Great video, catching the HST coming in the other direction as well. The vintage age and the modern age all rolled into one. The magic of the railways !!
Simply magnificent Jeff. The is nothing quite like seeing steam at speed. Hope everything goes well and there will be even more loco's hitting the 90mph mark. After your footage I am really looking forward to the tours in July up the ECML!! Thanks for sharing. Regards, Sam
What an awesome piece of video, from the crows to the sounds of the locomotive passing and the metallic coach wheel sounds. Also, great timing for the passing train through the steam and haze. Really cool. I'm from the US and we don't get to see this stuff. Its like being able to grab some tech and step back in time. A really nice 2.5 minute interlude in all of our weird chaos. Thank You! Jim.
At last. A British express steam engine being allowed to do what it was designed to do, and wasn't she loving it? Nice to see the smoke effects from a fireman having to bend his back for a change, up till now these preservationalists didn't have a clue as to what real express train working was all about in the glorious days of steam. More please and plenty of it.
Nicholas Crosby yeah, and you could have said a £50k Cessna flew over them both doing 175mph. What’s your point??? the HST is a boring piece of modern shite.
Jeremy Coombes HST is hardly modern. The point is that in the 40 years that separate an A4 and a HST we’ve gone from 2 blokes flogging their guts out to get to 126mph once complete with knackered bearings to one bloke sitting in comfort doing 125mph as a regular thing. It’s called progress..
Brilliant shot there Jeff! That's what an A4 should look like. Saw her steaming gently at Southall on my way into work this morning, so good to see her at full speed from a few hours earlier. Looking forward to the summer now, bet the viewing spots will be a bit busier than you had this morning! Tim
Thanks, I bought a camera with an external mic socket to improve the sound choices. Now with a furry wind sock I think I have got the sound about right. Welcome to the channel. Cant always guarantee they will be this good. Its a hit and miss sport!
Indeed, it was on the UP (to London) MAIN (fast) line. Which can be a problem for photographers these days, many intermediate stations on the GWR have access to the fast lines restricted, there is no access to the down fast at that station for example.
Thats the running gauge - Width of the rails. The loading gauge is the max height and width of the locos and rolling stock, and the UK one is considerably smaller than nearly anywhere else.
You're a very lucky man Jeff, brilliant shot! If only there was an early enough train from Swindon, I would have been out for it too, either that or pull an all nighter. I'll have to try and get out for one of the runs on the ECML!
AWESOME! However, I've seen Ross Rowland hit 90 MPH with Chesapeake & Ohio 614 on New Jersey Transit back in the late '90s. Of course, my dad and I rode these trips.
That's the beauty of the railway, unlike highways where the noise is incessant. I watch SkipW videos on here, mostly filmed in Wyoming, fascinating stuff, but my first love is, what I still call, BR.
Take a look at any preserved Gresley locomotive. No de Glehn big end in sight. The "marine type bearing brasses" gives the game away. Cook's work was to illustrate the superiority of a modern machined surface c/w a traditional hand scrapped bearing. The detail of the thin white metal bearing layer and associated oil feeder pads was taken from de Glehn practice as used by the GW and tested out in conjunction with optical alignment on the NE. The marine big-end strap had been strengthened pre WW2
we are enjoying them along with the other four A4s celebrating 75 years since Mallard became the fastest steam loco in the world (officially), but first we had to clean and repaint them to match our collections condition, of which three are steamable, so rest assured, you will get them back in better condition than they arrived here........
Grande ! As youngsters in Ireland, mon ami, we always loved it when the trains passed by at a leisurely rate, as it provided us a great chance to bounce a few ripe tomatoes off some of the pork-pie-faced blokes who stuck their mugs out the window/door openings. Mon Dieu, what fun. ESPECIALLY if they were holding a pint a' bitters that they then dropped! Ho-Ho-Ho!...as Monsieur Santa would say.
Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. However, I believe that the Bittern was of the same class of steam locomotive as the Mallard, which set an all time speed record of 125 mph in 1938. If so, then the Bittern wasn't going flat out!
oldigger Mallard was going downhill (1 in 200) and with a lighter train (240 tons). Also, it was being absolutely slaughtered and had to come off the train at Peterborough with a knackered inside big-end. Probably a knackered fireman too.
