status one.
The smallest engine that inspired one of the greatest story books of my childhood.
did it inspire the book?
@@ryanmatthews3609 yes
@@martincraw7698 really?
@@ryanmatthews3609 yes
@@martincraw7698 no way
Gazelle, one of the cutest preserved standard gauge engines.
I wonder if it could pull a mk 1 coach
If it was of any use for hauling ammo probably yes. Not fast, but ammo is rather heavy
I wonder where Gazelle is today. Since she was preserved.
@@christinafarooque6996 pretty sure she's at a military transport museum
@@christinafarooque6996 As stated in the video, she is at the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum. The museum is housed in a Nissan Hut at Tenterden, Kent, on the Kent and East Sussex Railway preserved line.
@@HyperCat72 See my other comment on this thread for where she is.
Colonel Stephens is most famous for his civilian Light Railways, which is what the museum celebrates.
He was an Officer in the Territorial Army (as the UK's reserves were called at the time) most of his active life and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in WWI, which is where the rank comes from.
This little thing is so peculiar. It looks like something out of a childrens book, or a cartoon. Or even a backyard railway.
6:40 you mean to say... Little Engines Can Do Big Things?
From Thomas and the Magic Railroad, for the central character of Lady one of Lady's concept art images depicts her as a 2-2-2 resembling Gazelle
This reminds me of another privately purchased engine, Dunrobin, which was bought by both the 3rd and 4th duke of Sutherland for private use. The first one, a 2-4-0 tank engine, has long been scrapped but the second, an 0-4-4T has been preserved at the Beamish Museum.
I have seen this engine the the Kent and East Sussex Museum, and honestly being up close to it I could not help but fall in love with how not only it's size but overall design, I even asked one of the staff members if it would ever run again and he said no, it was completely seized up which is a shame, I actually would've loved to drive an engine like that
What a shame it'll never run again :(
Little engines can do big things
@jay_the_orange_cat thanks man! I only rented it on vacation hahaha but I had to take a picture hahaha.😂
Cool that the smallest standard gauge locomotive in Britain is also the sole surviving locomotive from the last railway that was nationalised, even though she was withdrawn before 1950.
Great tale I'm glad she has been saved from the scrap yard and survived the war
Little engines CAN do big things!
4:28 that would make Gazelle function exactly like a common horse drawn stage coach from the 18th century.
but of course, it runs exclusively on rails, it sure will do well if it lasted till someone in germany bought for use on their private railway of pedaling carts.
Gazelle's design is cute.
Awww.... Look at ickle baby choo-choo. So cute 🙂
Thank you so much for covering Gazelle. As a proud Linnet, I am very proud of our only loco. Sadly when I was a cllr I never persuaded the museums to bring her home for a railway celebration weekend...but one day, I hope she comes home
As someone that lives in kings lynn, its always nice to learn new history about our town
Chesterfield resident here. Sad to say there’s not much of the LD&ECR remains round here left to see. There’s no trace of Market Place Station left, nor the nearby signal box or Park Road bridge. A tiny stub of brickwork is all that remains of the enormous Horns Bridge Viaduct and the two tunnels, Duckmanton and Bolsover, both have portals that are buried or virtually inaccessible.
You can walk a short section of track bed at Spital but have to turn back when it becomes someone’s back garden. However nearby is a small but intact bridge over Dingle Lane but that’s about it. Arkwright Station is gone and the site is very overgrown and the nearby road bridge is infilled.
Doe Lea viaduct was blown up in the 50’s (it was knackered and about to fall down anyway).
It’s not until you get to Langwith that you find much of anything, but it’s pretty good. There’s still some original sidings being used for wagon storage and, just after that, the only section of the LD&ECR with actual track, which is now the High Marnham Test track. Past this the absolutely magnificent Fledborough Viaduct remains and is now part of a cycle route, with old station platforms at either end (the station buildings themselves are now private houses).
I'm actually not surprised the engine was held onto. It's both serviceable and unique, built right around the time Railways where most relevant. So little wonder if kept finding work under unique circumstances.
Survived into preservation, like a lot of other very small locomotives, since it does not require a lot of shed space to provide a home to keep safe and work on her.
Not having a lot of material in her keeps the scrap value down so more easily purchased by interested individuals or groups.
