hope you all enjoyed, I get that I spoke quite quickly and will work on that in later vids. Feel free to turn on captions too! Also I'ts the fastest recorded train, rumours of faster locos exist and have been persistently popping up in the comments, Once one officially breaks the record then lmk, for now Mallard holds it haha
In the title, you referred to the famous loco 'Mallard' as a 'train', which suggested to me a level of ignorance not usually found in knowledgable rail enhusiasts such as yourself.
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The staff of the NRM were very kind to reply to a few enquiries I made about Mallard, and they say the superheater's shot among other issues with the boiler. I'm sure if they really wanted to and had the funding, the steam locomotive works in Meinigen Germany could be contracted to make a new A4 boiler, as they already have experience making an A1 boiler for Tornado. As mentioned in the video, however, she's more important as an historic artefact, so it would almost be more practical to make a new A4 from scratch.
There are 2 A4 boilers spare around the country I think? But I don't know if NRM could get one. And I doubt a new A4 will be built seeing as there are 6 in preservation, 4 in the UK and Dominion of Canada, which I believe the museum that owns her plans to sell for a multitude of reasons. Hopefully, she will return home.
@@j.l_railphotography I think, but could be wrong here that the "Doomed" A4 that never made it into preservation (Woodcock) still has some parts that never were cut up, it was put aside, lost it's tender and then hidden but eventually found at the back of the works and cut up
The closest thing to seeing 4468 in steam again is Bittern disguised as her. A similar situation occured some years ago when 92214 "City of Leicester" was disguised as sister engine 92220 "Evening Star" during an event on the Great Central Railway
Of course! Engines masquerading as others is always a sight to behold (check out silver link) as there are so many other A4's, it's always a possibility
Although mallard holds the record officially. There are multiple occasions of prr class s1 and t1 duplexes reaching speeds of 130 to 140 plus with a loaded train going uphill. With the construction of 5550 ( a spiritual continuation of the t1) only time will tell if the mallard will still hold her crown or if the PRR crews were correct in their statements.
There are not multiple occasions of any of those events. There are inflated and wholly unreliable reports of such things. And in none of those stories was any PRR train going uphill.
This is the first Ive heard of that, usually the nayasyers are arguing about that german loco instead. Reading the wikipedia articles on it, there was absolutely nothing official about statements of either of those locos. Just people saying "oh yeah I saw them do it" with zero proof or accurate measurement. Mallards record run was officially recorded with a dynanometer car and verified. At the very least, so was the german loco as well. If there is no proof or accurate measurement other than "he said" then you really cant make a claim about it.
@@_ZekkenEvery Many in the US are convinced that the PRR T1s especially were recorded going very fast. They don't care that the reports can be traced to one obvious crank; or that the PRR track would never have allowed such speeds, or that the obvious addition of a dynamometer car would have rendered an unbeatable world record etc., but somehow nobody decided to get that record even though it was routinely achieved.
They recorded times between each mile marker and the iconic prr s1 152 mph run would have to be several miles off to even consider it being slower than mallard.
It’s a museum piece, it’s been left on display to try and retain as much of the original fabric of the loco as possible. Stuff was obviously replaced regularly during service and it’s those parts the NRM want to save.
Yeah, definitely seems more practical nowadays to keep _Mallard_ in good static condition, but just build a whole new A4 as well if they wanted another one to run. I'd personally suggest a fifth Silver Jubilee (the series _Silver Link, Quicksilver, Silver King_ and _Silver Fox_ were from) loco to not only represent the earliest era of the class, but make up for _Silver Link_ not being preserved!
Nice video, I do enjoy this channel! I’ve always thought that the “originality” excuse for Mallard not being restored to service was a bit bogus, even though I understand the other ones. Whilst having some ‘original’ parts still on is a nice thing, locomotives are meant to have their parts replaced (to no surprise). In my opinion, as long as an engine has is name and or number, and keeps within its original shape during service, then that’s absolutely fine. It doesn’t need its ‘original’ parts if it already has those three. I am 99% sure there are practically no ‘original’ parts left on Scotsman from when she broke the 100mph record, but look at her now, she’s still an icon, people still love her despite that.