Rosie6857 the damage was worse than just the big end . the middle cylinder casting was knocked out of true . it was never repaired properly ,as it would have involved fitting a completely new front end and chopping the frames and welding a new section . silver fox, flying fox and mallard were the locos used on the high speed runs . all suffered middle cylinder damage and none of them were locos of choice for the best services subsequently.Doncaster were not happy about mallard being the choice for preservation ,as she was reckoned a poor example .golden fleece or lord Farringdon would have been preferable
+David Blethyn Which is why Mallard produced 2450edbhp @ 80mph whilst climbing Stoke hauling 415 tons on the 2:00pm down from Kings Cross some 25 years after setting the speed record. More recently while being operated by the National Railway Museum the locomotive was judged by those working on it as being capable of anything asked of it. No. 14 was always a magnificent performer particularly when in the hands of Ted Hailstone. Prior to December 1947 only one incidence of welding repairs on A4s was found to be necessary. Overheating of middle big ends on three cylinder locomotives occurred when cushioning steam was insufficient. Usually caused by the regulator being closed when running at high speed
+DeCasoU1 I cant comment on the run you quote , simply because I don't know of it .but hailstone was an engineman extraordinaire. your comment regarding overheating of the middle big end is not correct . expansion of the conjugated valve gear resulted in the MBE doing too large a proportion of the work. regulators were not closed running at high speed as that would cut off the oil supply to the cyls. the regulator was always left cracked slightly open . 14 was an indifferent engine with few runs of real worth to its credit . the NRM would always rather use a duchess (6229) in preference to any other engine . in daily use the Royal Scots put more TE on the rail than anything out of Doncaster(but they were not as quick) one duchess is worth two A4s anyday
Amazing visual feast, nice to see the fireman working too. ;-) I was talking to the young fireman on Bittern at the NRM for Mallard 75, apparently she still has dispensation for another 90 mph run. I'd like to see that when it comes.
It's a invite only train for V.I.P. And it was kept hush hush. Just been told the trip has actually went ahead on the 7th March a few weeks ago, with Bittern going York to London.
Kenneth J. Cook became CME of the Eastern Region in 1951 and he fitted the de Glehn type of big end which cured the problem with the inside big- end bearing and he also applied Swindon practice of white metal bearing and lubrication which proved equally successful curing the problem. In an address to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers he showed a pair of marine type bearing brasses that showed no more than 0.004 inch of wear after running 50,000 miles. (THE GRESLEY PACIFICS .(2). O.S. Nock )
Justin Newhall Not normally allowed to go that fast - normally limited to 75 mph, but hey It was a for a special reason I know I wont be around to film it do it again in 25 years time!
Oh, I do hope to...one of these days. 60 MPH is very impressive for a heritage line (tourist line is what us Yanks call them). I know the Illinois Railroad Museum can get up to 50 on their track. I was grateful for the opportunity to view the Ike and the D.O,C, in person, although its been quite a while since I've gotten the chance to see either.
Verry impressive indeed (for a Deltic predecessor) but I have to say Mr kineticdeath you obviously havent seen a deltic at full chat at over 100 mph there's nothing like it.90mph is good but will we ever see a A4 at its proper speed of100mph on the main line that would be a sight to behold. Enyway nice vid there mate.
We've got a very rich steam scene. Over 120 steam lines in the country. D.O.C. and D.D.E. have been subjected to a first class cosmetic restoration. Also why not visit our railway- The East Lancashire Railway? We always try our best to keep engines running to the best standard possible, and we have permission to test steam at 60mph. Hope you enjoy your visit wherever you go!
Great capture there Jeff! I think that a lot of people who love steam engines will watch this vid,. ...And you gotta give to those magnificent A4s... she was just cruising.…FAVED☁☁☁☁☁⁘⁙⁙……Hᴜɢʜ….TU…..ツ
I am a tired man! I was really surprised I was the only one there. It was known that would be the fast spot and it gives great views down the line, and the rising sun was in the right direction. There was one early morning commuter on the slow up platform and he didn't even look up from his paper!
UK signaling question. In the U.S., the scene similar to what you would find at 1:45 (and several seconds before or after) would not happen under typical circumstances. The block would be occupied and the signal would be red for approaching trains. How is the signalling in this situation different so that it would permit a green signal to an approaching train?
