Rails Announce OO 18000 Gas Turbine Locomotive

[boxbrownie]

Isopon P38 and some ally mesh and all’s good……might even pass it’s MoT 

[tomparryharry]

The panels appear to be flat, plain steel. The construction appears to lend itself  to straightforward repair ( or replacement )  methods.

[AlfaZagato]

Bondo.   Lots of Bondo.  And duct tape.

[Monkersson]

11 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

That's a nice set of photos, but I would suggest the  whistle in these photos is/are  the same whistle (s).  The larger, fatter,  whistle is a Western brake whistle. The photo that portrays 18000 being towed appears to be a standard item. 

 

18000 is actually leading in that photo, both electrics behind (which look SNCF?) have their pantographs down and the headlights are lit.  Presumably under test.

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Monkersson said:

18000 is actually leading in that photo, both electrics behind (which look SNCF?) have their pantographs down and the headlights are lit.  Presumably under test.

That photo is a little odd - the middle loco definitely looks to be of SNCF origin but 18000 was, I thought, not powered when it was being used by the UIC for test purposes.  So where was the photo taken and what was happening?   The loco clearly shows the mods carried out by the UIC and the presence of an SNCF loco indicates that it is 'somewhere in Europe' but if it really is leading what is providing the tractive power and why is it running on the right if it's in France (although of course there is right hand running in one small part of France)?

[Monkersson]

7 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

That photo is a little odd - the middle loco definitely looks to be of SNCF origin but 18000 was, I thought, not powered when it was being used by the UIC for test purposes.  So where was the photo taken and what was happening?   The loco clearly shows the mods carried out by the UIC and the presence of an SNCF loco indicates that it is 'somewhere in Europe' but if it really is leading what is providing the tractive power and why is it running on the right if it's in France (although of course there is right hand running in one small part of France)?

Clicking on the photo took me to the original link in Flickr.  The photo was taken in Wadgassen, France and the loco's behind are SNCF BB16685 & DB BR 181

[amwells]

9 minutes ago, Monkersson said:

Clicking on the photo took me to the original link in Flickr.  The photo was taken in Wadgassen, France and the loco's behind are SNCF BB16685 & DB BR 181

Very good and detailed caption too

[tomparryharry]

  One reason might be, is that 18000 is being propelled, and the consist has halted.  The pantograph being down would be for safety in certain situations.  After all,  25Kv up the rectum will 'brighten your day'....

 

The footplate staff looking back in the photo is a clue. 

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Monkersson said:

Clicking on the photo took me to the original link in Flickr.  The photo was taken in Wadgassen, France and the loco's behind are SNCF BB16685 & DB BR 181

Which explains the right hand running as Wadgassen is in the Saarland, in Germany (although in that part of France just across the border it will be right hand running).

[dibber25]

Didn't the UIC use it for some specific type of testing? Hence the changed bogie and suspension carve-up on one end. 

I'm afraid that the loco is in very poor condition - the body work is rusted into holes through most of its length, on the complex curved areas at the bottom of the sides. It is completely empty inside. As far as I'm aware it is not part of the GWS own collection, merely given a home by them, so it seems unlikely time or money will be spent on it. (CJL)

[The Stationmaster]

32 minutes ago, dibber25 said:

Didn't the UIC use it for some specific type of testing? Hence the changed bogie and suspension carve-up on one end. 

I'm afraid that the loco is in very poor condition - the body work is rusted into holes through most of its length, on the complex curved areas at the bottom of the sides. It is completely empty inside. As far as I'm aware it is not part of the GWS own collection, merely given a home by them, so it seems unlikely time or money will be spent on it. (CJL)

Yes - it was part of some wheel/rail interface testing programme according to various sources and that is why the bodywork was modified due to teh way test programmes were conducted using one of the bogies as the test area.

 

I'm more inclined to describe the rust in the bottom curved part of the bodywork as rot as it looks as it you could give it a poke and watch it fall to pieces in front of you.  So  far more serious than ordinary rust although it could no doubt be repaired with new panels - at a price.  Whether the loco could ever be made workable as a gas turbine is a very open question as it's far from clear what changes were made inside and above the bogie at the end where the fairing was provided.   So it might involve major interior body alteration in order to accommodate re-powering.  and obviously there would be the turbine itself plus all the associated systems to find and install.  A certain Mr Dyson has an original Whittle turbine and it has been restored to full working order so at least one exists but it needs an awful lot more than a replacement Whittle turbine to recreate 18000 as a working gas turbine loco - even if Mt Dyson is prepared to donate his.

[No Decorum]

1 hour ago, dibber25 said:

Didn't the UIC use it for some specific type of testing? Hence the changed bogie and suspension carve-up on one end. 

I'm afraid that the loco is in very poor condition - the body work is rusted into holes through most of its length, on the complex curved areas at the bottom of the sides. It is completely empty inside. As far as I'm aware it is not part of the GWS own collection, merely given a home by them, so it seems unlikely time or money will be spent on it. (CJL)

It is in very poor condition. Whilst that is sad, I suppose we are fortunate to have it at all, considering that all five Ivatt and Bulleid diesels were scrapped, not to mention 18100 and GT3. If it hadn’t been hacked about for testing purposes, I suppose it would have gone for scrap too. It would be good if it could be got under cover at least.

