[ms06s_char]

Hello, I'm planning to buy one steam engine, which one is good to buy....in term of the class, I only know Flying Scotsman so far, any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[7113]

QUOTE (ms06s_char @ 18 Jun 2007, 15:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hello, I'm planning to buy one steam engine, which one is good to buy....in term of the class, I only know Flying Scotsman so far, any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Dennis

You haven't specified exactly what you are planning, freight, shunting etc? If you are not running a specific period try a King Arthur or a Brittania, there are plenty ofoptions available. Alternatively you may wish to pursue the railways of mainland Europe which has produced some stunning mainline locomotives. I suppose that these days we are spoilt for choice.

Regards

John

 

[34C]

QUOTE (ms06s_char @ 18 Jun 2007, 15:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hello, I'm planning to buy one steam engine, which one is good to buy....in term of the class, I only know Flying Scotsman so far
You know enough. Representative of the most significant pacific class to run in the UK, and aesthetically a complete delight. In the fullness of time you can add an A4 pacific ('Mallard', the further improved streamlined type and the fastest steamer of all time), and the Peppercorn A1 (the heavyweight development).

 

[ms06s_char]

I really have no idea but surely not a freight train

I am looking for the best steam engine model of Britain that is available on the market, the word "best" here has various meanings, like the most famous, best performance, most renown, you can say I'm looking for a representative, can you name me some?

Dennis

 

[Brian Considine]

IMHO the Flying Scotsman attracts far too much attention therefore the general public seems to think it's the only decent locomotive - too many people over the years have lost far to much money over it, almost as if it were jinxed. The money spent on it over the years could have saved many other locomotives.

No, as far as I am concerned they could scrap it.

I'm sorry, I just don't know why this locomotive is supposed to be that special (as to say Mallard).

Give me a Bullied (including the Q1), Brittania or 9f & that's before I look over the water !

 

[KODIAK BEAR]

QUOTE (ms06s_char @ 18 Jun 2007, 17:01) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I really have no idea but surely not a freight train

I am looking for the best steam engine model of Britain that is available on the market, the word "best" here has various meanings, like the most famous, best performance, most renown, you can say I'm looking for a representative, can you name me some?

Dennis

LMS Princess Coronation Class were the most powerful steam loco's ever built !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LMS_Pri...Crewe_Works.jpg

They are the most beautiful ! (hard cheese if anyone thinks otherwise

)

Get one of these !

Or a GER Class C53

 

[dwb]

QUOTE I'm sorry, I just don't know why this locomotive is supposed to be that special (as to say Mallard).

Give me a Bullied (including the Q1), Brittania or 9f & that's before I look over the water !

dbclass50, you could start by reading this Wikipedia article on 4472 Flying Scotsman to fill the obvious gaps in your knowledge. I suggest that your preference for utilitarian looks and mechanical simplicity betray a lack of art in your soul

For looks, I don't think you can beat a Gresley V2 2-6-2, Bachmann make a fine model but you have any intention to go DCC, the split frame chassis is a major hindrance.

David

 

[34C]

QUOTE (ms06s_char @ 18 Jun 2007, 17:01) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I am looking for the best steam engine model of Britain that is available on the market, the word "best" here has various meanings, like the most famous, best performance, most renown, you can say I'm looking for a representative, can you name me some?
Dennis
Dennis,

Then it has to be the streamlined A4 pacific: fastest steam type ever reliably measured, holding all the significant speed records, ran the longest non-stop stages routinely operated by steam, were discovered by BR to be the most efficient express design of those they systematically tested; and are still sufficiently iconic to be used in current railway advertising, 41 years after they left public service.

You are in luck, as Hornby not so long ago introduced a very fine model, the best effort yet at capturing the difficult shape of the streamline form. (Don't be seduced by a Duchess, despute her good looks. Very dangerous things to go for a ride on. Of all the later UK express classes these hold the record for boiler explosions, happened on 3 occasions. Much too risky.