Thank you for this - Gazelle is one of my favourite 'odd bods' ; other people also must like her, as there have been several models made of her. You may be closer to her origins than you think; Dodmans, as you rightly say, made fairground equipment and at around this time one of their regular products was a portable circular railway ride, naturally puled by a steam locomotive.
The engines and carriages had their axles set at an angle, like some primitive toy trains, so they would run on a very tight radius track. Although photos of them seem very rare, I'm fortunate to have one, somewhere in the archive and the little engine is very, very similar to Gazelle. Given Burkett's request and spec, Dodman's draughtsmen would have simply reverted to what they knew best.
As always, yes, it's sad she'll probably never run again, but given boiler safety and other requirements, its better she stays as she is, loved and intact, There's be very little left, I suspect, were she returned to working order.
Incidentally, some 45 years ago, the shell of her trailer coach could still be seen, mouldering away at Kinnerley Junction. It's probably rotted into oblivion by now.
Charming little thing! Looks a bit like a Rowland Emett drawing!
Great, made me feel happy that she still lives!
I’ve seen “Gazelle” at the K&ESR whilst on holiday to the South Coast early August 2023
I’ve seen this engine multiple times at the K&ESR.
Thank you for another diversified Train of Thought.
To quote Jeremey Clarkson - “Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!” 😍
Actually really enjoy this one ToT as Gazelle is somewhat special to me as we're both from the same town
How to avoid getting scrapped - be cute!
Reminds me of several homemade early logging "engines", reworked donkey parts, gears, chains, plunked on something with wheels because it beat pushing.😂
Fascinating story!!
I do hope that you have warm healthy life an these locomotives are so awesome to see, because they are the pride of our human history of genius life from mankind.
What a great story, thanks for sharing.
Once the Flyiung Bufferbeam is restored, someone needs to bring the two engines together. I want to see the shortest standard gauge steam locomotive and the smallest standard gauge locomotive by weight pull a train together.
*1893 and it was still working in the 1940's WOW* What an amazing story.
En un libro español vi una locomotora británica en Huelva que llegó a los cien años de trabajo arrastrando trenes de viajeros.
El secreto está en el mantenimiento y en la necesidad: cuando acabó la guerra civil en 1939 España estaba muy dañada y empobrecida.
Best Regards.
@@amr1919ms WOW thats amazing.
@@piccalillipit9211 Hi:
Varios británicos viajaron a España creo que en los años 50: los ferrocarriles españoles eran un museo viviente.
Recuerdo un libro: " Steam in the Sierra".
En pocos años casi todo fue a la chatarra o vandalizado.
Yo salvé el coche británico SA 4610 ahora en el museo CEFHE de Martorell: consulten Internet.
Best Regards.
David.
You can make a movie out of this.
Because let's face it, giving the entire railway to the War Department on permanent loan is a total Unicycle Lion move.
"The little things can ofen go the long way."
That's what I always tell the ladies. 😅
The background music perfectly matches the vibe of the engine
That thing looks just like something from a Dr Seuss book
Have you heard of the “Flying Bufferbeam”. She’s also known to be the smallest steam locomotive
Ex Courtalds at Grimsby The Peckett's chimney is literally the height of a flower-pot.
To steam the thing a extension pipe is used so the blower has more 'pull' on the fire until working pressure is achieved.
It did ten return trips along the lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway with a single Mk1 coach whilst visiting from the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Road.
Gazelle has quite the life story and she may have to be one of the most, if not the most, cartoonish looking steam engines ever built in addition to being incredibly small and simple. Perhaps at some point it maybe worth for you to make a video about another small steam engine, Peckett & Sons No. 1900 more commonly known as "The Flying Bufferbeam," and for a short time, "Jill."
No getting around this, has to be said
That thing is adorable
She thought she could, and she did.
This locomotive may be smaller in most proportions, but i'd say the actual smallest standard gauge steam locomotive (Hight wise) would be Peckett No.1900 (The Flying Bufferbeam) being 5ft 9in tall
But dispite this, Gazelle is still a vary fascinating locomotive:]
Train of thought. You should become the new thomas the tank engine narrator lol
I thought that the real-life Little Engine That Could was the C. P. Huntington locomotive. It's a 4-2-4, and is what a lot of theme park and zoo locomotives are based on, and is also the basis for a lot of depictions of The Little Engine That Could.