This is a good video, but I just want to point out one thing: the LNER locomotives were renumbered in 1946, so Mallard was given No. 22 before British Railways took over. With regards to Mallard steaming again: it's been restored to its 1938 "as built" condition. To bring it up to present day main line standards, it would need tobe fitted with so much modern tech including AWS, ATP, electric lights, air brakes, etc. In-cab signalling is also being trialled on the East Coast Main Line - a far cry from 1938 standards!
Woah woah woah, the UK wasn't using air brakes in 1938????? I'm more interested in American railroading so I don't know a whole ton about the history of UK stuff, but the States have been using air brakes in railroading since the 1870s... Edit: also as far as electric lights go, y'all don't have steam dynamos on more modern locomotives?
You bring up a point that I personally find a bit disappointing. The Flying Scotsman is barely itself anymore since it’s had all its main parts replaced so many times, and that was, of course, after it made history. It’s one of the reasons why Mallard has always been higher on my list than it, since it’s kept all the same parts that got it to break the speed record still on.
rail enthusiast here from Minnesota. i personally would love to see many preserved locomotives come to life again, one of which being the William Crooks, the first steam engine to ever enter Minnesota. unfortunately, to restore the locomotive, it would need EVERYTHING. A new frame, new boiler, new controls, new axles, wheels, cylinders, controls, everyrhing would need to be rebuilt or replaced. at that point, its the story of the pirate ship that every day a plank of wood is replaced. the discarded planks are put together and now you have 2 ships that can both be called the original ship.
@MainlineThruTheRockies: You are obviously deliberately trying to provoke people with your retarded comment. Ah Ha Ha You're So Funny!! ( no not really)
It is a welcome piece of knowledge to know it's right at our fingertips there unlike the flying Scotsman who's all over the place so finding her is a bit trickier haha
My bad. I should know better. But for me, Mallard is a train since it’s always connected to the Dynamoter car that confirmed it was the fasted loco on the planet.
My great grandfather was a train driver from Doncaster and drove both the Mallard and the Flying Scotsman. He died in 1970, a decade before I was born. I have never been into trains but one of my children is and wants to see the Mallard. His son (my grandfather) died on the Mallard Ward in Doncaster.
This reminds me a lot of Pennsylvania Railroad 1223 and 7002. They both operated excursions on the Strasburg Railway during the 1980's, and even ran two historical mainline runs on the Keystone Corridor, but in 1989 an ultrasound test would find their boilers to be too thin to operate safely, and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (who owned the locomotives) wanted to keep them in their original configuration, and the Strasburg Railway would replace the two locomotives with Norfolk & Western 475.
It’s worthless? Bullshit! The museum is just afraid of spending the money that it needs in order to run again! That’s the only reason it’s not running these days!
In her 25 years of service on the British national network she has had 12 boilers and 7 tenders so it wouldn't "dilute it's historical significance" because it has none. If it had its original boiler and tender I'd understand.
Common practice to swop boilers and tenders. It speeds up the overhaul process. The same may hold true for the motion. The 'identity' of the locomotive is in its frames & cylinders as everything else sits on or hangs from them.
It's probably cheaper to build a new engine than to restore an old one. Better keep that in the museum and build a new one to run rather like Tornado. Mind, some development of the steam engine idea would also be welcome. I'm sure there are refinements that could be made to make them even more efficient, faster, practial and less polluting.
0:26 for this point, it's worth noting that the record was claimed to be broken by the Pennsylvania Railroad with their S1 and T1 locomotives, but there was no way to officially prove it.
There are a few misconceptions of the Mallard. 1. Yes is has the world steam loco speed record, but the locomotive was caned well past its design running speed of 100 mph max. (indeed the loco broke down during the run). 2. The locomotive with the fastest design speed was the German DRG class 05 002, but came close with a maximum speed of 125 mph. 3. These speeds, owing to thermodynamic limitations, pushed the limits of reciprocating cylinder steam locos to the limit, the only means to perhaps go faster were bigger driving wheels (but then less torque). 4. However Gresley and his team are rightly so legends in locomotive design, and yes the speed record for the Mallard will probably always stand.
Danger is "Harry Potter and Shining Time Station of Thomas the Tank Engine" are going to brainwash kids into being herded int solar agricultural serfdom.