Quiet early morning with the birds singing....then all hell breaks loose for just a few minutes and then all is quiet again. Methinks I need to take a trip across the pond, for we're not likely to see high speed steam like that in this country again any time soon, I'm afraid. :( I hope that you blokes are also enjoying (and taking good care of!) the Ike and the D.O.C. Not saying you aren't or anything like that, but...
To answer fully, lets look at the lines available here. Left to right they are "Down fast" "Up fast" "down relief" and "up relief" Bittern is on the "up fast" None of these lines are classed as "reversible" so are signalled one direction only. You have been mislead by a fundamental difference in UK and US railways lines, in the UK the signals are to THE LEFT of the driver. So the green signal you see on the gantry is for the "Down Relief" line, not the "up fast" that bittern is on.
4ft 8 1/2'' was and still is the average width between (then) cart and (now) car wheels, hence that being the gauge of the track so freight could be transferred easily
Was that HST in the other direction in service?? It wasn't the sleeper train, that would have gone through by then. Based on the time, a stock move seems likely, but I wonder. --- Brilliant shot of the steam locomotive. I'm surprised it didn't have more coaches than that, for an empty test.
If any of the a4s had a fighting chance of beating or getting close to mallards record it's this one. She's in the best condition but there's no way they'd risk damaging her to prove it. Mallard was knackered after her run pretty sure one of her axles shifted in the frame from the heat.
The engine has been inspected fairly recently and it is in need of some skilled attention. It has been in storage for some time and is not likely to return to action for quite some time. The people who are most experienced when it comes to working on this design are rather occupied at the moment.
Ran out of reply space! Note as the train passed and I panned round, the signal at the end of the platform, on our left, is now red. Hope that explains it
When the brits decided to go over 100 with a steam engine for the first time since the 60s, why did they use tornado? I know it's new, but the A4's are a hell of a lot faster, and I imagine it would've been easier for the crews to get an A4 up to that speed.
Since the 60's the network has moved to continuously welded track, no joints. Subsequently hammer blow, the shock of the pistons through the wheels to the track, has become a perceived issue. Because of modern construction techniques and materials, (it was built for 100mph running on a modern main line) Tornado is kinder to the track at speed. Of course, as it turns out, Tornados 100mph+ run had a cost when it shed large parts of its motion down the fast main line when it tried it again with a full load of pax.!
Ah yes,one of the queens of steam doing what it was design for.... Just beautiful (i would call Bittern a he but steam engines in the UK are called she soooo)
You know what would be insane? Restoring the giant SP cab-forward 4294 (sitting in State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA) to operational status and have it run on UK tracks. I'm assuming the tracks could handle the weight of such a behemoth. If not that unit, how about UP Challenger 3985 (which IS operational).
Complete rubbish. That was the Great Western "Up Fast" Main Line where HST 125's pass at 125 MPH, there is no such thing as a "automatically applied speed limit of 70 mph alongside a platform" 91.5mph was confirmed by the train operator to Network Rail.
Nice one but …. How do we know it's not going at 15 mph, and you have speeded it up using Adobe Premier or similar? I can see from triangulating the sun’s position that it’s actually half past four on Tues 13 Feb 1996. And where is the poor deer?
In 2018 (and probably till to this day) Bittern is stored in the queue of engines awaiting workshop place,although i saw 2 comments on video about Bittern saying that she got de-registred of preservation and got scrapped which i find it total bullshit. But hey,after Sir Nigel Gresley gets overhauled and return to the rails (in this year of 2021) Bittern can also make an comeback
Great video, catching the HST coming in the other direction as well. The vintage age and the modern age all rolled into one. The magic of the railways !!
The A4 locomotives are just magical like this one it looked like bittern just came out of nowhere
This is Gresley A4s at their best. They are easily any railway enthusiasts favorites.
Simply magnificent Jeff. The is nothing quite like seeing steam at speed. Hope everything goes well and there will be even more loco's hitting the 90mph mark. After your footage I am really looking forward to the tours in July up the ECML!! Thanks for sharing. Regards, Sam
Absolutely fantastic, Bittern doing what she was meant to do, speeding along.
