Saturday Night TV 6/9/03

Salad · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 4:44 pm

Hi Everyone,
Noticed in the tv guide (Melb) SBS has a show at 7.30 to do with a replica of Stephenson's Rocket and other early locos.
I think it is a reinactment to see which was the better loco of the time or something similar.
Anyhow, may be of some interest.
Keep railing,
Graham

michaelgreenhill · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:47 pm

BBC re-enactmant of the Rainhill trials.

Michael Greenhill
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awsgc24 · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2003 7:35 pm

The SBS program shown on Sat 6 Sep at 7:30pm re-enacted the original Railhill locomotive trials on a preserved railway in Wales, using replica locomotives.

One of the criticisms of the Original trials was that firstly, the winning team of George Stevenson and son, had an insider advantage, and that secondly, deadlines were too tight for the other entrants to get their locomotives to work reliably.

In the retrial, all three locomotives, Rocket, Sans Pareil and Novelty were able to be run-in with sufficient time to overcome trivial faults or breakdowns. All were able to perform a significant proportion of the 30 mile test under load, and with things like speed and coal consumption being measured. In 1829, Sans Pareil and Novelty broke down after a relatively short distance, and were never really subjected to a true test.

On the other hand, the Stevensons had the "unfair" advantage of having already build about 50 locomotives already, and were presumably acheiving reasonable reliability already.

In the retrial Novelty, with its vertical boiler and smoke-box, revealed a serious fundamental design in that the acculumation of clinker started to choke the boiler halfway throught the 30 mile test, and that there was no easy way of getting rid of the clinker without wasting a lot of time, and perhaps having to put out the fire.

In the retrial, Rocket had a similar clinker problem, but at least the clinker could in theory be attacked with suitable poker. The program did not record whether Sans Pareil had a clinker problem.

When summing up the results, Rocket and Sans Pareil were very close in terms of speed and fuel comsumtion, with Novelty falling significantly behind. However, two elements of Rocket's design showed that it was the engine of the future, these features being the multiple tube boiler, and the firebed made of bars, which presumably with more practice, could tackle the clinker problem.

In summary, a very interesting program.
Did you notice the advertisments on SBS for a new brand of battery, called "Rocket"? Smile

KngtRider · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 12:04 am

I found the flyover of the 'rainhill' line with the floated bank and the first arch bridge a bit spooky.

I was thinking it was a closed line untill I saw the automatic signals :O
Any idea who/what runs on that line they showed.(Not the Wales branch)

Shame on NSW for menagle bridge when that bridge is still standing.

Why did they choose to do the re-enactment now though and not on an aniversary, the show said 2003 at the end but could have been 2002 or earlier.

I dunno im not convinced with the test, fact is that they are replicas and even if done close enough to the originals they would still not be the same, newer and better quality materials, better coal and water, slight modifications and so on.

Still amazing though that they have replicas of those dinosaurs that actually work and are permitted to run at more than a snails pace.

Dominic Sharoo
Editor
NitroWare.net
http://www.NitroWare.net

Tonymercury · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 7:35 am

awsgc24 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 5:44 pm