I am highly interested whenever PRR no.5550 is finished being built and tested whether it will surplus the Mallards steam speed record. based on tower (switch tower) records from the 40s they recorded the time that it took a heavyweight T1 driven passenger train to get from one tower to the next and based on the times they got (and i cant remember what the distance between the two towers was) that at some point between it getting there the train had to have gone slightly over 140+ mph. If they grant the locomotive to even go that fast or operate on the main line 😂 the project itself is to recreate one of the Pennsy's iconic and powerful passenger steam locomotives
I did see it on the main line at high speed in 1988. The main reason they don’t steam it is because other A4’s are operational. The NRM has a policy of not steaming anything when other members of the same class are operational. They’ve also said it’s too valuable to steam, in case it has a prang. The last overhaul in the 80s found it in excellent mechanical condition. It doesn’t need a new boiler, just a regular retube. It’s not in original LNER condition. All the A4’s are “Triggers Broom” hybrids of the best parts of the 35 class members, whittled down to 6 survivors.
This is all very interesting! That would explain why Scotsman is in operation over mallard, it's very fascinating to hear that you actually saw the locomotive in action too.
Yep, it doesn't "need a new boiler". That is the "go to" phrase for those that really don't know what they are talking about when it comes to steam locmomtive maintenance!
That's something I don't subscribe to with museum machinery, and something I was disappointed to see with the restoration of Flying Scotsman, is this newfound obsession with preserving the 'originality' of the locomotives when as pieces of machinery, practically every component is designed to eventually be replaced. The answer to the Ship of Theseus paradox is that no, if you eventually replaced everything on a machine, it's still the same machine. If the machine is never to run again, sure. It can be kept original. But with Scotsman's restoration and backdating it to use an older, less efficient boiler and older, less efficient blast ejectors in the smokebox, they've increased the operating costs they have to shoulder for a loco that they always intended to run, people were never going to nitpick that Scotsman's boiler was from the 70's or whatever, they were just happy to see it thundering by.
You know, if you keep this style of video making, I see you becoming the next big short formed Railway historian on this platform, I am intrigued by your presentation and it is certainly something I would want to watch, keep up the good work!
If there is a possibility of Mallard running again in the future, i wonder if she could run again in July 2038, for the centenary of the historic world record... Imagine if this time she breaks her own record again by rushing beyond 126 MPH...😂😂😂 (This last part is just my imagination).
It would be quite an accomplishment haha. In all fairness didn't Tornado hit 100mph and Bittern around 90? So ig it's not really that much of a stretch lol
The real reason the fastest steam locomotive will never run again is because the Pennsylvania Railroad scrapped all the T1's. But don't worry someone is privately building a new one.
All that needs to happen is for a preserved railway to drag her out of the museum hours before a inspection from the Railway Inspectorate with a vicar proclaiming "She'll still take steam, I know she will"
The dynamometer car papers had to be technically checked for any mistakes etc and so once they did that it was finally worked out that for 144 yards at any rate mallard was going 126 mph for at least 2 or so minutes before driver Joe duddington put the brakes on and had to be stopped at Peterborough though it was supposed to stop at King's Cross but it didn't due the main cylinder had failed
it makes seen for him not to run if it cost a lot of money for him to go under an a expensive overhaul but it seems that the national railway museum in york don't want mallard to do an excursion so mallard doing a railtour chances are slim to none.
I've always wondered why whenever I saw an A4 steam locomotive, even as a badge in a gift shop, it has always been the Sir Nigel Gresley. Yes, it's named after the series' designer, and yes it's still in operation, but I would have thought that Mallard would be the more iconic one.
Would you not think that they both have equal call to the “fame” element of things? Without Sir Nigel Gresley, there would never have been an A4 to break 126 mph!
@@MikePhillips-xt2gn This isn't about Sir Nigel Gresley the person. This is about Sir Nigel Gresley the steam locomotive. Also, to be quite honest, up until a year or so ago when I visited the North York Moors Railway, I have never heard about Sir Nigel Gresley (the man or the locomotive), but I have heard of Mallard. Yes, anecdotal, but I'm sure many people (who are not followers of this channel) would sympathise with that.
