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Gresley Valve Gear - non-LNER

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by andrewshimmin, Jan 10, 2018.

  1. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

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    I'm looking for where the Gresley conjugated valve gear was used, away from its home system.
    I know of some freight 4-10-2 locos in NSW, and I think also on the UP?
    Where else was it used?
     
  2. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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  3. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Do you mean Gresley conjugated valve gear or just conjugated valve gear?
     
  4. huochemi

    huochemi Part of the furniture

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    The D57s were 4-8-2s, the UP locos 4-12-2. Gresley gear was also used in a number of other countries, including China (JF2), Japan (C52) and Thailand (Baldwin 4-6-2 and 2-8-2).
     
  5. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    The NSWGR 57 class were 4-8-2s. This is the preserved one, 5711, under restoration in 2009 with the 2 to 1 gear clearly visible:- DSCF5904_edited.jpg

    I believe the UP 9000 class were 4-12-2s - certainly the large Aussie locos look small in comparison to them.

    Peter
     
  6. 8126

    8126 Member

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    SAR Class 18 2-10-2. There were only two of them, so obviously not that successful, but they lasted over twenty years, so presumably not dismal failures. They did have a reputation for being high maintenance, partly because of the rather spindly implementation of the Gresley gear and partly because of being 10-coupled on tightly curved lines.
     
  7. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    New Zealand Govt Railways Class G double pacific Garratts (BP 1928) used Gresley conjugated gear to drive the inside cylinders. They were unsuccessful as articulated locos, the drive unit parts being used to produce 2 G class pacifics per Garratt (NZGR 1937) which were little better and among early withdrawls when IC power began to make inroads.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_G_class_(1928)
     
  8. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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  9. gwalkeriow

    gwalkeriow Well-Known Member

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    Did you miss Jamessquared's post No 2 complete with photo :)
     
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  10. Copper-capped

    Copper-capped Part of the furniture

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    Perhaps Howard has him on 'ignore'? I've often thought it might be a good idea too - it can be really quite annoying when somebody is so full of common sense on a forum that should be wholly dedicated to Whimsy, Imagination, Befuddlement and Nonsensical musings.

    No one like a clever clogs! :p
     
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  11. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Neither during (nor adjecent to) the space-time either or both will to have been posted. I'll be sorry about problems with tenses as my damned TARDIS blew it's tachyon beam collimator trying to recover an I1x from a scrap line in the 1950's, so now I'm stuck with no time machine and severe entropy issues, staring at a cold cup of tea while it fails to warm up. :(

    ..... and I most certainly have not blocked Tom ..... or anyone else, for that matter .....
     
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  12. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Not exactly "lookers", were they?
     
  13. ragl

    ragl Well-Known Member

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    Interesting photos of the overseas locos Gents, of particular interest is the sheer size of the 2 to 1 levers, particularly on the Ozzie loco, I wonder if they ever suffered from wafty timing like the Gresley locos here in the U.K.?

    Cheers,

    Alan
     
  14. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    [QUOTE=" so now I'm stuck with no time machine and severe entropy issues, staring at a cold cup of tea while it fails to warm up. :(

    [/QUOTE]

    Sounds like your infinite improbability drive has failed too - perhaps a really hot cup of fresh tea is needed!
     
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  15. peckett

    peckett Member

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    A large class of over 1200 loco's ,built 1917 to 1921 ,the Prussian G12 2-10-0, had a similar valve gear but the rods to the middle cylinder ran behind the smokebox ,it is said that it was better idea because no smokebox char dropped in to the bearings. The Germans credited the idea to one of there engineers though.
    Two photo's attached ,August 1976, 58 1814 on a Aue to Zwickau train .This line was the last strong hold of this type. The preserved 58 311 at Dawn with a Ulmen to Gerolstein Plan D working,02/04/2010.I'm not sure if this loco is booked for this years Plan D in Trier, it took part in the last Dampfspektakel in 2014 ,centered at Neustadt.
     

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  16. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Much "is said" ..... but if this stacked up in practice, comparison with HNG's locos may prove illuminating. One for a future P1 newbuild team to consider perhaps?
     
  17. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

     
  18. Hermod

    Hermod Member

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    Last edited: Jan 11, 2018
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  19. RLinkinS

    RLinkinS Member

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    Southern N1 clas 1822 and K1 class A890 were built with conjugated gear designed by Harold Holcroft. This gear was removed and replaced with 3 sets of Walshaerts when problems were found with the centre valves coming into contact with the valve covers. A890 was rebuilt into a U1 class following the Sevenoaks accident. All subsequent N1, U1 and indeed W class had three sets of valve gear.

    It is wrong to attribute this valve gear to Gresley alone. Holcroft had patented a conjugated system in 1909 while working at Swindon. Gresley's first 3 cyliner loco was the GNR O2/1 which was built in 1918 and had a much more complex conjugated gear with a lot of pin joints. The GNR H4 (later LNER K3) class were the first locos with the so called Gresley conjugated gear in 1920, the design of which had been evolved after discussions between Gresley and Holcroft at Kings Cross in January 1919.
     
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  20. huochemi

    huochemi Part of the furniture

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    The Thai Baldwins had the 2:1 lever behind the cylinders. The later batch of Pacifics however dispensed with the Gresley gear and used two return cranks on one side. It is difficult to see the later arrangement on the Class 58 from the pics but it may be the same valve gear as Victorian Railways 4-8-4 H220 "Heavy Harry" used. Incidentally, the VR S Class Pacifics (beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess) used Gresley gear.
     

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