European Railroad Discussion > East Coast Surprise

I was in London recently and had a surprise taking a local GN train out of Kings Cross.

So I hopped off at Finsbury Park and grabbed a shot.

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Nice catch!

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

dwatry Wrote:
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> I was in London recently and had a surprise taking
> a local GN train out of Kings Cross.
>
> So I hopped off at Finsbury Park and grabbed a
> shot.

Wish I lived over in the UK...

Awesome streamlined engine!
Thanks!

BTW, why aerodynamic look didn't live long and didn't became a standard feature on a long distance steam locomotives?

Was that on December 30th? If so it was Bittern's last outing before overhaul.

Yes this was Dec 30th.

Stas Wrote:
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> BTW, why aerodynamic look didn't live long and
> didn't became a standard feature on a long
> distance steam locomotives?

Because it did not show much benefit at normal train speeeds. Most studies showed that streamlining only begins to demonstrate noticeable fuel savings (that is, greater efficiency) at speeds above approximately 60 mph (100 km/h); since few steam trains (even expresses) spent most of their running time at such speeds, it became obvious that although the streamlined casings looked good (in most cases, anyway!), their added weight and complexity, plus the additional time required to remove and replace them for normal maintenance and repairs simply was not economical. The possible exception was the LNER's Gresley A4 class, such as No. 4464 "Bittern" shown in this post; the streamlining on these locomotives was designed to assist in lifting the exhaust (smoke and steam) well above the cab windows at high speed. However, it was determined that smoke deflectors (called "elephant ears" by some) would do much the same job on a normally-shaped locomotive, with much less cost and complexity. In the 1930's, streamlining was very popular to help railroads look "modern" and "with it"; but post-World War II, practicality and economy became much more important.

Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)