wjstix wrote: Well of course, way back (100 years ago or more) very large drivers were common in the US or the UK. I think some of the British "singles" (4-2-2's, like Thomas the Tank Engines girlfriend) had like 96" drivers.
Well of course, way back (100 years ago or more) very large drivers were common in the US or the UK. I think some of the British "singles" (4-2-2's, like Thomas the Tank Engines girlfriend) had like 96" drivers.
Indeed, the broad gauge (7'-0") Great Western singles were enormous!
The image is about correct scale wise, I'm trying to locate a more recent picture of a restored GW single to prove it.
Have fun with your trains
This one is being (has been ??) built at Didcot:-
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Apologies for poor pic quality-is the only one I have
Believe it is a `Firefly` class 2-2-2
Nick
nickinwestwales wrote: Lee-Atmospheric system-hmm-quick answer-a large bore pipe layed between the rails,open at the top,with greased leather flaps forming a `seal` -cars were fitted with a sort of paddle (think ping-pong bat) which fitted closely into the pipe. The pumping houses created a vacuum within the pipe ahead of the train,thus drawing it towards them-as noted,a brilliant idea,ahead of it`s time (and the supporting technology) the Brunel gauge (see pic below ) was a mighty 7 feet & a quarter inchAs an aside ( & this may be contentious ) Brunel was an undoubted genius,but not in all fields-his locomotive designs were,by all accounts,sacks of spanners-his saving grace was Sir Daniel Gooch who designed all the classic broad gauge
Lee-Atmospheric system-hmm-quick answer-a large bore pipe layed between the rails,open at the top,with greased leather flaps forming a `seal` -cars were fitted with a sort of paddle (think ping-pong bat) which fitted closely into the pipe. The pumping houses created a vacuum within the pipe ahead of the train,thus drawing it towards them-as noted,a brilliant idea,ahead of it`s time (and the supporting technology) the Brunel gauge (see pic below ) was a mighty 7 feet & a quarter inch
As an aside ( & this may be contentious ) Brunel was an undoubted genius,but not in all fields-his locomotive designs were,by all accounts,sacks of spanners-his saving grace was Sir Daniel Gooch who designed all the classic broad gauge
I'm not sure I would call the designer of a vacum railroad a geinus. But I allways thought trains looked very tall compaired to the width of the track in terms of center of gravity. Broad gauge might have been an improvement. I realy enjoy the pictures and learning all this new information.
happy Railroading
Lee
O-K:- the idea didn`t work-for a number of reasons,but you never know until you try-and given that this was an idea from 140+ years ago--hey:- try anything once........-this was cutting edge technology back then................
Nick......
Lets bear in mind that he had already laid out the Great Western "Billiard Table"-the Paddington to Bristol line-as near to flat and straight as you can get...
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