How British Railways' Worst Locomotive became a Heritage Hero - BR Class 8 "Duke of Gloucester"

[@ChimpManZ1264]

This is why Henry is one of my favourite engines. His story is so much like engines like DoG who have a poor start but get a second chance from committed people who know there's just something holding them back.

[@harrisonofcolorado8886]

Duke of Gloucester in regular service: I'm too weak. Duke of Gloucester in excursion service: *UNLIMITED POWER!!*

[@marcleslac2413]

POWAHHHHHHH

[@Yellowstone216]

“SPEED AND POWER” -Top Gear

[@DixieRailProductions4018]

@harrisonofcolorado8886, I was going to make a similar comment, but it looks like you beat me to the punch.

[@TankEngineMedia]

From Failure to a Success, Duke of Gloucester has certainly proved them all

[@VintageJunior]

Truly, one of the engines of all time.

[@sebforce1165]

I feel bad that the issues with what would've been a great train boiled down to failures in construction and no-one bothering to put proper care into it, but the Duke found new owners, a new home, and was nursed not only back to health but stronger than ever before! It just takes the right people to bring potential to the surface, I guess. This video made me giddy for the train XD

[@Evaunit98]

It’s amazing that, a seemingly useless locomotive that had been reduced to a rusted out hulk, could be raised from the dead like some kind of Phoenix to become a truly brilliant engine, it makes you think what would’ve happened if it had been built properly to begin with.

[@Avisogreif]

One of my books about steam locomotives states that the Duke had been scrapped - but the book is from 1991!!! How the author made such a mistake is a real headscratcher!

[@Geoff31818]

In 1961 it came south and failed at Bletchley (where my dad was a fitter) and after fixing it they couldn’t get it to move (stuck valves) they were told to give it a shove with power applied. They did so and it blew the roof off the shed.

[@Jumpyplains2033]

I remember I won a competition to temporarily rename the engine, when it comes back into service, in 2019. One of my favs ever since

[@GoofyCharizard]

What was the name?

[@Jumpyplains2033]

Robert Riddles

[@GoofyCharizard]

​@Jumpyplains2033 Oh I get it, great name

[@bobolobocus333]

Neat flag!

[@a.r.productions]

From relegated to the north Wales Coast to breaking the record for shap and then breaking it's own record! A truly incredible transformation and testament to the skills of railway preservationists!

[@stewydoo]

Interesting coincidence that both TOT and Rudiach MacVeigh have both released a video on Duke of Gloucester this week or am I missing something?

[@TrainFactGuy]

Literally a coincidence. It was only as I was uploading this did I see their video was uploaded two days earlier

[@maestromecanico597]

Rory’s release was a rework of an earlier video. All are a treasure.

[@Ludi_Chris]

The duke found a better lease of life after it discarded and rebuilt to its full potential

[@kimpatz2189]

The Caprotti valve gear solved the issue of the inside cylinder as mentioned. The valve gear system also gave it more accurate cutoffs and a more sharper exhaust blast. This exhaust was unmanaged during her BR days so the fitting of the KylChap exhaust system and correcting her dampers gave it a very heavy breathing firebox. This combination made her so powerful and very efficient(Caprotti valve gear FTW!) that the Duke is the de facto most MODERN steam locomotive ever built. The A1 Tornado cant hold this title as it still uses the walschaerts valve gear. The T1 or P2 Prince of Wales might dethrone the Duke as it will use a different but similar poppet valve gear.

[@dustin_4501]

Duke Of Glouchester would be a great Railway Series character...

[@mlp-hot-rod5824]

This is my all-time favourite engine. It's a shame she wasn't built to spec. We could've had steam running as late as the 90s. But hey-ho. I can't wait to see her running again, hopefully, this year. She's so close to completion now!

[@senorwaluigi8515]

Thanks for the German Audiotrack, it makes the technical parts of the Video easier😄

[@westinbridges7321]

The Most Epic Comeback in Locomotive History.

[@TheBeatles15]

Drove the Duke in 2010 on the Great Central railway prior to it going to overall, what a machine! So much power!

[@marty6779]

Sadly, Riddles didn't live to see the engine come to its full potential.

[@melvinwhitehead8472]

I did read in a book many years ago. Written by Colin Rhodes who led the group restoring the Duke in the 70's. That Riddles who was still alive at the time took a keen interest in the restoration project. I believe he even invited a member of the group to his home. Where the locomotive was naturally discussed.

[@TheStickCollector]

Every machine has a purpose, this one's was stardom

[@SWRural-fk2ub]

This story has the ring of that which applied to the French engine that was nicknamed 'Cholera' by crews but was transformed by the engineer André Chapelon into a world beater. If you look him up on Wikipedia, you may find the reference to the Kylchap exhaust system. Riddles would have been well aware of Chapelon's work.

[@Leeham03]

I've binged almost every video on your channel, I need more!

