If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Longest Tank Engine Runs

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by johnofwessex, Jan 14, 2019.

  1. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Messages:
    9,185
    Likes Received:
    7,226
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Thorn in my managers side
    Location:
    72
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    When the Midland & LSWR took over the S&D through trains were operated by 0-4-4 tank locomotives, and in the last year or so Standard 4 tanks were used between Bath & Bournemouth, a run of just over 70 miles.

    Fowler 2-6-4 tanks were used on the Central Wales between Swansea & Shrewsbury, a heavily graded 120 mile run.

    Any other contenders for long distance runs regularly covered by tank locomotives?
     
    andrewshimmin likes this.
  2. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2011
    Messages:
    8,658
    Likes Received:
    6,415
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Enfield
    On the modern scene, some of Vintage Trains double headed pannier tours must cover a fair few miles
     
  3. weltrol

    weltrol Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2008
    Messages:
    2,784
    Likes Received:
    658
    Machynlleth-Pwllheli in steam days.....
     
    paullad1984 likes this.
  4. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2005
    Messages:
    5,275
    Likes Received:
    3,077
    Not the longest but Brighton Baltics from Victoria to Eastbourne.
     
    paullad1984 likes this.
  5. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2006
    Messages:
    11,930
    Likes Received:
    10,088
    Occupation:
    Gentleman of leisure, nowadays
    Location:
    Near Leeds
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Didn't the Standard 4 tanks do Shrewsbury to Pwllheli at times?
     
  6. RLinkinS

    RLinkinS Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2008
    Messages:
    912
    Likes Received:
    928
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Charing Cross to Dover with the River class tanks
     
    paullad1984 likes this.
  7. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,099
    Likes Received:
    57,414
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Famously the Marsh I3 locos ran Rugby - Brighton on trial, non-stop for 77 miles from Rugby - Willesden Junction and no water pick up for 90 miles from Rugby - East Croydon (or vice versa).

    The coal and water consumption figures were, with the comparable LNWR loco:

    LBSCR No. 23 (eleven trips): Coal consumption: 27.4 lbs / mile Water consumption: 22.4 gallons / mile
    LBSCR No. 26 (one trip): Coal consumption: 28.1 lbs / mile Water consumption: 22.7 gallons / mile
    LNWR "Titan" (all trips): Coal consumption: 41.2 lbs / mile Water consumption: 36.6 gallons / mile

    Load was typically 7 bogies, about 220 tons.

    Apart from showing the abilities of the superheated I3 locos, which is generally how that is pitched, it has always struck me as a skilled bit of firing. Given the stated water consumption, a 90 mile trip only leaves about 100 gallons spare.

    Tom
     
  8. arthur maunsell

    arthur maunsell Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2008
    Messages:
    1,047
    Likes Received:
    140
    Location:
    by the fire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Coal would be the deciding factor for length of run I guess. Water wouldn't be so much a problem unless it was a non stop run
     
  9. Jason Cottage

    Jason Cottage New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2011
    Messages:
    79
    Likes Received:
    28
    Gender:
    Male
    Shortly after construction, No.40 Brighton was chosen by William Stroudley to represent the LB&SCR at the Paris Exhibition of 1878,[6] and won a gold medal for workmanship. On a run from Dieppe to Paris, arranged to persuade the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest that the company's boat trains that met the LB&SCR ferries from Newhaven could make better time to the capital, Brighton maintained a speed of nearly 50 mph, previously unheard of on that line.

    Found on Wikipedia
     
  10. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2006
    Messages:
    16,510
    Likes Received:
    7,753
    Location:
    1012 / 60158
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The GWR 72xx 2-8-2t were used for some long distance South Wales - London traffic.
     
  11. marshall5

    marshall5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2010
    Messages:
    2,375
    Likes Received:
    3,981
    Location:
    i.o.m
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    My recollection is that the Salop loco went through to Aberystwyth and a Machynlleth loco came on to the Pwllheli portion after the train split at Machynlleth.
    As regards Arthur's post concerning the limited water capacity of tank engines on long stop runs Stanier 2-6-4T's for instance had water scoops as did the L&Y Radial tanks which could pick up in both directions.
    Ray.
     
    andrewshimmin likes this.
  12. arthur maunsell

    arthur maunsell Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2008
    Messages:
    1,047
    Likes Received:
    140
    Location:
    by the fire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Loco coal to Salisbury certainly.
     
  13. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Messages:
    9,185
    Likes Received:
    7,226
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Thorn in my managers side
    Location:
    72
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I believe that some GWR Tanks (County?) had scoops - certainly one GWR loco burst its tanks when picking up due to inadequate air vents.

    But it beggars the question I suppose, after the vogue for big tanks in the early 1900's why did that draw to a close given that tank loco's dont appear to be particularly constrained in terms of range = and top speed.
     
  14. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,099
    Likes Received:
    57,414
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    You get constrained by grate area to something round about a class 5P (at a push - say an LBSCR L class) because of the tanks forcing you into a narrow firebox and the cab (amongst other factors) limiting the grate length. Going down a wide firebox route pretty well forces you to develop as a tender engine.

    (as an aside - what's the longest grate ever carried by a tank engine in this country?)

    Tom
     
    Bluenosejohn likes this.
  15. LesterBrown

    LesterBrown Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    995
    Likes Received:
    761
    Location:
    Devon
    In earlier days saddle tanks such as the 1076 class were used on coal trains Aberdare to Swindon (108 miles via Gloucester).

    On the broad gauge Pearson's 4-2-4Ts ran 75 miles on the Exeter expresses from Bristol.
     
    Martin Perry likes this.
  16. LesterBrown

    LesterBrown Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    995
    Likes Received:
    761
    Location:
    Devon
    103 miles via the Severn Tunnel. Smaller tank engines had been used on that traffic from an early date.
     
  17. LesterBrown

    LesterBrown Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    995
    Likes Received:
    761
    Location:
    Devon
    I assume that while in earlier days the additional weight from carrying the fuel on the frames gave a welcome bonus in adhesion, once loco weights approached the permitted axle loading the loss of adhesion as fuel was consumed on a long run became a disadvantage.
     
  18. RLinkinS

    RLinkinS Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2008
    Messages:
    912
    Likes Received:
    928
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The River class would usually have to take on water at Ashford after leaving London (about 55 miles), which added a few minutes to the journey time. Therefore the water capacity of 2000 gallons was not adequate for some of the services they worked. The boiler size was also limited by the maximum axle load. In other words a tender loco could have more power and a better range for the same axle weight.
     
  19. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,099
    Likes Received:
    57,414
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    In a roundabout way, that was what I was trying to say - when you consider the weight and bulk of the tanks and bunker, there is an upper-limit to how big you can make a tank engine, and in answer to @johnofwessex question, by the first couple of decades of the twentieth century, it was obvious that the power requirements for a loco would outgrow what you could fit into a tank engine. For a passenger engine, I suspect somewhere round about a class 4/5 was probably getting up the limit of what could be built as a tank engine, inevitably with a narrow firebox, and the Ivatt Atlantics and general development of traffic must have made it clear by about the First World War that sooner rather than later, locos would need to outgrow those limits.

    (There is also the issue that plagued both the River tanks and the Brighton Baltics, about stability when you have very large water loads mounted high and wide on the loco, and which again must have made it obvious that something like a big 4-6-4T was probably about the limit of what could be developed within the loadings gauge)

    Tom
     
  20. dan.lank

    dan.lank Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    290
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Haywards Heath
    Do Garratts count as tank locos or do they have their own category? I know they’re probably not what was meant by the OP though!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

Share This Page