I wonder why the cab was so tall, because the cab windows are literally taller than the driver
This Loco whole history is so goody
I saw the name Gazelle and my first thought was the LNER B1 that shares the same name
Fun fact: In early concept art for Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Lady’s design resembles Gazelle.
The miitopia hotel theme is not something I was expecting for the outro 😂
The OG Lady.
Pity we were not shown how it looks today in the museum.
lol neat engine to be preserved
I need to find the blueprints for this cute little engine!
As long as you're on the subject of farmers who want their own steam locomotives you should look up the history of Edaville railroad, which started as a cranberry farm and ended up a tourist attraction when they realized they could make more money selling train rides than growing cranberries.
You could say little engines can do big things
Hey man, that's at least an average sized steam engine
Gazelle was apparently the original basis considered for Lady in Thomas And The Magic Railroad, if there’s any similarities/connections?
Look at this silly little goober
Nah, you sleeping on the Flying Buffer-beam.
Is it still around? Because you never showed a modern picture of it or said it was scrapped.
Shades of "The Titfield Thunderbolt"! Great little tale.
Silliest thing on rails
That engine is huge. 🤪
I misread the title and thought you were saying the engine could do a maneuver called the "gazelle"
Using the MIITOPIA music is interesting, I could barely make it out
Mini Emily!
What is the engine behind Gazelle? With the number 0706
Being in Norfolk, served by the Great Eastern Rlwy, she is probably a Holden 2-4-0 of some kind. I'm not an expert on GER engines, so can't tell you the class, but there's something to start with.
Isnt flying bufferbeam the smallest standard gauge locomotive
Someone should make a model of Gazelle.
43mph in that!!
Flying bufferbeam: 😢
Can you do the history of the dolias iorn works d class
What about the flying buffer beam?
26500 doesn't sound bad for a steam engines cobbler together with fairground equipments.
Hi:
Hermosa locomotora!
Les pregunto si la Gazelle es la locomotora que compró un constructor de vías férreas y que podía transportarse por carretera sobre vehículos de caballos.
Pueden contestar el Inglés.
Best Regards.
The Little Engine That Could!
I'm actually related to Alfred Dodman, he would have been my 1st cousin 5x removed, I'm not sure he would approve of me owning Burrell steam engines, as it was Charles Burrell & Sons who took Alfred Dodman to court for patent infringement, regarding his Single Crank Compound engines. Despite being very different (and in my opinion the Burrell's design less complex and the better design), Dodman lost, and had to sell shares in his company to stay afloat.
you should of added a pic of what it looks like now
YES
please do a video on
eletric trains (evaluation of them and some of the mechanics)
and evaluation of diesel and steam, atualy just evaluation of different types of trains
the porters steam loco
the Japanese class d5,
the Chinese QJ 2,10,2
or just exsamples of asian trains
how do gear trains work
something on saddle bolier and side tanks (like the big water boxes) tank engines
double ended diesel trains (and electric)
American and European switches other then the British class 07-09
what to do if the train stalls
one talking about the different types of steam funnles and there uses,
steam locomotive combination breaks (steam and vacuum brakes)
the breaks commonly on wagons that you turn like a valve/leaver mechanical breaks
a short video on how a Armstrong turn table works
a basic video on flagmen/break men who would ride with the train and any other "small" jobs
what did trains (mostly steam) do when going in tunnels, ive heard of gas masks or just useing a wet cloth, or did they bring in other engines like later on they used electric trains, or were there no big tunnels.
why are some trains wagion tops (the stream lining thing to boilers)
railway terms abd slang
one on the meaning of flag and lantern colors like green on rear engine means theres another one coming soon,
the different types of cut offs/reversers/Johnson bar
some are a big lever, some are a big valve wheel, and ive also seen some that are like rods, one exsample is train sim world 3 and im not sure where to find the other reverser
wet vs dry/saturated vs super steam,
Little engine.
Background theme?
Where is it now?
Is there no modern photo?!
I think the Gazelle is kind of cute. What ever happened to it?
Me who's waiting on a model of this*
I think flying buffer beam is the smallest due to her being very low
Lady but with trailing wheels
is that music from animal crossing
Is that Miitopia music?
Smol bean uwu
Looks like a toy train but it isn't
Little engines can do big things