Cheers, Andy
Nice bit of footage. Well done to you for getting up early in the morning to catch it for the rest of us!
What an awesome piece of video, from the crows to the sounds of the locomotive passing and the metallic coach wheel sounds. Also, great timing for the passing train through the steam and haze. Really cool. I'm from the US and we don't get to see this stuff. Its like being able to grab some tech and step back in time. A really nice 2.5 minute interlude in all of our weird chaos. Thank You! Jim.
I'm American. You're looking at my favorite steam locomotive. First read about it when I was five. I still have the book 36 years later.
At last. A British express steam engine being allowed to do what it was designed to do, and wasn't she loving it? Nice to see the smoke effects from a fireman having to bend his back for a change, up till now these preservationalists didn't have a clue as to what real express train working was all about in the glorious days of steam. More please and plenty of it.
Yeah, steam locos at my country are only allowed to go at 40 km/hr. Some even doing 10
They have a clue, but they rarely get the permission
Well, your dedication was well rewarded. Quite superb shot.
Living, breathing elemental. She gets in your blood. Nothing compares....
The irony of the HST waltzing past in the opposite direction at sublime 125 mph at the end of the clip can't be ignored. . .
Nicholas Crosby yeah, and you could have said a £50k Cessna flew over them both doing 175mph. What’s your point??? the HST is a boring piece of modern shite.
Jeremy Coombes HST is hardly modern. The point is that in the 40 years that separate an A4 and a HST we’ve gone from 2 blokes flogging their guts out to get to 126mph once complete with knackered bearings to one bloke sitting in comfort doing 125mph as a regular thing. It’s called progress..
@@jeremycoombes2594 those are fighting words right there
Meanwhile Jeremy Coombes is being pushed around on an old commode peeing and shitting himself with a comment like that.
@@jeremycoombes2594 HSTs saved our railways mate. Have some respect.
Brilliant shot there Jeff! That's what an A4 should look like. Saw her steaming gently at Southall on my way into work this morning, so good to see her at full speed from a few hours earlier. Looking forward to the summer now, bet the viewing spots will be a bit busier than you had this morning! Tim
Another great shot of a rare occasion mate! Very good, cheers Jack
Thanks, I bought a camera with an external mic socket to improve the sound choices. Now with a furry wind sock I think I have got the sound about right.
Welcome to the channel. Cant always guarantee they will be this good. Its a hit and miss sport!
Indeed, it was on the UP (to London) MAIN (fast) line. Which can be a problem for photographers these days, many intermediate stations on the GWR have access to the fast lines restricted, there is no access to the down fast at that station for example.
Excellent footage ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thats the running gauge - Width of the rails. The loading gauge is the max height and width of the locos and rolling stock, and the UK one is considerably smaller than nearly anywhere else.
Excellent video and well done on getting out so early to capture it.
a beautiful sight! , when I saw Bittern in an unrestored state as a kid in the 80's I never thought it would run like that again.
lovely video of lovely bittern steam train 😊😊😊
Very smooth zoom!
Thanks!
A brilliant piece of video. much enjoyed . thanks
excellent shot and great to see that your shot was used on bittern the need for speed.
bellissimo video complimenti per questo stupendo convoglio con una locomotiva favolosa grazie di cuore un mio caro saluto dalla sicilia giuseppe
Great piece of capturing, well done mate
It would be great to see something like this again.
You're a very lucky man Jeff, brilliant shot! If only there was an early enough train from Swindon, I would have been out for it too, either that or pull an all nighter. I'll have to try and get out for one of the runs on the ECML!
AWESOME! However, I've seen Ross Rowland hit 90 MPH with Chesapeake & Ohio 614 on New Jersey Transit back in the late '90s. Of course, my dad and I rode these trips.
Your timing was perfect... Cheers.
Brings back a few memories but obviously the maintenance is too good. The A4's always used to exhibit the Gresley triple beat in the exhaust.
That's the beauty of the railway, unlike highways where the noise is incessant.
I watch SkipW videos on here, mostly filmed in Wyoming, fascinating stuff, but my first love is, what I still call, BR.
