Re: Steam speed in Australia

["Ross \(Goldie\) Goldspink" <goldicom@powerup.com.au>]

I can vouch for 80 mph (timed against the milepegs) behind a green 38
(number unknown) between Bethungra and Harefield on the "daylight" one day
in 1963.

Goldie


"Hennessy, Mason" <masda@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
z0KA4.51286$3b6.210043@ozemail.com.au">news:z0KA4.51286$3b6.210043@ozemail.com.au...
>
> hannah <hannah@pacificblue.net.au> wrote in message 38d2b183@nntp">news:38d2b183@nntp...
> > Does anyone have any reasonably accurate information on highest speeds
> > (Passenger or freight) attained by steam in this country.
>
> In the published "Diary of the Bicentennial train" there is a picture of
the
> "ticket" which S.A. police gave 3801' s crew base on radar gun reading -
> from memory the figure given was 143 km/h.
>
> I was too young to be there but the first ARHS Cootamundra "speed tour"
> (there and back in a day) with 3827 was reputed to have reached 89.6 mph,
> supposedly  as confirmed by tape of passenger calling the 1/4 mile
osts  -
> can any of the older hands confirm this?
>
> While 90 mph may seem high for a loco with 69 inch drivers, it needs to be
> recalled that the UK "9Fs" recorded an authentic 90mph in passenger
service
> with 60 inch drivers ... and the ratio of say 90mph to Mallard's 126 mph
is
> way under the ratio of 69 inches to 81 inches of the driving wheels
> concerned - that is, if Mallard had 69 inch drivers then all else being
> equal (such as tracks suitable for high speeds) you would expect a maximum
> around 105 mph.
>
> Obviously high speeds for engnies with smaller wheels implies high
rotation
> speeds and consequent wear and tear - but for 3827 in late 1969 that was
> sadly no longer a real issue with scrapping imminent whatever the
condition
> of the engine.
>
>