Gibbo675

Hi Folks, Poor joke joke warning. All this fancy talk of cone slicing is pure HYPERBOLA !!! Well I thought it was funny. Gibbo.

Hi Mike, If you were really pedantic and altered the axis of reference to that of the central axis of the cone rather than perpendicular to the central axis of the cone, which actually defines the shape of the cone, then it would indeed be trapezoidal. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, The purpose of the tapering of boiler shells is two fold: Reduce the volume of water within the boiler to gain efficiency in the production of steam. Reduce the mass of both the boiler shell and mass of water carried within the shell. The taper of the boiler of the Bullied pacifics was placed to the underside of the centre line so that a greater manifold effect could be gained in the steam space over a traditionally tapered boiler which has the taper to the upper side of the centre line while retaining the advantage of total reduced mass. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Quick physics lesson here, fireless locomotives are not charged with steam but superheated water, that is water that has been raised to above 212*F (100*C). The tank of the locomotive is actually an accumulator and is heavily insulated so that as the head of steam, that is produced by the volume of heat that is at the temperature of the water, is used water boils off and expands into the space above the water, the temperature of the water and pressure of the head of steam remaining constant. So long as there is water in the accumulator then the head of steam will be constant relative to temperature, obviously the volume of water and therefore the volume of heat (energy imparted to the water) reduces as the water level drops which is why the accumulator requires to be recharged as the volume of water reduces as steam is used for traction. Water at 379*F (202*C) provides 180lbs of steam. Hope that helps, Gibbo.

Hi Monty, I'm as impressed by the two thirds clean front of the locomotive. Gibbo.

Hi Tom, Eighteen years of rebuilding and maintaining steam locomotives at Riley and Son's, while also working as a Network Rail approved examining fitter for EWS tells me, let the fitters sort it out. Gibbo.

HI bgman, I must concur, it's not often you see such a well moulded legs upon a high legged chair, quite the juxtaposition with the rough sawn fence. Gibbo.

Hi Tom, What are you on about with all this "OIL UP" nonsense, you need to use a little more imagination ! Even those archaic contraptions known as BR standards had grease lubrication on the valve gear pins which means once a week and done by a fitter rather than the preparation crews. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, There is this little Barclay on Shapeways that is designed to fit a Hornby pug mechanism. https://www.shapeways.com/product/6DEE5SJUU/andrew-barclay-fireless-locomotive Gibbo.

Hi Jason, Just like this sketch by Peter Kay ? Gibbo.

Well that's me told !!!!

Hi Clive, You do know that Peco actually make catch points SL84 (RH) and SL85 (LH). Gibbo.

Hi Stephen, Should any one wish to find out what locomotive engineers actually got up to in their working lives I would recommend, "Memoirs of a Locomotive Engineer" by Edgar J Larkin. Two copies on eBay currently, both for less than £10.00. Gibbo.

Hi Clive, With any luck most of Outokumpo's stainless steel production is austenitic and therefore non-ferromagnetic, so Dave and his DMU's will be just fine. Gibbo.

Hi Andy, The personality cult does seem to be a feature of British society which puzzles me greatly from the Queen to Miley Cyrus. Nowt a queer a folk in that regard ! Gibbo.

Hi David, It wasn't just ash and fines that came through open windows, the first coach could get quite a drenching from an overfilled tender when passing over the troughs, any open windows meant very wet passengers. Gibbo.

Hi Jim, No one seems to mind all of the locomotives that currently work the main lines now that are all fitted with self cleaning smoke boxes. Granted there isn't quite such the scale of steam working over the railways that there was but self cleaning smoke boxes are now order of the day for main line running. Gibbo

Hi Dava, The only question that needs to be asked is: Which one is run by civil servants and which one is run by those that have passion for what they like doing ? Gibbo.

Hi pH, Most of the locomotives built in Britain for export were far superior machines in terms of, technologies and materials used to build them, features that made them more efficient to operate both in service and maintenance along with general performance when at work, therefore not too difficult to improve anything running on a British railway for about 1900 onwards. Most domestically utilised British locomotives were not much further developed than anything built anywhere in the world by 1910 The only locomotives to get anything like near export quality would be the last of the LMS black fives that had roller bearings, hopper ashpans, rocking grates and steel fireboxes. Should Bullied's pacifics had Caprotti valve gear and roller bearings along with self cleaning smoke boxes then they might have been much better locomotives than they turned out. They may have been fitted with power reverse but it was just about the worst system of those that were available, at least they had good injectors though. Gibbo.

Hi Clive, Look on the bright side, most of what this chap talks of hasn't even been taken into account: Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Where I live is 473 feet above sea level and the only ice that I've seen melt recently was in my gin and tonic, so I really don't see anything to worry about. Gibbo.

Thus proving that poor old Phil didn't get the joke !

Why do they search you bag, the only things worth stealing wouldn't even fit in my house never mind a bag !!!

Hi Rodent, Here is the film No. 6207, A Study in Steel, it shews the building of an LMS Princess Royal at Crewe works. The boiler flanging blocks are to be seen at 11:00, although the whole film is worth a watch. Gibbo.

Hi Kevin, The only one I can think of that is anything like would be Eden Camp near Malton. The Churchill sat next to a roundabout near Leyland doesn't really count ! Gibbo.