Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

Thank you for that. It still seems odd that a medium sized loco with a wide firebox can take only a similar load to considerably smaller locos. I suppose the larger boiler would be useful with a medium sized train at express speeds, which sadly the new Beachy Head is unlikely ever to pull.

 

The worlds fastest steam driven fare financed steam train was belgian and pulled by an inside cylinder atlantic.
SNCB type 12
Beachy Head could do as well on level sections of GWR and look lovely in between on Bluebell

 

I find it a salutary reminder that "new" doesn't always mean "more powerful", and that recreation of an extinct class takes us back to an earlier era of power constraints.

 

Well they had more than ample opportunity to iron out any kinks. For the life of me, I can’t understand why they didn’t make it a 4-6-0 with a narrow firebox….

 

Is it lacking in rear sanders as well? I'm sure @Jamessquared will correct me, but isn't the limit to be able to keep to time when everything isn't perfect? It's all well and good being able to haul 400 tons to East Grinstead on a nice summer's day, but on a foul autumn morning, tender first out of EG without sanders is a different kettle of fish.

 

The Q is also limited to 5 mark 1's and on the anniversary of the sulky service on a wet day in March hauling 6, it was not able to keep time.

 

Mainly because the Brighton Atlantics were 4-4-2s and not 4-6-0s. On the other hand, had a sufficient number of people been so inclined they could have re-created a Brighton J1 or J2 4-6-2 tank loco instead.........

 

I’ve edited my above post to add a winkey smiley face. My bad!

 

Technically it is allowed more, but normal rostering practice is that it only takes 5. I know I've been up the line with the Q with 6 carriages and it was fine - but it was dry.

Our load limit tables are quite complex, in part because there are separate limits for up and down trains; and because there are limits for "work to standard timings for fully fitted and passenger trains" and "goods trains not required to run to standard passenger timings" - which are generally allowed more load. (But then you also get a figure of what the maximum part of the load is that can be unbraked ...) Once you get above a class 4 / 5, essentially the loco is no longer the limiting factor on the biggest train that can be run, but instead things like platform length.

For the passenger timings, you choose a number that allows for some leeway for conditions, i.e. you don't choose a number that can only be met with a loco in superb condition, with excellent coal, dry rail, a fireman on peak form etc. You also want to set both loads and timetables to be such that a temporary speed restrictions doesn't require rewriting everything. I can think of one really memorable occasion when I was on the footplate where rail head conditions significantly delayed a train; that was on the H class with four carriages (so near, but below, it's load limit) when we lost a number of minutes between Kingscote and East Grinstead due to icy rails. Some of that trip got filmed, but sadly not the most dramatic bit!



Tom

 

Where do you go from EG at 1 in 75?

 

It is 1 in 60 out of East Grinstead according to the gradient profile see https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/map_grad.html

 

Sorry, yes your right, whats the gradient at imberthorne ? isnt that 1 in 75 going down towards Horstead?

 

Far bigger challenge in the up direction I suspect. 1 in 75 on various parts up to the tunnel then 1 in 75 and 1 in 55 on the last leg from Kingscote to the summit.
Sure @Jamessquared can tell us.

 

1 in 55 going south —> north and 1 in 60 going north —> south at Imberhorne summit.

There’s a bit of 1 in 60 south of the tunnel.

Tom

 

We’re the Atlantics ever to be seen on the line? Obviously not regularly.

 

More often than you might think for an express loco.

Klaus Marx notes in his line history that H1 and H2 Atlantics were fairly common in the LBSCR period after World War 1 on a Sunday London - Brighton via Lewes services. There are other records of both H1 and H2 locos - including "Beachy Head" - on services such as Haywards Heath - London Bridge and Brighton - Victoria services in the inter-war and immediate post-war periods. H1 No. 32037 and H2s 32421 / 424 / 425 / 426 were all recorded at times up to the first closure of the line on regular workings; and 32424 was recorded in the brief re-opening period after the initial line closure.

32426 ran the RCTS "Wealden Limited" on 14/08/1955. It was described thus by a certain A.G.S. Davies:

My very first memory is of a golden day in August 1955 when Marsh Atlantic No. 32426 made her stately way up the line with the RCTS "Wealden Ltd" special train. Many people will recall the sight of St Alban's Head glinting in the evening sunlight at Horsted Keynes - a real Brighton vignette if ever. My own railway metier, the art of train timing, was still very much in the development stage at that time, and the only record I have of that occasion is a speed of 40mph after West Hoathly. No record, alas!, of how the Atlantic tackled the 1 in 75 of Freshfield Bank with eight carriages".​

Photo is 32426 on 14 August 1955 on Freshfield Bank. (Image J.J. Smith, Copyright Bluebell Railway Museum).




Tom

 

Great thanks.

 

For anyone interested there's some audio recordings here:

 

Enjoyed that. Thanks, C125. Slippey-slidey, the old Atlantics, weren't they? Interesting, in the light of what Bluebell footplate crews are now finding out for themselves!
Lovely to hear Terriers really putting the hammer down, and working hard, too.