Took a look at the drawing and now, ah, I see. Still, that engine runs so well it's hard to believe it had all those shortcomings. And the fireman crewing the engine in the video obviously knew his business, except for starting the only exhaust I could see was white condensing steam.
There's a lot to be said for ruggedness, I'd rather have something rugged and rough that can do the job than something so fine-tuned and finely crafted it's finicky and temperamental.
Speaking of rough rides, have you seen the "Live (?) Steam" thread under "General Discussion"? Just watching it will have you looking for a bottle of aspirin!
Firelock76,
take a look at the following drawing, which reveals some of the shortcomings:
It was finally her ruggedness and low cost which made her successful, in spite of bad steaming capability.
Wow! Great video of a grand old locomotive and some beautiful countryside as well. I'm not sure what you meant when you said the engine was "not well balanced", she can sure go like a bat out of hell! One thing though, at about the twelve minute mark I heard someone playing "Give Me Your Higher Love" in the background. Considering the subject matter I think "Preussens Gloria" might have been more appropriate!
You're lucky. Except for one brief moment the trains of my childhood were diesels.
The following video shows a typical train of my childhood days in the late 1950´s. Loco is a DB class 38.1 ex Prussian P8 Tenwheeler, built from 1906 to 1922. Though not well balanced, it proved to be a really successful design, with over 3,800 locos built, outlasting all of its intended successors by decades. Actually, a DB class 38.1 was among the last steam locos taken out of service at the end of the steam days on German rails in 1977.
Enjoy!
watch?feature=playerdetailpage&v=3bK6E9a2pI
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