)

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (dwb @ 18 Jun 2007, 20:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>dbclass50, you could start by reading this Wikipedia article on 4472 Flying Scotsman to fill the obvious gaps in your knowledge. I suggest that your preference for utilitarian looks and mechanical simplicity betray a lack of art in your soul

For looks, I don't think you can beat a Gresley V2 2-6-2, Bachmann make a fine model but you have any intention to go DCC, the split frame chassis is a major hindrance.

David

David,

As you are aware I have a preference for things "across the water" & I respect your views. I am aware of the wikipedia article & I quote from it "The investment involved is seen by some as denying many other historically important exhibits the opportunity to be properly exhibited and overhauled."

I rest my case.

 

[Ravenser]

All things considered, it had better be a Hornby A4.

Bachmann's Evening Star (the last steam engine built by Britain's mainline railways) was a limited edition and has sold out.

After that I'm struggling to find locos available as 21st century standard models that are central and iconic enough. Britannias ? Nah , nothing special - not even 8P, just 2 cylinder "standard" light Pacifics, though the Hornby model is good enough. Bullied Pacifics somehow aren't quite iconic enough. A touch idosyncratic , memorable , but not quite the pinnacle

Between the Hornby Duchess and and the A4 , the A4's arguably the better model

Bachmann seem to focus a bit more on the medium sized general service locos - great for layouts but not quite what you're looking for here. You hardly want a WD - the class that everyone forgot or ignored throughout their lives (they even forgot to preserve one though 933 were built....)

The Hornby Arthur is a splendid model , the class gave decades of solid service - but if you start writing a list of iconic British locos, Sir Lamiel won't be first on the list.

Do we have a RTR Star? If so its not an outstanding model

We are short enough of ex LNER locos to need every one we can get, 4472 is almost a pregrouping loco (the first two Gresley Pacifics came out just before Grouping, 4472 was the third, and Thompson deliberately destroyed the first, 1470 Great Northern, as an act of personal spite against Gresley)
There were 80 of them - a pretty big class, outnumbering the entire LMS Pacific fleet , and with 4472 (the only survivor) we have the complete sequence of top link ECML traction from 1870 (Stirling Single No 1) to the present day (including the HSTs and 91s which are still in revenue service) [ Memo to self - I ought to write a small cheque to the "Build a new Gobbler" people]

The fact we're missing a Claude, an LNWR 4-4-0, a Broad Gauge 4-2-2, a Shildon-Newport electric, an NBR Atlantic and an NLR 4-4-0T isn't really the present generation's fault. Nor is the scrapping of LMS 10000 (and the destruction of the Doric Arch)

I'm not quite sure what should be being restored and isn't because of 4472- possibly the APT? The Badger may be better off with the AC Loco people anyway

 

[dwb]

QUOTE As you are aware I have a preference for things "across the water" & I respect your views.

dbclass50 - I did add a wink at the end of my comment, and would like to keep the debate light hearted. There will always be questions as to whether or not the large sums of money spent on restoring and maintaining steam locomotives should be spent at all, or on this locomotive or that. Of 79 A1 / A3 class locomotives built by the LNER, only one, "Flying Scotsman" has been preserved. This compares with 2 of 12 Princess Royal pacifics and 3 of the 38 Coronation / Duchess class. An important part of the development history of british steam locomotive expresses would be missing if at least one A1 were not preserved.

David

 

[Ozzie21]

It's probabaly best to remember that LNER locos were preserved through luck more than skill. If you look a t the disposition of locos that went into store most of the A3's went to Darlington or Crew for scrapping. As there was no building going on the workforce was kept gainfully employed scrapping locos as they came into store. The rest were dispersed among the many scap merchants in the north east and in Scotland who wanted a quick buck so scrap them as soon as they stop rolling was the order of the day. Same applies to many LMS locos. If Dai Woodham had had a change of heart in the 1960's and early seventies and decided to scrap locos instead of wagons then the preservation scene in the UK would have been a very quiet place indeed.
When Alan Peglar goes to meet his maker we should all turn up at his funeral and say thankyou to the the man who fathered preservation in the UK because without him there wouldn't be any A3's in existance.

