# Tornado at speed through depot



## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi all,

The newly built Pacific loco Tornado has now been painted in Apple Green, but before that it was out (at night) being tested; they had it up to 75mph from York to Newcastle, which passed through Durham City

Just a short You Tube video of it rushing through the center track is at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jpXt7QX0NZM - it passed the test with flying colors by the way, and yes there was a disel on the rear, both as a back up and to add some weight.

There will be other short videos listed from this one: the terst runs had to be at night - in case it went wrong. They intend to have it up to 90 MPH if the can get permission.

Enjoy the scream of the whistle!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW!










Now why cant we build a new one over here...


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Now that's fast!


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By vsmith on 12/30/2008 8:05 AM


WOW!










Now why cant we build a new one over here...









Nothin' to stop you. All you have to do is to make up your minds which loco to replicate - my guess is that a Pennsy K4 would prolly top the list. Organise the work-force, bow and scrape to all kinds of people, cajole and pursuade, snake-oil charm the punters, the wanna-sees and all the others who love trains enough to put their paws in their pockies. 

Deep.

Three million pounds it cost so far - don't try and convert it, the figure would be meaningless today. THAT amount was spent over eighteen long years - prolly the equivalent of at least ten million today....ignoring the literally thousands of hours of voluntary time given by many expensive experts and ordianry joes, Gawd Bless'em! [I'm told that the figure of 126,000 hours was considered more than likely a reasonable approximation of the time spent by all concerned building 'Tornado']. 

The boys over in the #700 shop in Portland can build your boiler, like they did for the CPR 'Royal Hudson' and the other good ol'boys in Tennessee can make your wheels. Get Boeing to cut the big frame bits - you'll never find anybody who can cast them like they used to, and the rest of the twiddly bits would be pretty easy.

After all, unlike us over here, you HAVE a K4 to copy.

All WE had were drawings, saved from the dumpster by a hairsbreadth.

Good luck!!

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

My understanding is that PRR K-4 #1361 has been restored to operating condition by the Steamtown Museum. There was video of it somewhere not long ago. 

I would think an NYC Hudson would be a better candidate as there are no surviving examples today.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By vsmith on 12/30/2008 9:59 AM
My understanding is that PRR K-4 #1361 has been restored to operating condition by the Steamtown Museum. There was video of it somewhere not long ago. 

I would think an NYC Hudson would be a better candidate as there are no surviving examples today.


Hmmmmmmmm.

Cast frame?

Cast Commonweatlh trucks?

Cast Boxpok/Scullin wheels?

Half as big again as a K4 and around three times as big overall as our litle 'Tornado'?

Boiler, say at least $5M...plus of course all the other necessary doodads it needs - Elesco's, Westhinghic, Pyles and so on...

How does $20M sound?

Depends on how much you want it...and bleeve me, you REALLY have to want it.

Read THIS - http://www.dukeofgloucester.co.uk/

It broke families up, it broke marriages up, and it broke our hearts more than once, but it is with us today in splendour.

tac
http://www.ovgrs.orgb/


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

They may not know where to put the headlight on a steam locomotive, but they sure know how to get them up to speed! WOW!


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 12/30/2008 10:21 AM They may not know where to put the headlight on a steam locomotive, but they sure know how to get them up to speed! WOW! 

'Ballast train, freight train or inspection train requiring to stop in between signal boxes [in the section]. Or Branch freight train'

British Railways Standard headliamp codes - 1961.

WE invented them.

WE can put the lights on them wheresoever we care to do so.









tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Tac,
I'm not sure that you have your facts correct when you say "The boys over in the #700 shop in Portland can build your boiler, like they did for the CPR 'Royal Hudson' "
Assuming that you are referring to 2860, the boiler was rebuilt by the WCRA in Squamish.
Perhaps you are thinking about CPR Hudson 2816 (NOT a Royal Hudson) that did have its boiler rebuilt (NOT a new one) in Portland by Doyle McCormacks Daylight Machine Works.
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

All WE had were drawings

 
And don't underestimate that part... my understanding is that the complete drawings of the loco from British Railways were stored in the National Railway Museum archives. I'm sure one or two were a problem, but they mst have halped make it possible. (Didn't know they almost went in the dumpster, though! Sounds like the Baldwin drawings here that were saved by a private collector as Baldwin didn't want them.)


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By tacfoley on 12/30/2008 10:27 AM
Posted By Semper Vaporo on 12/30/2008 10:21 AM They may not know where to put the headlight on a steam locomotive, but they sure know how to get them up to speed! WOW! 

'Ballast train, freight train or inspection train requiring to stop in between signal boxes [in the section]. Or Branch freight train'

British Railways Standard headliamp codes - 1961.

WE invented them.

WE can put the lights on them wheresoever we care to do so.









tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/



Now, now, tac, don't let your upper lip get in a quivver!









Yes, You invented them, now doubt about it







and a hearty







THANK YOU!... (but we perfected them!







)

Yes, You can put the lights on them wheresoever you care to do so







, (even if it is a silly place







).

You folk also know how to celebrate your heritage!







(but WE DON'T!







)

GOOD ON YA' anyway!