Take a look at any preserved Gresley locomotive. No de Glehn big end in sight. The "marine type bearing brasses" gives the game away. Cook's work was to illustrate the superiority of a modern machined surface c/w a traditional hand scrapped bearing. The detail of the thin white metal bearing layer and associated oil feeder pads was taken from de Glehn practice as used by the GW and tested out in conjunction with optical alignment on the NE. The marine big-end strap had been strengthened pre WW2
Wonderful, and on the down relief too.
we are enjoying them along with the other four A4s celebrating 75 years since Mallard became the fastest steam loco in the world (officially), but first we had to clean and repaint them to match our collections condition, of which three are steamable, so rest assured, you will get them back in better condition than they arrived here........
Loved the hst coming out the smoke at the end.
Jeff great catch and well done on getting up at such a ungodly hour, but you were rewarded well !! And what a sight. Regards Liam
Hi Jeff, bittern need for speed just came through the door, saw this clip on the DVD, just thought I'd say congrats :) Jack.
thanks - was used on two commercial cds.
Great shot!
Grande !
As youngsters in Ireland, mon ami, we always loved it when the trains passed by at a leisurely rate, as it provided us a great chance to bounce a few ripe tomatoes off some of the pork-pie-faced blokes who stuck their mugs out the window/door openings. Mon Dieu, what fun. ESPECIALLY if they were holding a pint a' bitters that they then dropped!
Ho-Ho-Ho!...as Monsieur Santa would say.
Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. However, I believe that the Bittern was of the same class of steam locomotive as the Mallard, which set an all time speed record of 125 mph in 1938. If so, then the Bittern wasn't going flat out!
oldigger Mallard was going downhill (1 in 200) and with a lighter train (240 tons). Also, it was being absolutely slaughtered and had to come off the train at Peterborough with a knackered inside big-end. Probably a knackered fireman too.
Rosie6857 Heh heh, I agree with your comment re. the fireman! Poor bugger would have slaughtered the first pint!
Rosie6857 the damage was worse than just the big end . the middle cylinder casting was knocked out of true . it was never repaired properly ,as it would have involved fitting a completely new front end and chopping the frames and welding a new section . silver fox, flying fox and mallard were the locos used on the high speed runs . all suffered middle cylinder damage and none of them were locos of choice for the best services subsequently.Doncaster were not happy about mallard being the choice for preservation ,as she was reckoned a poor example .golden fleece or lord Farringdon would have been preferable
+David Blethyn
Which is why Mallard produced 2450edbhp @ 80mph whilst climbing Stoke hauling 415 tons on the 2:00pm down from Kings Cross some 25 years after setting the speed record. More recently while being operated by the National Railway Museum the locomotive was judged by those working on it as being capable of anything asked of it. No. 14 was always a magnificent performer particularly when in the hands of Ted Hailstone. Prior to December 1947 only one incidence of welding repairs on A4s was found to be necessary.
Overheating of middle big ends on three cylinder locomotives occurred when cushioning steam was insufficient. Usually caused by the regulator being closed when running at high speed
+DeCasoU1 I cant comment on the run you quote , simply because I don't know of it .but hailstone was an engineman extraordinaire. your comment regarding overheating of the middle big end is not correct . expansion of the conjugated valve gear resulted in the MBE doing too large a proportion of the work. regulators were not closed running at high speed as that would cut off the oil supply to the cyls. the regulator was always left cracked slightly open . 14 was an indifferent engine with few runs of real worth to its credit . the NRM would always rather use a duchess (6229) in preference to any other engine . in daily use the Royal Scots put more TE on the rail than anything out of Doncaster(but they were not as quick) one duchess is worth two A4s anyday
Amazing visual feast, nice to see the fireman working too. ;-) I was talking to the young fireman on Bittern at the NRM for Mallard 75, apparently she still has dispensation for another 90 mph run. I'd like to see that when it comes.
It's a invite only train for V.I.P. And it was kept hush hush. Just been told the trip has actually went ahead on the 7th March a few weeks ago, with Bittern going York to London.
I was looking at the state of the track in the approach track. No wonder our railways are so slow. Great video tho. Long live steam.
Just beautiful. I love your work.
