Duchess arrives at the NRM

[Metroland]

IT WILL be full steam ahead for train lovers when a classic locomotive returns to the rails.

The Duchess Of Hamilton is to take pride of place in a new exhibition at The National Railway Museum (NRM) – Streamlined: Styling An Era – opening today.

The re-streamlined steam loco will take centre stage in the museum’s Great Hall and will explore the links between 1930s society, engineering and design.

http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/4382...e_arrives_at_National_Railway_Museum_in_York/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31339850@N06/3542293406/

 

[SouthernCrescent]

wow, in my opinion possibly the most beautiful steam loco of them all. I was waiting for this one for years and that has gone beyond my expectations! Can't wait to get down and see it for real. Has anyone been to see the exhibition yet?

 

[Moodster020]

wow, in my opinion possibly the most beautiful steam loco of them all. I was waiting for this one for years and that has gone beyond my expectations! Can't wait to get down and see it for real. Has anyone been to see the exhibition yet?

No,

But im on this saturday's Holyhead railtour with the Duchess
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My bad!

i mis-read the name, lools

 

[berwickspotter]

Theres no getting away from it
Its a smart engine but i have to say i would pick a A4 over it any day

 

[GNERman]

just seen her today
she is GORGEOUS...
excellent restoration job...

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Can anyone remind me if I recall correctly :
The streamlining on this loco was a retro-fitted one off, to a class of locomotive which was already well established on the West Coast (unlike the streamlined pacifics on the East Coast - Mallard etc - which were built with streamlined boiler outer casing), and the extra weight of all that metal cladding on the Duchess actually REDUCED its capabilities on the inclines in Cumbria and Scottish Borders?

 

[Oswyntail]

Can anyone remind me if I recall correctly :
The streamlining on this loco was a retro-fitted one off, to a class of locomotive which was already well established on the West Coast (unlike the streamlined pacifics on the East Coast - Mallard etc - which were built with streamlined boiler outer casing), and the extra weight of all that metal cladding on the Duchess actually REDUCED its capabilities on the inclines in Cumbria and Scottish Borders?

Wrong and wrong. Stanier originally designed the class without streamlining, but was persuaded to add it at the design stage by the PR chappies who needed to rival LNER. Almost casually, as the story goes, he sketched in the streamlining shape that turned out to be nigh on perfect streamlining, rather than the "air smoothing" of the Streaks. IIRC about half the class were built with the casing, half not; the casing was eventually removed for ease of maintenance. Performance wise, all members of the class were more than up to anything put in their way, and were never tested to their limit. The performance in the post-war excahnge trials suggested that, even in those conditions, they were way ahead of anything else. IMHO only the lack of a suitable long downhill straight on the WCML prevented a Duchess taking the speed record - came pretty damn close on the first testing run, until they had to slam on the brakes to avoid Crewe

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Thanks for the info.
Of course I know how competitive the LMS & LNER were, but it seems that even then, both companies were as eager to use marketing hype (the posters boasting their speed) and image (the syling) as much as technological improvements to promote their rival businesses.
(I got most of my stories from my dad who preferred the LNER despite being from Glasgow! so no wonder my recollections are confused.)

Nevertheless, there must have been some trade off between the additional weight of the streamlining "skin" and a reduction in air resistance at higher speeds.
And yes, it is a very handsome machine!

 

[Oswyntail]

As you may gather, I still feel the rivalry today! When I started out in the railway enthusiast trade, in Preston, the Duchesses (or, in some cases, "semis", referring to the ones that had had the casing removed) were simply the best. A session beside the tracks was excellent if one appeared, a disappointment if not. And I still dislike the Class 40s, because they drove them away. The "Streaks" were just that, streaky show-offs, fancy-dans boasting about their record (though, of course, either was way ahead of anything SR or GWR could offer). But I do remember crowds all along the trackside several deep when Mallard took an excursion to Blackpool. Ah, nostalgia!

 

[TGVDUDE]

i would like to see this loco, when is she leaving the NRM?