![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The museum has copied his birth certificate for their records.Ī one enthusiast said: ‘These locos were just superb, and still are. His father was not only a railway enthusiast, but also a loco driver with the rival London Midland & Scottish railway. Among the visitors was one Mallard David Elcoat - who was born in 1951 and named after the locomotive. But most railwaymen admit today’s trains lack the glamour and looks of the Streaks.Īnd yesterday, the surviving A4s were back at their gleaming best. From Flying Scotsman to Mallard, were counting down the fastest steam locomotives ever built throughout history. This includes the time needed for the train to accelerator and to stop. On July 3, 1938, Mallard billowed out smoke as it reached speeds of 126 mph a little over 200 kmph. According to the 1997 Guinness Book of World Records, the French TGV had the highest average speed from one station to the next of 253 kph (157 mph). The start of World War II ended such record attempts, and Mallard is still officially the fastest ever steam locomotive. Then diesel and electric locos took over from the Fifties and today reach the once amazing speed of 125mph on a daily basis. The fastest steam locomotive was the A4 ‘Mallard’ 4-6-2 and could reach 125 or 126 mph. Gresley’s hopes of even higher speeds - 130mph was thought possible - went unfulfilled. Soon after Mallard’s record-breaking run - which left the workings of the thrashed loco needing some repair - World War II would put an end to the most glamorous era on British railways, with the glorious Streaks stripped of some of their streamlining for the duration and plodding along at more pedestrian speeds, their paintwork stained and dirty. One of the A4s - fuelled by up to seven tons of coal - could race between London and Edinburgh, picking up water on the move from long troughs laid between the rails.īecause the work of the two men of the footplate - the driver and fireman - was so arduous, Gresley designed a tiny corridor through the tender that would allow a relief crew to take over on the move. The design was a massive success in public relations terms - the public adored them. ‘These were prestige trains and to be in charge of one was exciting and glamorous.’ With even more facts and a paragraph about how a steam train works, this version is for the true little enthusiast The Adventure Express is annotated with. Labour of love: Huw Cairns works on the cosmetically restored Dwight D Eisenhower at the National Railway Museum in Yorkīut the other three - Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa, owned by separate rail enthusiasts - still earn a living hauling steam charters on the main line.Īnthony Coulls, senior curator of rail vehicle collections at the museum, said: ‘These locos were built to create an impression and they definitely still do! The drivers were the fastest men on earth - the Formula 1 drivers or airline pilots of their day. ![]()
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