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MellishR's Recent Activity

  1. MellishR liked Enterprise's post in the thread RTC 2026.

    I think you miss the point. Would you consider running through Morpeth at 50mph to be a highlight of a steam tour on the LNER mainline?

    Mar 24, 2026 at 5:56 PM

  2. MellishR liked Spitfire's post in the thread Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway Updates.

    At the NNR we’re currently undertaking a resignalling project at Sheringham which limits what we can run. Cream Tea reservations and advance sales meant that some trains were full on Sunday and a handful of visitors weren’t able to travel. Had...

    Mar 24, 2026 at 8:03 AM

  3. MellishR liked marshall5's post in the thread Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway Updates.

    My wife and had a similar experience at the W&L a couple of years ago. In the queue to buy tickets at Llanfair the family in front of me was told that the train was fully booked. They turned around and went back to their car. I was then told the...

    Mar 23, 2026 at 7:56 PM

  4. MellishR liked bluetrain's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    I am not sure that Gresley's preference for conjugated valve gear can be seen as either right or wrong. It was a design option with both advantages and disadvantages - which are discussed in a number of books as well as in the Gresley and...

    Mar 23, 2026 at 6:32 PM

  5. MellishR replied to the thread RTC 2026.

    Is there not still a speed restriction just south of Morpeth?

    Mar 23, 2026 at 6:26 PM

  6. MellishR liked Jimc's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    All sorts of things will work to a greater or lesser extent. Cost effectiive might be another matter. I suspect though, if you managed to train your shed staff to the level where they could successfully maintain high pressure hydraulics, it...

    Mar 22, 2026 at 9:06 AM

  7. MellishR liked Allegheny's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    Out of curiosity I've been using the search function to locate this discussion. Conjugated valvegear seems to be discussed on and off throughout this thread, but possibly reached a peak around about page 50. I occurred to me some time ago that it...

    Mar 21, 2026 at 3:22 PM

  8. MellishR liked hyboy's post in the thread Current and Proposed New-Builds.

    Surely dismantling something to build something else is in the DNA of the GWR. Dukedogs a good example.

    Mar 20, 2026 at 1:30 PM

  9. MellishR liked Johnb's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    Any design can be improved with the benefit of hindsight and engineering mistakes are made now, the Ford Ecotech engine being one. My limited knowledge comes from talking to enginemen back in steam days and now. The most awkward to oil up the...

    Mar 20, 2026 at 1:28 PM

  10. MellishR liked ghost's post in the thread Current and Proposed New-Builds.

    www.2513.org - website under construction Registered as a company with companies house Gained charitable status Dean goods boiler acquired and moved to Williton on WSR Various boiler fittings acquired Most of valve gear, connecting rods and...

    Mar 20, 2026 at 10:24 AM

  11. MellishR liked Steve's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    In terms of an engine rather than a locomotive, three cylinders is a better machine than a two cylinder one, giving a smoother torque curve. Just like a six cylinder car engine is better than a four cylinder. However, in terms of locomotives and...

    Mar 20, 2026 at 10:23 AM

  12. MellishR liked Jamessquared's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    Didn’t we have a long thread somewhere considering Gresley and the strengths and weaknesses of his designs, the vagaries of valve gear, and trying to set it all in context of the various constraints he was under as a CME? I seem to recall we...

    Mar 20, 2026 at 10:21 AM

  13. MellishR liked osprey's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    "Osmium"....well known for it's extreme density....

    Mar 20, 2026 at 10:21 AM

  14. MellishR liked ruddingtonrsh56's post in the thread Sir Nigel Gresley - The L.N.E.R.’s First C.M.E..

    I'm not disputing your suggestion per se. However it's interesting that you suggest the Pacifics would have been much better performers is they had independent valve gear and appropriately sized steam chests (i.e. if they had the same arrangement...

    Mar 20, 2026 at 10:20 AM
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