[Colin_McLeod]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

 So  far more serious than ordinary rust

 

The wrong type of rust!     

[dibber25]

It reminds me very much of my 1960 Hillman Minx - the rounded lower edges of the body are much like the sills on cars of that generation and have ended up being much the same - more holes, less metal. The Stationmaster speaks of rust but it's not so much the rust that's the problem as the holes where there is no rust, metal or anything else. It must be around 2-3 years since I went to Didcot to examine and photograph it before I commented on the first CADs that I'd been shown. I'd seen it previously at Crewe and Barrow Hill and been alarmed at its poor state back then. Sadly, although it is a very evocative shell, without its gas turbine 'innards' it is of little museum significance and is always likely to be a low priority for any serious restoration work. I hope I'm proved wrong. (CJL)

[GWR-fan]

Reminds me of my dad's old Vanguard panel van with its rotted sills.   Come rego time,  out with the stale bread to fill the cavity and then some plaster of paris and finally some suitably coloured house paint.  This was the late 1950's when fillers such as "bondo" were into the future.

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, dibber25 said:

It reminds me very much of my 1960 Hillman Minx - the rounded lower edges of the body are much like the sills on cars of that generation and have ended up being much the same - more holes, less metal. The Stationmaster speaks of rust but it's not so much the rust that's the problem as the holes where there is no rust, metal or anything else. It must be around 2-3 years since I went to Didcot to examine and photograph it before I commented on the first CADs that I'd been shown. I'd seen it previously at Crewe and Barrow Hill and been alarmed at its poor state back then. Sadly, although it is a very evocative shell, without its gas turbine 'innards' it is of little museum significance and is always likely to be a low priority for any serious restoration work. I hope I'm proved wrong. (CJL)

My Grandad had a MInx of about that vintage. One day my aunt was standing next to it chatting to Mum, when she leaned on the front wing with her elbow. It went straight through.

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

My Grandad had a MInx of about that vintage. One day my aunt was standing next to it chatting to Mum, when she leaned on the front wing with her elbow. It went straight through.

It wasn’t the rust, they were chatting so long she wore her way through it 

[Pandora]

The Filckr entry for 18000 has a summary of the major modifications to 18000 for use as a test unit

 

"The conversion took place in 1969 in the Bellinzona workshops of the Swiss Federal Railways. Almost all of the original technical equipment was removed from the body and from the bogies. One bogie (nearest the camera) could be fitted with various types of traction motor driving the middle wheelset. This facility required a major reconstruction of the bogie, and local remodelling of the vehicle body, leading to the ‘blisters’ on the underframe. The traction motor was fed by the equipment of another specially adapted locomotive, which ran in tandem. The choice of a suitable tandem locomotive made it possible to investigate the effect of different traction control systems and catenary voltages. Part of the original engine compartment of 18000 was occupied by the traction motor and mechanical transmission; the rest of the compartment was fitted out as room for the measuring equipment and for meetings of the test team."

 

The list of modifictions is extensive,    restoration of  18000 to a working locomotive  again?  I somehow doubt it.

Edited June 12, 2021 by Pandora

[Colin_McLeod]

The "Test" version would be an interesting variant for a model with different operational options.

[adb968008]

The pictures I took last year look a slightly more advanced version than the corrosion I photographed in 2018, I don't think the loco has moved from its position during that time, as the rust was on the sleepers where it fell. At some points you can look straight through it ( I was trying to photograph an Azuma through the gaps at one point, but the hole needs to get a bit larger, so maybe next year).

 

When I looked inside, its mostly empty, but quite light / airy.

 

My first thought was it would be a nice home to an “n” gauge layout, and with restored cabs would make a nice walkthrough exhibit.

Edited June 13, 2021 by adb968008

[reddragon]

It's getting late in June for a June delivery with no news from Rails. Any updates I wonder?

[Mark]

10 hours ago, reddragon said:

It's getting late in June for a June delivery with no news from Rails. Any updates I wonder?

Their last announcement with the sound upgrade was for July subject to any further Covid delays.

It will turn up when it is ready but given the situation with shipping at the moment as well as Chinese Covid outbreaks I don’t think anybody can realistically give guaranteed date commitments until the container is on the Quayside in the UK.

 

Mark

[Colin_McLeod]

12 minutes ago, Mark said:

Chinese Covid

 

Is this Covid-19 or something else?

[boxbrownie]

13 hours ago, reddragon said:

It's getting late in June for a June delivery with no news from Rails. Any updates I wonder?

It’s got a turbine engine….you’ll hear it coming.

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, Colin_McLeod said:

 

Is this Covid-19 or something else?

Yes, it’s that damn Chinese disease….oops I slipped into Trumpington just then 

 

I wish they who know would just label it Covid-19/1…..or /2 etc etc…..much easier than some of the weird numbers attached to most variations, then again we might get a bit worried when it gets into double figures!