Reality Check class profiles
Railhead Treatment Trains
While leaves on the line have become a regular topic for those who wish to make fun of our railways, for train operators they represent a very real danger and one that has demanded the introduction of special counter measures, which include the Rail Head Treatment Train, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
Gresley's 'P2' 2-8-2
One of the most spectacular designs of the steam era was Gresley’s huge semi-streamlined express ‘P2’ 2-8-2. However due to mechanical problems these locomotives never realised their full potential and saw less than 10 years service before they were extensively rebuilt, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
The ‘Western’ diesel hydraulics
One of the most distinctive locomotives of the early modernisation era was the ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic, a design which had a very short life on the main line and which was rendered obsolete almost as soon as it was built, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES reveals.
Reality Check: The Double Fairlie
One of the most remarkable and recognisable locomotive designs of the Victorian era is the narrow gauge Double Fairlie, a type that became inexorably linked with the development of the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales, but which also became world famous due to its incredible pulling power, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
Reality Check: 'Whistler' magic
It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed since the first of British Railways’ large diesel locomotives were introduced. The English Electric Type 4, or Class 40 as it later became, was one of the success stories of the modernisation plan. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks back at the design’s history.
Reality Check: The Advanced Passenger Train - Experimental
One of the most revolutionary trains ever to take to the rails in the UK was the Advanced Passenger Train – Experimental, which was taken out of service 40 years ago this year. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks at the development of this pioneering machine.
The first gas turbine
Designers have been down many blind alleys in the pursuit of greater power, speed and efficiency. The Great Western Railway’s efforts to apply the gas turbine to rail were amongst them. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes the ups and downs of 18000, the first locomotive that resulted from this experiment.
The Brush Type 4 – the first 10 years
The Brush Type 4 celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2022 and remains one of the most popular and successful locomotives ever, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
The eclectic Class 47s
Once British Railways most common mixed-traffic diesel, the Class 47s all looked much the same on the outside - but in fact there were many variations. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains all.
The LMS Beyer-Garratts
The massive Beyer-Garratt articulated locomotives achieved a fair amount of success overseas but were never popular in Britain. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks at the history of the LMS variant and discovers why they never took off here.