Article here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8428097.stm from the BBC about snowy weather shutting down rail service on an electrified line in SE England. The Tornado, a newly built Peppercorn class Pacific, came to the rescue. The money quote from Mark Allat, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust: "If any of the train operators want to modernise their services by using steam trains, I would be happy to give them a quote." George V.
Outstanding!!!!!!! Never would happen here though,people would be too worried about insurance.....Mike
Yup. There'd definitely be all kinds of stupidity. Meanwhile, those stranded people would still be standing around, waiting, waiting... What a great Christmas present that ride must have been! Boxcab E50
Excellent story! I think this kind of upsets part of the idea of technology succession. Sometimes, the appropriate technology is not the latest technology.
That's about as cool as it gets. SteamDonkey is right - it's not necessarily the latest gee-whiz technology that will save the day. The problem with all that newfangled gadgetry is that it's fragile - change the operating conditions a little too much, and it breaks down - either like this case or the Eurostar train in the Channel Tunnel. Or the B-2 stealth bomber that crashed because of condensation in the electronics. The old technology works because it's built to work under less than ideal conditions, conditions of the time it was invented. It wasn't something that needed precisely controlled conditions to work. You put fuel in the firebox, you sent water into the boiler, and it worked. No electronics, no computers. The most sophisticated and delicate piece of equipment on the train was the conductor's watch. As Scotty said in Star Trek - the more you overhaul the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.
Before we wax too nostalgic for the good old days and its rugged technology..... During Trainfestival this past August here in Michigan, Pere Marquette 1225 didn't run as scheduled because of a couple of bad flues. After some running this fall she's down for a major overhaul, ahead of the planned time. This winter's North Pole Express trains were hauled by a Great Lakes Central diesel. (How Christmas-y is that?) It's easy to forget that steamers did have a lot that could go wrong too! George V.
Er. The electrification in the area of the 'rescue' dates from 80+ years ago, so it's hardly the latest It's third rail DC with the contact surface on top, so it collects snow and ice very well. It's a problem EVERY time it freezes hard. I'm sure they'd love to change it, but it covers hundreds of miles of the busiest commuter territory and the cost and disruption to services would be absolutely horrendous
Electrification came after steam so out of the two it is indeed the latest.:tb-biggrin: We have a problem with lines freezing on our local area's light rail every time we have an ice storm. I keep thinking that places like Norway must have this figured out by now. I don't know what they do to avoid service disruptions, but whatever it is we could learn from it.
I'm no grammar expert but can you have the latest of only two; or is it the later? Yes and no. They have predictable and prolonged winter weather, so it's worth them spending $$$$$ on the kit to protect and clear solid water products. Places like the UK usually only get such conditions for a few days a year, so it isn't sensible to spend so much on it. The UK climate is also difficult. In cold places it generally freezes down in (say) November and thaws in (say) March. So most of the time you just deal with fresh or compacted snow. In temperate climes the temperature hops up and down around 0 Centigrade during cold spells, often on a daily basis, which means you get water in the day turning to solid ice at night. Let that set on the 3rd rail and you are truly isolated (mind you, it makes a great lightning display ). I believe ice storms produce a similar effect - solid ice on everything rather than snow (which even compacted has air in it, so it's easier to clear).
I told them Steam would win out in the end, that thezse painted kidcy cars were just a fad! HA! I know ofseveral of us they could have called to make that run for them too! We probobly would have paid them to let us sit in the right hand seat!!! HA! All in fun guys. Merry Christmas lads! Remember, "Stop, Look, Listen, turm around go the other way!"
Ain't that the truth but back in the heyday of steam, there were steam shops all along the line to work on them and spare steam locomotives sitting in the yards to fill a spot for a sidelined locomotive. Not today. When a steam locomotive today needs repair and overhaul, it's going to be down a long time. Some tourists railroads can't afford the repair cost, some can but it still takes time. I just read an article in Cowcatcher Round Up about a steam locomotive that had to be taken apart with pieces sent all over the country for repair and/or complete new pieces made. All the parts are back in one place and it may take another year to put it all back together. What really breaks my heart is the steam locomotives at Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railroad. They have 2 that were used to pull the trains up until the early 2000's then both went down for maintenance and have been sidelined ever since. The ES&NA just doesn't have the money to fix them. They'll probabaly be scraped in the next few years. Oh well.
I had been speaking more generally about technology and not necessarily a choice between two. The point I was making is that sometimes the newest is not always the best for a job. I notice that nobody sent a mag-lev loco to save the day on this train. Anyway, I had thought it was a nice little article. I wasn't trying to bash electrics or diesels. One question. Did the locomotive in question have a happy face on it?
