MellishR's Recent Activity
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MellishR replied to the thread North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion.
In general it seems undesirable to use any kind of oil as fuel that could be used as food. Used cooking oil is another matter. Even if you are going to use fresh rapeseed oil, why cold pressed?
Jul 9, 2026 at 8:06 AM -
MellishR liked RAB3L's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
No, British engineers weren't stupid but at the end of the 19th century, not surprisingly, they lacked sufficient knowledge of thermodynamics. Even Gresley made the mistake of placing the steam inlet in the P2 cylinder block too close to the...
Jul 9, 2026 at 7:45 AM -
MellishR liked Jamessquared's post in the thread Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters.
Crikey! All I said was that it seemed to be a long way from Strawberry Hill to Alton! ;) Tom
Jul 8, 2026 at 8:08 AM -
MellishR liked Spamcan81's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
Obviously UP* considered their Challenger and Big Boy articulated locos were more than good enough to warrant not going down the compound route. *Other railroads are available.
Jul 7, 2026 at 9:03 AM -
MellishR liked Jimc's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
Yes, like all pretty much all engineering its about tradeoffs. We enthusiasts are very prone to talk about success and failure, but most likely in most situations its more nuanced than that. The French compounds on the GWR, for instance, weren't...
Jul 7, 2026 at 9:02 AM -
MellishR replied to the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
It is nonsense to say without qualification that compounding is good or compounding is bad. The choice between simple and compound expansion is like many choices in engineering, with each having pros and cons. Two factors in France, the high cost...
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:42 AM -
MellishR liked MarkinDurham's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
Well, the Midland compounds seemed to do OK, but yes, the UK loading gauge was/is pretty restrictive. I do wonder how Fowler's proposed compound Pacific would have turned out - hopefully with decent axleboxes, but that's another discussion... Mark
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:18 AM -
MellishR liked RAB3L's post in the thread GWR four-cylinder arrangement?.
I think that you will find that the match between Churchward's locos and the French Atlantics was fairly equal but only because the former had advanced large, long-travel valves whereas the latter had narrow steam passages and slide valves for...
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:17 AM -
MellishR liked 26D_M's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
"Asthmatic figurehead" is cruel but also perfectly accurate. In defence of WC, I dont think they've ever succumbed to using 3 diesels to assist one steam loco on a charter like Saphos LSL did yesterday ....
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:04 AM -
MellishR liked henrywinskill's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
Isnt it strange that the 10 year olds seem to respond to the posts though.
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:04 AM -
MellishR liked Sheff's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
I have every sympathy with @Big Al’s views, I wouldn’t want to be shoved around in a coffin by a diesel with an asthmatic figurehead up front. However, my solution is simple - I save my money and no longer book any tour that involves WCRC.
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:04 AM -
MellishR liked Johnb's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
There is an old saying when thing go right you tell a couple of people, when they go wrong you tell everyone. In the case of the Tynesider things went wrong and it’s created a lot of comment but let’s look back at the Great Britain a complex...
Jul 6, 2026 at 7:02 AM -
MellishR liked Johnb's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
Unfortunately the criticism is aimed at the wrong target. When things go wrong and it looks as if there were problems with the service trains too, our threadbare rail network seems unable to cope with it. In addition to that I do wonder about how...
Jul 5, 2026 at 9:55 AM -
MellishR liked 26D_M's post in the thread RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26.
It betrays a very peculiar mindset to suggest somebody goes to the trouble and expense of travelling with the aim of being disappointed in order to criticise the operator! On the broader points about 'performance', it seems to me that the heart...
Jul 5, 2026 at 9:55 AM