Kenneth J. Cook became CME of the Eastern Region in 1951 and he fitted the de Glehn type of big end which cured the problem with the inside big- end bearing and he also applied Swindon practice of white metal bearing and lubrication which proved equally successful curing the problem. In an address to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers he showed a pair of marine type bearing brasses that showed no more than 0.004 inch of wear after running 50,000 miles. (THE GRESLEY PACIFICS .(2). O.S. Nock )
Great piece of footage and thanks for sharing. Regards Andy
Holy crap!!! I didn't know they still allowed steamers to go that fast. And it's hard to believe she's 76 years old!
Justin Newhall Not normally allowed to go that fast - normally limited to 75 mph, but hey It was a for a special reason I know I wont be around to film it do it again in 25 years time!
MrKnowwun you never know.... you might be around... :s
Oh, I do hope to...one of these days.
60 MPH is very impressive for a heritage line (tourist line is what us Yanks call them). I know the Illinois Railroad Museum can get up to 50 on their track.
I was grateful for the opportunity to view the Ike and the D.O,C, in person, although its been quite a while since I've gotten the chance to see either.
I cant wait for the tours now!! Great vid, mk1's at speed sound fantastic!
Verry impressive indeed (for a Deltic predecessor) but I have to say Mr kineticdeath you obviously havent seen a deltic at full chat at over 100 mph there's nothing like it.90mph is good but will we ever see a A4 at its proper speed of100mph on the main line that would be a sight to behold. Enyway nice vid there mate.
We've got a very rich steam scene. Over 120 steam lines in the country. D.O.C. and D.D.E. have been subjected to a first class cosmetic restoration. Also why not visit our railway- The East Lancashire Railway? We always try our best to keep engines running to the best standard possible, and we have permission to test steam at 60mph. Hope you enjoy your visit wherever you go!
Great capture there Jeff! I think that a lot of people who love steam engines will watch this vid,. ...And you gotta give to those magnificent A4s... she was just cruising.…FAVED☁☁☁☁☁⁘⁙⁙……Hᴜɢʜ….TU…..ツ
I am a tired man! I was really surprised I was the only one there. It was known that would be the fast spot and it gives great views down the line, and the rising sun was in the right direction. There was one early morning commuter on the slow up platform and he didn't even look up from his paper!
You really see the stoking here - those black puffs ever few seconds. Not usually that visible.
yep you can really tell the fireman is bending his back
Super, absolutley superb!
UK signaling question. In the U.S., the scene similar to what you would find at 1:45 (and several seconds before or after) would not happen under typical circumstances. The block would be occupied and the signal would be red for approaching trains. How is the signalling in this situation different so that it would permit a green signal to an approaching train?
Yes, but you did on the telephoto which makes it seem much slower
BTW if you like the sound aspect, this is possibly the best one I have made in that respect .ua-cam.com/video/ca7OWEzgtdQ/v-deo.html
1:57 SONIC BOOM!!!!!!
????????????????
brilliant and very high speed!
Quiet early morning with the birds singing....then all hell breaks loose for just a few minutes and then all is quiet again. Methinks I need to take a trip across the pond, for we're not likely to see high speed steam like that in this country again any time soon, I'm afraid. :(
I hope that you blokes are also enjoying (and taking good care of!) the Ike and the D.O.C. Not saying you aren't or anything like that, but...
To answer fully, lets look at the lines available here. Left to right they are "Down fast" "Up fast" "down relief" and "up relief" Bittern is on the "up fast" None of these lines are classed as "reversible" so are signalled one direction only. You have been mislead by a fundamental difference in UK and US railways lines, in the UK the signals are to THE LEFT of the driver. So the green signal you see on the gantry is for the "Down Relief" line, not the "up fast" that bittern is on.
4ft 8 1/2'' was and still is the average width between (then) cart and (now) car wheels, hence that being the gauge of the track so freight could be transferred easily
The shock-wave from the pass! WHAM!
Very nice! I pushed like 👍👍👍
Greetings from Tokyo Japan :-)
Thank you, I clearly had my direction of travel muddled up. Thought the steamer would be going away from London, but I am clearly wrong.
To be fair you wouldn't want to stay at Didcot any longer than that train was there for :P
75MPH max allowed usually for this loco, and her boiler certificate run out Jan 2015.
This was an exception,probably Because of the Great Gathering event
Was that HST in the other direction in service?? It wasn't the sleeper train, that would have gone through by then. Based on the time, a stock move seems likely, but I wonder. --- Brilliant shot of the steam locomotive. I'm surprised it didn't have more coaches than that, for an empty test.
