Film at Tring Station on the 24 May 2024 Britannia tack water and get to have a chat with Jeff

Britannia empty stoke move Crewe to Souhall

[@Backwardlooking]

Beautiful locomotive.

[@mainline3094]

Indeed! Ron

[@workinghardusa]

Great video, well done!

[@mainline3094]

Thank you very much! Ron

[@songsmith31a]

I have loved this locomotive design since my days as a young boy spotting the up "Merchant Venturer" headed by a Brit. - often "Vulcan" I recall - at Bath Spa station back in the 1950s. Standing adjacent to those huge driving wheels at the sloping end of the up platform stays with me still!

[@mainline3094]

Yes i love the Brits my friend Jeff is on the support team . thank you for the comment . if you in to Garden Railway look at my KZbin Channel Rons Garden Railways i do have a Brit with sound and smoke and has been on the TV Regards Ron

[@johnjephcote7636]

I saw her as Exhibit 9 on 26th May 1954 in the Willesden Exhibition of the International Railway Conference. 70 years ago and four days!

[@v8pilot]

I was a little lad, very interested in locomotives, when Britannia was announced. Its arrival was front page news in the newspapers of the time.

[@michaelnewman1920]

Fantastic locomotive, thanks for the video

[@RonsGardenRailway]

Thank You Ron

[@prafter7]

I can’t believe the water troughs weren’t used. Great video and thanks.

[@johnjephcote7636]

The troughs were retained with a lower water level for the diesels' steam heating boilers but since they went, so did the troughs. Bushey was the best place for me. Often my carriage window was well-watered as my semi-fast from Euston picked up there.

[@musicandbooklover-p2o]

For some reason I feel I should know Tring but I can't remember why. The only trains I remember was catching (bearing in mind I was about 3 or 4 at the time) the branch line from Park Street into St Albans proper to go shopping with mum and I would sit on a seat mum put on the pram containing my brother. I've a vague memory of it being a small steam engine (my mother confirmed this, before the Beeching cuts took effect) and only a couple of carriages but I don't think this was near to the Tring station. Great to see more of what I consider ''proper'' engines back on the lines.

[@nigelterry9299]

A pox on the diesel

[@v8pilot]

diseasal.

[@mainline3094]

Yes, the diesel is only on the train to work it up to line speed if needed as you can see I have known Jeff for a long time and he told me that they do not want the diesel working only if needed. Ron

[@musicandbooklover-p2o]

Is it correct that they are coming up with fuels that will make the old steam engines more efficient and environmentally friendly to run than modern diesel engines? I was reading an article the other week about testing different fuels - might have been in Hungary but I can't remember for certain - with the aim of bringing steam engines back but running on more environmentally friendly fuels than coal. Something to do with no only getting away from harmful diesel but also that the steam engines have more pulling power than diesel/electric engines do (not a mechanic so this part went over my head) when it comes to pulling heavier/longer loads and that one steam engine would pull a train that would otherwise require 2 diesel engines to pull. Has anyone seen or heard anything of this as I found it interesting and was hoping that they manage to successfully find an alternative and bring proper engines back to pull the trains again.

[@mainline3094]

Hi you are right they are trying different coal but the loco is having a problem Steaming as there is not enough heat in the dio coal I have a steam loco, not full size and it will not steam on bio coal Regards Ron

[@steveporritt1550]

Even a very good steam loco is about 7% thermally efficient, modern diesels are nearer 40%. External combustion is just nowhere near as efficient as internal combustion, it's just we used to have a lot of cheap coal & no oil but post WW2 the massive Saudi oil production made oil based products much cheaper; once large tankers became available. Add in instant start up & lower maintenance & you can see that steams days were inevitable numbered. Somewhat as an aside but I was wondering if we would have all these great heritage railways if Beeching hadn't closed so many lines.