[@LBSC70]

Suffered dreadfully but nobody cared, sent for scrap and then repaired and showed them all true power

[@DennisLora2001]

Amazing video Train of thought and I'm happy that the engine was saved ❤❤❤❤❤ 4:02

[@timothyteo4602]

Would like to one day see a video of both 71000 and 2007 Prince of Wales double-heading an excursion train

[@liamgough6520]

To those who aren't part of the BR Standard 8 Trust, she'll be steaming soon! Just a month or two too go.

[@Ludi_Chris]

Every engine should have been persevered. The Duke is a very lucky one.

[@jonathanpan6110]

This is definitely not the worst British Railways locomotives Yes, probably the worst of the standard classes, but not the worst

[@AussiePom]

When it initially went on the mainline the modified Duke's injectors couldn't supply water at the rate that the boiler needed it so new injectors had to be designed. A lot of the restoration of the loco from Barry condition was done by people at home in their own workshops. On the mainline test run round the Sheffield circle the Duke's highest speed was 86mph through Chesterfield in an age when the maximum speed for all preserved steam engines on the mainline was 60mph and preserved diesels were outright banned from mainline running. At one stage the people who restored the loco wanted to modify it even further to make it even more efficient.

[@chalwa07]

Video suggestion: everything wrong with trains in "Unstoppable"

[@Shadowtiger2564]

Its almost like they should have followed the engineers drawings in the first place

[@NewController01]

Think you can consider this the CLOSEST thing to a real life Henry the Green Engine you can get, in terms of his "Old Shape's" performance

[@Mr.Dokken09]

Frankly, this story was just what I needed today. As an autistic person, this is precisely the sort of message I can relate to in school.

[@joshuaW5621]

The story of how a failure became one of the most successful locomotives.

[@cirian75]

It had a 80% increase in power when fixed.!!!

[@DTChapman1]

I do love the title of this loco. The least standard standard class.

[@thisisaduck]

I literally just watched a video about this loco only yesterday.

[@TheCyberman1966]

Fun fact a chunk of aka the cylinder of Duke of Gloucester is preserved in the Crewe heritage centre

[@abrr2000]

BR should have let him fix the engine then. Though I can see why they didn't.

[@johncross8834]

My Favourite Locomotive “I think I can” I knew you could thank you all for your faith and dedication credit to you all

[@jerrysgardentractorsengine2243]

“Through luck, the trust was able to acquire the drawings” New build class 8 when?

[@Scagguy4014]

Next video idea . The train from Bloemfontein.

[@irvgiles1482]

Great video

[@majorbloodnok6659]

A great story

[@Sudriantank743]

HELP!!! THE BOTS HERE ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!

[@Ludi_Chris]

I’ve done my part solider. Thank you to alerting me to that bot.

[@Freddybear437]

I swear, I see bots on every video, post, and comment section. Stuff like first, anti spiral, click like you you _____, and I’ll do ______ for how ever likes I get. And I hate every single one.

[@Freddybear437]

I need a Duke of ___________ (I can’t spell the name) in train simulator classic

[@thetoycollectorofseville6428]

Which Thomas And Friends character is this?

[@jaytrain06]

none

[@wence25games89]

Puffing Billy railway in Australia pweasssseee

[@1471SirFrederickBanbury]

I hate to be the prat that says "actually", but I must say that even after rebuilding, Duke of Gloucester absolutely is not the most powerful locomotive of Britain. Its highest figures were recorded at the Shap trials of 1995, with an average of 2300 hp and a maximum (equivalent) drawbar hp of 2800 hp, while being tested against 60 year old locos, with A4 SIR NIGEL GRESLEY suffering especially from poor coal. When they aren't knackered, LMS Coronations have been proven to produce a peak of 3300 hp and not just for a few seconds. The A4s being lighter duty machines have only been tested up to 2450 hp (and not too short of steam), but acclaim different records, like the all time speed record, the highest W.A. Tuplin power grade of 26 (based of power produced and for how long it was sustained), and of course 2509 SILVER LINK's original record of a well sustained 112 mph run at low power setting being one of, if not the best example of high speed steam running. The LNER P2s also were able to also produce 2800 hp, but with higher tractive effort. The main issue is that while the base design is good, Poppet valves have been deemed by the most advanced of steam locomotive engineers as inferior to Walshaerts valve gear with piston valves (especially Willoteaux double piston valves) and that the important part of increasing power output is higher pressure, superheat, better steam admission/exhaust, and if driven correctly, compounding.

[@alexcanine4948]

Ah yep

[@DEVILTAZ35]

This is complete twaddle sorry. It was due to cost saving measures that the engineering team were forced to use existing systems . It was against the advice of the creator but he had no choice. It was actually somewhat modified later after it was resurrected from the scrappers yard and saved. However during regular service it was stuck as more or less the original build. Please don’t make out that the engineering team were at fault here as that is totally disrespectful to a brilliant team who was overrode by senior management decisions. Also keep in mind that the railway was severely bleeding money by the time this engine was introduced so it never really has much chance as diesels were already starting to be on the scene as it was.

[@yellowcombatgaming]

Third