Mallard to visit Germany

http://upmain.zenfolio.com/p636465135/hdb72466#hdb72466

 

Mallard sailing?........I thought they flew.............

 

Be nice to get a reciprocal visit from the German streamliner....

Couldnt be tempted to send Bittern/ DoNZ instead to show how its done ?

 

No, the Germans know how to set records on the level... ;-)

 

The surviving BR 05 is 05 001, not the record break, 05 002. It is also displayed in a shed sepaarte from the main museum that is of the type used as a storage shed or museum shed by UK lines many years ago, which hides the fact that it only has full streamlining on one side! The shed is sort of a a DB Shildon, but only about 150 metres away from their "York".

The DB Museum is very good but also very different from York, Mulhouse or Utrecht. Only the ground floor has access for full size exhibits and the rest is models, artifacts or other displays. In some ways, this has meant these need to be better - one display that struck me was a long gallery with models of the "same" station for about 6 or 7 different eras - a really great way (using RTR models mainly - with them working on each layout) of showing the changes and great fun stopping the differences!

Steven

 

Am i the only one who feels this is a bad idea?

 

If it brings in money no, which presumably is the reason....

 

Great idea and they can have Scotsman as well as long as we can borrow some proper pacifics of the 01.5 variety in exchange.

 

I think they ought to send Tornado..................don't mention the boiler........

 

My understanding is that 05 001, which was built basically the same as 05 002, is just the much rebuilt loco with a streamlined casing put back on. I stand to be corrected as I would need to dig out my 05 books and spend a few hours translating all the details to be more precise.

It is an absolute tragedy that 05 002 and ALL the records of it's many very fast runs did not survive in original form. But WWII came along.

I still have the tantalising comment in print somewhere in my study from the overall head of testing, (presumably the boss of Paul Roth, who was the "local" test manager), that 05 002 reached over 127 mph on one run. But it has been impossible to get to the source documentation. And I may have been close to it once. As at one point 6 or 7 years ago I got very friendly with some of the staff in DB Museum Nurnberg, and was taken round a basement archive document room. Packed with documents that I doubt had ever been properly looked at. And given the offer to go back and study them at my leisure.

Sadly staff changes happened soon after that, and I no longer have a contact in the Museum.

So to me, (you'll find details on my web site,), and the extensive research I did a few years back, I can only put Mallard and 05 002 just about equal in the highest speed steam loco speed ever reached. With, as already mentioned, the 05 run seeing the final accelaration on virtually level track.

But at least in taking Mallard to Germany, it will show the Germans what a high speed steam loco should look like. To me 05 002, (and 05 001), are about the ugliest steam locos I've ever set eyes on.

And of course the A4 s were a full class of steam locos for long term, varied fast express passenger services. Whilst just two 05s were built for the high speed Hamburg to Berlin service, which did not run for very long at all.

Oh. And please don't wind me up about the very high speeds reached by the F7 and A class locos of the Milwaukee Road on the Hiawatha services. Which included the true worlds fastest ever steam loco schedule. On fairly heavy trains too. But whilst both types of loco may well have passed the 120 level, I doubt now that accurate data will ever surface to fully substantiate that.

 

Brian, can you formulate a plan to smuggle in some BSWs in the firebox please.

 

so any truth in a certain german loco works asking to borrow an A4 boiler engineering diagram then?? any chance on Mallard returning to uk with a nice new shiny welded steel boiler after taking the german steam record whilst on test , come on Adrian , own up, she is really going over there to have a new boiler isnt she?

seriously though it would be good idea , after all its not an everyday thing to see a german pacific loco and an A4 in the same place

 

I think its a cracking idea to send the very best engineering to Germany. With luck, they can look at a Swindon big end, with all its precision qualities...

Ian

 

No need. We have enough proper Pacifics over here thank you. Well except for the GWR that is.

 

yes, do an identiy swop and confound them by sending it there via the tunnel, in light steam then at the head of a rail tour , i wonder, are mk 1,s passed for europe?

 

In principle, yes. But any smuggled back BSWs will have to report to me in the first instance for a stringent Fitness to Run examination to be carried out!

Getting serious very quickly. I guess the problems of sending an operational A4 to Germany are too many for it to become a reality. As they have, on occasion in the last decade, just sometimes allowed steam locos to run up to their design speed limits. That has been for 140 km/h locos, (87 mph), but it would be nice to see an A4 given her head on the Hamburg to Osnabruck line. I say that instead of Hamburg - Berlin as that latter route was upgraded to a sort of High Speed service a few years ago, and I am not sure steam specials are allowed over it any more. But I'm a bit out of touch now with the current German steam scene.

 

Oh yes it does. You should see them bounce when they do.

 

I doubt this very much. There is nothing on the NRM website about it, surely this is the one place that should have something. Also the dates are supposedly from July to November which would make her miss out on the Shildon gala where Speed is supposed to be the theme - I for one would want Mallard at any speed themed event. As it says she goes back to York in November wasn't the reason for moving her to Shildon to keep her in the public limelight while NRM+ happened at York?

Too many things that don't tie in here for me.

 

Well, you shouldn't believe rumours unless you start them.