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Pete Thornton on 12/30/2008 11:29 AM
All WE had were drawings


And don't underestimate that part... my understanding is that the complete drawings of the loco from British Railways were stored in the National Railway Museum archives. I'm sure one or two were a problem, but they mst have halped make it possible. (Didn't know they almost went in the dumpster, though! Sounds like the Baldwin drawings here that were saved by a private collector as Baldwin didn't want them.)


On the TV programme last week, the engineering director of the A1 Trust, David Elliott, said, and I quote his exact words '..these drawings were in random rolls, that had effectively been rescued out of the skip [dumpster] seven years earlier when the locomotive works had been throwing out all the steam drawings' .

No A1 Peppercorn lcomotives like 'Tornado' have been preserved into heritage, the last survivor having been scrapped in 1966. 

True, we have 'Blue Peter', and 'R H Peppercorn' themselves, but they are not A1-types.

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By David Leech on 12/30/2008 10:48 AM
Tac,
I'm not sure that you have your facts correct when you say "The boys over in the #700 shop in Portland can build your boiler, like they did for the CPR 'Royal Hudson' "
Assuming that you are referring to 2860, the boiler was rebuilt by the WCRA in Squamish.
Perhaps you are thinking about CPR Hudson 2816 (NOT a Royal Hudson) that did have its boiler rebuilt (NOT a new one) in Portland by Doyle McCormacks Daylight Machine Works.
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada








You are, of course correct. My enthusiasm got the better of me.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

My enthusiasm got the better of me.


Nice to see such enthusiasm. And well worth it - I also watched the other videos on Youtube, of Thirsk at speed, plus the departure from York and the arrival in Newcastle. 

_The video reminded me of my youth - bike trips to Croft Spa to take photos of the Streaks on the ECML._


I'll bet the crew were having a blast.  We came back from Port Jervis on an excursion behind C&O 614 a few years ago, and Ross Rowlands had her up to 60-70 mph running through Mahwah.  Memories....


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi 

A bit more re 'Tornado' which has now been named by Prince Charles, and the loco was then involved with the Roayl Train. 

There are some photos of the newly named loco in the web magazine that can be downloaded from their website at http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/magazine

There are two PDF download versions - the low (grade) is quite good. 

The USA also gets a mention in the magazine re the allocation of $'s for High Speed rail on page 21.


Finally 'Tornado' also has a starring role in the latest issue of the magazine 'Heritage Railways', which I think is available woldwide.


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

On the four Sundays of July this year Tornado will be hauling a special train from Bristol to Kingswear. The train should be able to put up a fair turn of speed and should only lose speed when it climbs the grade from Norton Fitzwarren (Somerset) to the summit at Whiteball Tunnel and then pick up speed again once over the other side in Devon as far as Exeter. From Exeter to Newton Abbot and Torquay the line follows the coast in the main. The latter seven miles of the journey, from Paignton to Kingwear, is on my Heritage Railway (Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway) and is steeply graded. This will allow enthusiasts to hear her working hard on the grades whilst easily photographed, in highly photogenic locations, at low speed. There are specials every Sunday until the end of September but it will be great to see this loco hauling the first four of them.

I'm not sure whether it has been mentioned before on the Forum but in case it hasn't I understand the name Tornado was chosen to honor the aircraft of the same name.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Only problem with having them here is they would not be cost effective for today standards. Besides you'd have to Meet EPA YIKES. Later RJD


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

Here it is from the other side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF2Jgg1LpzU&feature=related

And ripping through Thirsk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SneY0rjbI-c&feature=related


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## Hagen (Jan 10, 2008)

Posted By aceinspp on 02/24/2009 3:28 PM
Only problem with having them here is they would not be cost effective for today standards. Besides you'd have to Meet EPA YIKES. Later RJD

Hehehe, like that museum road in Germany that won a freight contract against the big boys with diesels, and actually made it profitable


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By jfrank on 02/24/2009 4:04 PM
Here it is from the other side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF2Jgg1LpzU&feature=related

And ripping through Thirsk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SneY0rjbI-c&feature=related





Turn the sound up LOUD......................


Does yer heart good, now donnit?

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

That is simply the BEST sound in the world!!! The screaming whistle and BIG cloud of smoke from the sack make her a real beauty!! Thanks for making my day!


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Not sure what the EPA is RJ, but the UK regulations regarding railways, particularly steam ones, are very comprehensive.

The major factor in Tornados favor is being a new loco she has had all necessary requirements made/fitted during the building of her. Of all the steam locos in the UK that have been restored or preserved only a few can run on our mainlines. Those that can't are restricted to the many Hertitage lines we have over here.


Another factor, which I think has been also mentioned elsewhere, is that as a new loco she can run at up to 90 MPH making her the fastest operational steam loco in the UK and that is, most certainly, a crowd puller.


I am sure TAC or one or two others could furnish more facts and some percentages. I can't.


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## chooch (Jan 2, 2008)

For those who want to know why we don't build a new steam locomotive here in the states, here is the answer. There is one!  Here is the link. This locomotive, along with six other steam locomotives will be at the Train Festival 2009 this summer in Owosso Michigan.


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