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Steam extremes

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by andrewshimmin, May 10, 2018.

  1. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

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    Can anyone tell me the following (in each case for regular scheduled services, not one-off records)?
    - the furthest that a single loco took a service without changing the loco. I suspect there would be some long distances in the US, e.g. the Pennsylvania RR and the NYC.
    - the furthest a loco ran regularly without refuelling en route (i.e. coaling).
    - the furthest a loco ran without stopping to take water (troughs and extra tenders/bowsers are allowed!)
    - the furthest a loco ran without changing crew
     
  2. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    From Wikipedia

    On 8 August 1989 Flying Scotsman set another record en route to Alice Springs from Melbourne, travelling 679 kilometres (422 mi) from Parkes to Broken Hill non-stop, the longest such run by a steam locomotive ever recorded.[7]


    I believe that the London - Edinburgh via the ECML was the longest non stop run ever attempted on a regular basis at 392 miles
     
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  3. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Prior to Scotsman's effort in 1989, the record had been held for many years by (4)6113 Cameronian when it ran from Euston to Glasgow non=stop (401 miles). I think it was a single driver but two firemen on the footplate for this epic journey. There is also an argument that, when the East coast line was flooded in 1953, the Kings Cross Edinburgh 'non-stop' was diverted and the diversion was a good bit longer than the direct route but I don't think any official records exist of a loco actually doing it non-stop.
     
  4. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Need to have a look through my library, but I'm sure there's a record of an A4 doing a non stop during the 1953 diversions.
     
  5. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    The East Coast floods were in 1948 - not 1953 - and details of the flood diversions are recorded in the Harry Knox book (Haymarket Motive Power Depot, Edinburgh - A History of the Depot, its work and its locomotives 1842 - 2010) where on Pages 150-151 he details the Haymarket crews setting the challenge on the southbound run beginning on 24 August 1948 when 60028 Walter K Whigham worked the longer route of 408.65 miles non-stop. Harry Knox notes confusion between the details noted in RCTS Locomotives of the LNER Part 2A and OS Nock's The Gresley Pacifics but it appears to be agreed that during the 1948 Summer timetable Haymarket drivers recorded 22 non-stop runs (14 southbound and 8 northbound) involving 60012 Commonwealth of Australia, 60022 Mallard, 60027 Merlin, 60028 Walter K Whigham, 60029 Woodcock and 60031 Golden Plover.
     
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  6. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

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    The exploits are all very interesting, thank you.
    However they are all going off-piste into one-off records (surely not thread drift, on NP?!?!?!)
    I was wondering whether, for example, anyone can confirm if the Pennsy's locos/crews ran through from Harrisburg to Chicago (and likewise the NYC from Harmon to Chicago)?
    How about other long services in the US, Canada, Australia, US, Argentina, etc. Did they change loco? Crew? Take on coal?
    For example, on the Buenos Ayres Great Southern/Ferrocarril Sud in Argentina, Buenos Aires Plaza Constitucion to Bahia Blanca is 640km, and the night express was often an 800ton train, hauled by a 12E Class pacific (not non-stop).
     
  7. NSWGR 3827

    NSWGR 3827 New Member

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  8. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Pardon the pedantry but the A4 exploits were ONE-OFF events albeit with a number of occasions on which it occurred. The 1948 floods were a one-off event which caused the ECML diversions hence qualify under your criterion.
     
  9. PC5020

    PC5020 New Member

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    NYC ran Harmon to Chicago with Hudsons but changed engines at Buffalo. Niagaras ran through.
     
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  10. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    yes but the topic is referring to through workings, not necessarily non-stop ones. Thus there could well be much longer workings of a single loco on a number of routes
     
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  11. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    But the non-stop takes the record for the longest without stopping to take water and probably for refuelling, as well.
     
  12. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    in the Uk perhaps, but again the OP does not say nonstop and could include trains that make one or more station stops.
     
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  13. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    What about the Norfolk and Western? Did the streamlined express locos work through from Hagerstown to Roanoke? That's 380 miles. I'm thinking of the famous book by O Winston Link.
     
  14. The Green Howards

    The Green Howards Nat Pres stalwart

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  15. 46236

    46236 Well-Known Member

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    and a LMS compound ran non stop Euston -Glasgow the day before The Flying Scotsman train inaugural train in 1928
     
  16. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the info. And idea of the distance? And how did they refuel en route?
     
  17. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    AFAIK US Railroads had coaling towers on the running lines so locos could be coaled at a station stop
     
  18. guycarr360

    guycarr360 Part of the furniture

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    Always in the LNER shadow !!!!!
     
  19. Hermod

    Hermod Member

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    Where can I read of this and why was it done?
     
  20. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Report from Wikipaedia :

    In 1927 LNER started the famous non-stop express train Flying Scotsman from London to Edinburgh. Speeds respected the old agreement and so were low, but time was gained through making the run non-stop over the whole distance of 393 miles (632 km). This was done by means of a special corridor tender which allowed engine crew changes at speed. However to show that the old rivalry was not dead, just prior to the inaugural date of the LNER train, the LMS thwarted them by running separate "non-stop" trains from London to Glasgow (401 miles/645 km) and London to Edinburgh (399 miles/642 km). These were operated respectively by one of the new Royal Scot locomotives and by a standard LMS Compound 4-4-0 locomotive both with volunteer crews.
     

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