Back In Time

[Ray C]

During my Sunday late morning dog walk between Marple Cheshire & New Mills Highpeak,I followed the railway line....
Low & behold I was treated to a "Magnifficent Steam Locomotive" with several carriages at full chat powering towards New Mills,

Anyone out there able to enlighten me of its name...?

[Spitfire]

Google is your friend

Was it a double header? If it was it may be this ??

'The Tin Bath' 45407 THE LANCASHIRE FUSILIER & 44871 BLACK FIVE

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96097-the-tin-bath-15th-february-2015/

[Ray C]

Thanks David...She's the one....Unmistakable sound to her....

[Spitfire]

She's the one....Unmistakable sound to her....

Not just a 'her' Ray - there were 2 of them - 45407 & 44871 both on full chat

[Ray C]

Wonderful...& there all "Up North"...Love the wild deer in the 2nd film...

[Spitfire]

And the ever so slight clouds of pollution smoke

[34053]

Absolutely FANTASTIC!!

PW

[Spitfire]

In all those videos both those engines are really 'tapping on' and I've got to thinking - for you engine buffs who will know - how does the 2nd engine driver communicate with the first re speed settings??

I mean who knows what regulator setting to set on what engine - surely they run the risk that one will be 'pulling back' the other??

Presumably the lead driver is 'in charge' but is the 2nd running at a 'pushing/pulling' power all the time or is he mostly coasting and only adding power on gradients??

Must be complicated

[Vulcan Bomber]

In all those videos both those engines are really 'tapping on' and I've got to thinking - for you engine buffs who will know - how does the 2nd engine driver communicate with the first re speed settings??

I mean who knows what regulator setting to set on what engine - surely they run the risk that one will be 'pulling back' the other??

Presumably the lead driver is 'in charge' but is the 2nd running at a 'pushing/pulling' power all the time or is he mostly coasting and only adding power on gradients??

Must be complicated

Its just experiance, out on the main line you drive on the reverser with the regulator fully open. On heritage lines its a little different due to the 25MPH speed limits. (indeed, there is Footplate footage of 9F 92214 on the great central being driven on the brakes!) The lead locomotive has full control of the brakes, and a very tight coupling between lead and 2nd engine and then both drivers drive on feel of how much work there loco is putting in.

[Spitfire]

out on the main line you drive on the reverser with the regulator fully open.

on the great central being driven on the brakes!)

Right - now I know nothing except there is a lever you pull to accelerate (the regulator - I think)

So what exactly do the 2 underlined expressions in bold mean

Do tell ....

[Vulcan Bomber]

out on the main line you drive on the reverser with the regulator fully open.

on the great central being driven on the brakes!)

Right - now I know nothing except there is a lever you pull to accelerate (the regulator - I think)

So what exactly do the 2 underlined expressions in bold mean

Do tell ....

The reverser is just that..... Well, ok it isn't. What it does is alters the "cut off" point on the valves for when the steam is admited and then cut off to the cylinder... So a high cut off number means the steam is admitted for longer (75% cut off means the steam is admitted for 75% of the Pistons travel) so you get more direct ooomph to get your 600Ton train moving (first gear in your car). As you wind the cut off point back (on the reverser) you admit steam for less time of the pistons travel meaning you rely more on the expansion of the steam in the cylinder, (typically about 20% - 30% on the flat) meaning less steam/water and coal is used. The reverser is also able to alter the valve events that much it can do as the name suggests and reverse the direction of travel.

High cut off points when pulling out of a station is what gives a steam engine the huge whoooomf up the chimney as they leave stations ect, and low cut off is what makes them run almost quietly on the run.



Now driving on the brakes is not always the case but 92214 that i mentioned is capable of starting and pulling loads of around 2500 tons, so when you hang 10% of that off Her rear drag beam with 250 PSi boiler pressure, 20% cut off and just a wiff on the regulator she still tries to run off so the driver has to maintain that 25mph limit with a touch of the brakes quite often....

[Spitfire]

The reverser is just that..... Well, ok it isn't. What it does is alters the "cut off" point on the valves for when the steam is admited and then cut off to the cylinder... So a high cut off number means the steam is admitted for longer (75% cut off means the steam is admitted for 75% of the Pistons travel) so you get more direct ooomph to get your 600Ton train moving (first gear in your car). As you wind the cut off point back (on the reverser) you admit steam for less time of the pistons travel meaning you rely more on the expansion of the steam in the cylinder, (typically about 20% - 30% on the flat) meaning less steam/water and coal is used. The reverser is also able to alter the valve events that much it can do as the name suggests and reverse the direction of travel.

High cut off points when pulling out of a station is what gives a steam engine the huge whoooomf up the chimney as they leave stations ect, and low cut off is what makes them run almost quietly on the run.

Now driving on the brakes is not always the case but 92214 that i mentioned is capable of starting and pulling loads of around 2500 tons, so when you hang 10% of that off Her rear drag beam with 250 PSi boiler pressure, 20% cut off and just a wiff on the regulator she still tries to run off so the driver has to maintain that 25mph limit with a touch of the brakes quite often....

Thank you - now I understand ...

And I've been here before ....

High cut off points when pulling out of a station is what gives a steam engine the huge whoooomf up the chimney as they leave stations

I just LOVE that noise ... it makes my spine tingle ... takes me back to when I was 10 and standing on Shrewsbury station with a 1D platform ticket a notebook and pencil watching loads of huge mainline engines coming in and out all day doing just that ... trying to cajole the drivers into letting me 'cab' their engine whilst they were waiting ... I got quite good at that - I even 'cabbed' Flying Scotsman ...

[Vulcan Bomber]

BR Standard 4's are pretty good for that. Youtube 80080 and you'll see what i mean.