Amazing beating the speed of normal ele tric train
literally Spencer in every thomas episode:
I'm happy to see them back on their home turf, even if it is for just a brief period.
NO WAY :O haha, I'm just kidding XD great footage, its great to see a A4 a really fast speed :) keep up the good work mate, producing train videos. :)
yes it is the passing of the front of the loco to the passing of the rear of the last coach.
be interested if you could get confirmation of where on the run those 90mph+ gps readings were obtained
Awesome Catch and footage.I am going to she her on the 27 July at Kings Cross
you're right, nothing howls quite like a Mk1 at speed.
Great Vid & Catch.I am going to see her on the 29th of june.
amazing zoom boss
If any of the a4s had a fighting chance of beating or getting close to mallards record it's this one. She's in the best condition but there's no way they'd risk damaging her to prove it. Mallard was knackered after her run pretty sure one of her axles shifted in the frame from the heat.
The engine has been inspected fairly recently and it is in need of some skilled attention. It has been in storage for some time and is not likely to return to action for quite some time. The people who are most experienced when it comes to working on this design are rather occupied at the moment.
Ran out of reply space! Note as the train passed and I panned round, the signal at the end of the platform, on our left, is now red.
Hope that explains it
I wonjder how fast they can go backwards? or if there was an A4 at each end, roaring up and down the line :)
The train seems slower because some visual illusion and the limitation of our perception, but it was very fast
When the brits decided to go over 100 with a steam engine for the first time since the 60s, why did they use tornado? I know it's new, but the A4's are a hell of a lot faster, and I imagine it would've been easier for the crews to get an A4 up to that speed.
Since the 60's the network has moved to continuously welded track, no joints. Subsequently hammer blow, the shock of the pistons through the wheels to the track, has become a perceived issue. Because of modern construction techniques and materials, (it was built for 100mph running on a modern main line) Tornado is kinder to the track at speed. Of course, as it turns out, Tornados 100mph+ run had a cost when it shed large parts of its motion down the fast main line when it tried it again with a full load of pax.!
Bittern was running on the Up Main.
Two early morning commuters on another platform was all, and one of those didn't even look up from his paper.
yes, its the 05:36 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa HST.
Man, can someone stick some GoPro's on that baby!? Those cameras could catch so many great things on an engine like that.
A scene now unrecognisable owing to electrification of the GWR.....
Ah yes,one of the queens of steam doing what it was design for.... Just beautiful (i would call Bittern a he but steam engines in the UK are called she soooo)
so many great flies probably! And the odd bird.
You know what would be insane? Restoring the giant SP cab-forward 4294 (sitting in State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA) to operational status and have it run on UK tracks. I'm assuming the tracks could handle the weight of such a behemoth. If not that unit, how about UP Challenger 3985 (which IS operational).
the challenger part is aged like a milk and now theres a whole plan to restore a literal PRR T1
That would be traditional after an unusually fast A4 run I suppose, especially if they are trying to mimic Mallard!
Not possible an automatically applied speed limit of 70 mph alongside a platform
Complete rubbish. That was the Great Western "Up Fast" Main Line where HST 125's pass at 125 MPH, there is no such thing as a "automatically applied speed limit of 70 mph alongside a platform" 91.5mph was confirmed by the train operator to Network Rail.
Nice one but ….
How do we know it's not going at 15 mph, and you have speeded it up using Adobe Premier or similar? I can see from triangulating the sun’s position that it’s actually half past four on Tues 13 Feb 1996.
And where is the poor deer?
That's not an A4 Pacific, that's a rocket ship!
Bloody hell....I blinked and missed it!!!
it was so exiting I nearly wee'd myself.
Great Vid. I take it you'll be out on the 6th Dec for the Christmas Sussex Belle?
Where is Bittern now?????
In 2018 (and probably till to this day) Bittern is stored in the queue of engines awaiting workshop place,although i saw 2 comments on video about Bittern saying that she got de-registred of preservation and got scrapped which i find it total bullshit. But hey,after Sir Nigel Gresley gets overhauled and return to the rails (in this year of 2021) Bittern can also make an comeback