Schools
When I was in my early 'teens I'd often take a trip up to London from Sussex and 'do' the Southern Region terminals in the capital. Actually stations like Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo weren't very promising for gricing - there was no clear view of the platforms, but if you hung around on stations in the maze of junctions just south of the Thames - and particularly Vauxhall and Clapham Junction - there was stacks of action.
Mainstay of services then on the Kent Coast expresses were the 'Schools' class - I think Britain's most powerful 4-4-0's. Designed by Richard Maunsell they were mean looking machines with a lot of accelleration.
It never struck me at the time what a strange thing it was to do to name an entire class of railway engines after often minor English Public Schools but I guess it says a lot about the background of the Southern Railway Board of Directors. I never did see "Ifield" or "Marton Road" speeding by!
One of the class - "Repton" - found it's way to the railway museum in Vermont
posted by Iain @ 4:22 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
One interesting point in that picture:- While the balance weight is where you would expect it on the rear driver, - diametrically opposite the crankpin, the forward one is a good 10 degrees retarded. Even more interesting when you see the size of that Walschart's link motion wrapped round the crankpin.
Hi Iain.
I have always been a fan of 4 -4-0 type steam locomotives. I remember reading about the famous Schools Class locomotive "Repton" back in the 1970's. I believe it was used on a now defunct "Tourist Railway" in Nova Scotia Canada around 1974.
In recent years, a small number of Brittish Locomotives have been repatriated back to the United Kingdom. Was the Repton actually one of the steam locomotives to return to Brittish soil? I believe that there was a group during the 1990's that was trying to achieve that.
Thank You.
Eddie.
http://eddiesrailroad.blogspot.com
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