Hello all ;
Here's a video depcting some high speed pacing of a Spanish Niagara after being restored. Legend says that in this trip, speeds of 85 Mph wre reached, and it was quite easy for the locomotive to reach it (it was far away form its limits). enjoy.
Oh wow, that was so cool! Thank you Mario!
And this is only Part 1!
The only major drawback of these locomotives was that, in order to get them to fit contemporary turntables, they were fitted with such tiny tenders that their effective nonstop range was severely restricted. (I have never quite understood why a multi-part tender, a 'connected' part with a large coal bunker and minimal water-bottom frame, perhaps with high overhang a la NYC PT Centipedes, and one or more bidirectional A-tanks with transfer piping at both ends, wasn't developed for these locomotives; that would have given the necessary turntable capability along with high treated-water capacity as desired.
Note the very capable double-chimney front end and its performance in these scenes.
One note: This is not a 'Niagara' (which would be a Spanish-speaking 4-8-4, on NdeM) but a 'Confederation', like Cantlie's Chinese masterpieces, named after the Canadian prototype.
Mario_v Legend says that in this trip, speeds of 85 Mph wre reached, and it was quite easy for the locomotive to reach it (it was far away form its limits). enjoy.
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This engines were reaaly known as Confederaciones (10 were built, strangely in 1955 when Renfe had just starteddieselizing some services with Alco Dl500's). I just used the term Niagara maybe because it would maybe be a more familiar term to US people
These were just Break In runs after its restoration. When in service these units would usually haul 16 car trains and lter in their careers, heavy perishable freights. In a testes with a dynamometer car over the Madrid to Avila line, going thru 2,2% grades it reached a total outpout of 4426 hp, and in speed tests after leaving the factory it reached speeds of 150 Km/hr (93 Mph), and it didn0t reach more due to the (horrible) state of track
RME And this is only Part 1! The only major drawback of these locomotives was that, in order to get them to fit contemporary turntables, they were fitted with such tiny tenders that their effective nonstop range was severely restricted. (I have never quite understood why a multi-part tender, a 'connected' part with a large coal bunker and minimal water-bottom frame, perhaps with high overhang a la NYC PT Centipedes, and one or more bidirectional A-tanks with transfer piping at both ends, wasn't developed for these locomotives; that would have given the necessary turntable capability along with high treated-water capacity as desired. Note the very capable double-chimney front end and its performance in these scenes. One note: This is not a 'Niagara' (which would be a Spanish-speaking 4-8-4, on NdeM) but a 'Confederation', like Cantlie's Chinese masterpieces, named after the Canadian prototype.
These were the Swan song of spanish steam, very caable machines, but never fully explored in their potential, firstly due to (generally poor) track condition and use of vacuum brakes in passenger Expresses (limiting top speed to 100 Km/h, and later, their use in freight services (althugh priority perishabel traffic)
It doesn't surprise me the Spanish would build such a great locomotive, swords of Toledo steel were once considered the best in all Christendom.
I could be wrong, but didn't one of these locomotive do a brief run-by during the movie "Battle of Britain" made in 1969? Only the real fans of European steam would know it was a post-war engine.
As for the film "Battle of Britain": A RENFE Mikado of class 141F2101-2417 was used. The first engines of this class were constructed by the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow in 1953! This website has a photo: https://everardcunion.wordpress.com/battle-of-the-adolfs/
Thanks for the link '03!
So it was a 1953 British-built Mikado! Still, you have to give the film-makers credit, they didn't HAVE to do a steam run-by, but they did anyway. Good for them!
Great movie, "Battle of Britain," an aviation fan's delight.
By the way, I saw the movie when it opened here in 1969. I knew there were quite a few military aviation buffs in the audience when the credit roll started, the "Ace High" march began to play, and that Junkers JU-52 popped in view. You should have heard the gasps from the audience! And the comments! "My God, it's a JU-52! WHERE did they find that thing?"
No CGI back in those days, that was the real thing!
Gracis Mario!
Pure poetry in Motion! Do you live in Spain? If so I'm a bit to the NE of you in Ansbach, Germany, 44km SW of Nuremberg. Two major Deutsche Bahn trunk lines serve our fair city. I'm a displaced Gringo from Dallas, Texas. Regretfully I speak no Spanish. I picked up German while stationed in Germany during the mid-60s assigned to the German Army Transport Command Ansbach. I served three years as a Movement Control specialist in the US Army Transportation Corps.
More about me can be found at www.railroadevangelist.com All Aboard magazine; Summer 2015, page 8 and 9.
Adios Amego!
Joseph Toth
....but feel free to call me Jose!*
*Google Friends of BNSF.
Spanish Fly: When a RENFE train crew picks up orders while running!:)
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