Ozzie21

QUOTE (dwb @ 19 Jun 2007, 08:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>dbclass50 - I did add a wink at the end of my comment, and would like to keep the debate light hearted. There will always be questions as to whether or not the large sums of money spent on restoring and maintaining steam locomotives should be spent at all, or on this locomotive or that. Of 79 A1 / A3 class locomotives built by the LNER, only one, "Flying Scotsman" has been preserved. This compares with 2 of 12 Princess Royal pacifics and 3 of the 38 Coronation / Duchess class. An important part of the development history of british steam locomotive expresses would be missing if at least one A1 were not preserved.

David

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE LMS Princess Coronation Class were the most powerful steam loco's ever built ! While this is one of my alltime favourite locos this isn't true. Many US and German locos were far more powerful. It was one of the most powerful in the UK though. I would recommend either the streamlined version of this or the A4. The A4 is probably a better model as it's more recent. Get the Hornby one as the Bachmann ones are split frames and if you ever decide to go DCC this will be a pain in the a**e to install a decoder in.

The most prestigious British loco has to be the Mallard so that would be my recommendation if you have to pick one. The streamlined Coronation class is the only challanger for looks.

 

[ms06s_char]

Thank you guys, I think I'm going to get a A3 4472 and A4 4468, simply they are not a black engine

I've done some research before starting this thread, in my opinion A3 4472 is the most famous steam engine, as a few Scots adopt the name "Flying Scotsman" such as Colin McRae. A4 is the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives but doesn't look so......I don't know how to say it, so I don't know how to decide it and I know they are many professionals here and can tell me more good engines that I don't know.
May be I should tell more about me, I come from Hong Kong

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (dwb @ 18 Jun 2007, 23:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>dbclass50 - I did add a wink at the end of my comment, and would like to keep the debate light hearted. There will always be questions as to whether or not the large sums of money spent on restoring and maintaining steam locomotives should be spent at all, or on this locomotive or that. Of 79 A1 / A3 class locomotives built by the LNER, only one, "Flying Scotsman" has been preserved. This compares with 2 of 12 Princess Royal pacifics and 3 of the 38 Coronation / Duchess class. An important part of the development history of british steam locomotive expresses would be missing if at least one A1 were not preserved.

David

David,

Sorry I may have appeared to miss the spirit of the debate - it certainly was not intended & I did click on a "wink" but somehow it did not come out !

I must admit to prefering the "less popular" & of course being brought up in Margate my best memories of steam tend to be regional - having said that I wonder how things would have been if the C.M.E's had have been in different areas or I had been brought up "north of Watford" ?

 

[7113]

QUOTE (dbclass50 @ 19 Jun 2007, 09:42) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I must admit to prefering the "less popular" & of course being brought up in Margate my best memories of steam tend to be regional - having said that I wonder how things would have been if the C.M.E's had have been in different areas or I had been brought up "north of Watford" ?

An interesting thought, especially when you consider that Stanier worked under Churchward at Swindon (the original crab was designed with Swindon boiler fittings!) Bulleid worked under Gresley and much of his influence came from LNER thinking.

Surely it is all down to personal preference. I am a great lover of the rebuilt Merchant Navies and at least have "had a go" firing Port Line many years ago.

Regards

John

 

[dwb]

QUOTE An interesting thought, especially when you consider that Stanier worked under Churchward at Swindon (the original crab was designed with Swindon boiler fittings!) Bulleid worked under Gresley and much of his influence came from LNER thinking.

I would like to put in a word for Mr. R.A.Riddles. Until I read "6201 Princess Elizabeth" by Clive Mojonnier last week, I had not realised what a key role Riddles played in 6201's record breaking London-Glasgow-London runs of 16th/17th November 1936.

David

 

[7113]

QUOTE (BRITHO @ 19 Jun 2007, 13:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Bulleid worked under Gresley and much of his influence came from LNER thinking.

Whoops - just re read this, I think I meant to say "Bulleid worked under Gresley and much of his thinking came from LNER influence."

I hope that clarifies my previous post.

Regards

John