To run a steam locomotive, in this country, it needs a new boiler every ten years, for use on the preserved lines, or every seven years if it is being used on the main lines. This means that very little of any preserved locomotives are original, and more likely to be a case of Trigger's Broom. This was even the case, when these locomotives were being used by the LNER.
It doesn’t need a new boiler every ten years. Boilers have what’s called a boiler ticket and it’s basically a bill of health saying it’s certified to operate for a specified period of time.
I used to work on the restoration of Spitfires and the truth is, that just about all of these glorious machines are already like Trigger's broom, even before restoration. A few years ago I was speaking to an ex RAF aircraft mechanic and he told me that many of the (then current) Tornadoes would have had replacement wings, tailplane, engines, avionics, etc. What matters is not that a machine is completely original, but that it has a continuous working and maintenance history.
Its boiler overhaul about every 10 years not renewed , but your correct with the triggers broom scenario as boilers were swapped out out for overhaul to return them back in traffic quickly . They are still original but likely have the overhauled boiler from another loco , inspections tend to be annually though
I know it very unlikely this would happen but I do hope for mallard 100th anniversary that museum will allow her to run again for that celebration but again is unlikely to happen but I do have hope
In my opinion I believe they will run her again, once the rest of the A4s get retired or a group like the people who are rebuilding the P2 take on the challenge, great video and amazing info!!!
Exactly. Eventually one of the other A4's will need a boiler restored as it's the nature of steam locomotives and when that happens then there will be an incentive to restore Mallard instead.
Im assuming the reason they dont want to return her to steam is mainly because to get her running again would require replacing too many "original" parts and reduce her historical authenticity. Personally Ive never really subscribed to that thought process, but a lot of people do and its important for them. Though I am not sure why they cant just replace those parts, but keep the old ones. You can put them back in if you want to return her to static display and then she is back to original once more. As for a new boiler, Im not sure thats too much of an issue. While yes it'd be expensive, it wouldnt be exactly difficult to get a new boiler built for her if they were serious about returning her to service and it was required. Either way, its better shes here for people to admire and enjoy even in static condition, than cut up for scrap.
'sigh' i Just Wish mallard can Run under her own Steam ägain.... i mean she cant BE in the Museum for a Long time, i Just Hope britisch railways will allow her to Run again.....
A good boiler assessment with modern techniques might give the boiler a new lease of life. If done, Meiningen is one of the options to build a full welded model. An overhaul can go as fasts as there is money available and if the frame is in good shape it can be done quickly.
Here in Australia 3801's old boiler was repaired. Initially it was thought that it was beyond repair and commissioned Meiningen to build a new one. Who really knows who's fault it was but that boiler was not suitable so eventually the old boiler in 3801 was repaired. It took over 12 months to repair the old rivet boiler but indeed it was done and it now runs its original maximum 245 psi. So if 3801's boiler can be repaired I'm sure Mallards could be done too.
@@tomnewham1269 That was what i read too. What was wrong with the welded newbuild? I've heard some less positive stories about Meiningen over a longer time now. And why not to try to build a welded one in the UK instead of Germany?
@@niels6101 so the trouble with the new boiler built for 3801 isn't a one off then? I'm not privy of what the whole story with 3801's new boiler was but it is common knowledge that the main problem was it didn't fit within the frames of the locomotive. The other issue is that it doesn't meet NSW railways safety standards. Whose fault it is I guess the public will never know but it sure cost the taxpayers a lot of money. The new boiler was sent from Germany and when the problems were found it was sent back to Meiningen for those faults to be rectified. However each party blamed each other so eventually after 12 months the boiler was sent back to Australia without the faults being fixed. I'm guessing the boiler will eventually be scrapped.
@@tomnewham1269 What i've heard is that quality isn't great as it used to be before. However, what doesnt help is that the boiler isn't close to the frames whatsoever. The new boilers build for german locomotives are flawless exept the new one for BR 01.1100. But that has to do with the owner who "lost" the boiler documents. What suprises me is that the standards are not met. Measurements or the original boiler in the shop should've solved some problems. A inspector flown over to asses it and inspect it is a little thing that (probably) could've solved some problems. I hope a shop can resolve the problems and make it a proper spare one.
