STEAMY AFFAIR

[FadeToScarlet]

I believe that the GWR had already tried out a pacific loco but had decided not to put it into production - The Great Bear, perhaps?

 

Yes, I forgot that one.

[alan_fincher]

The only steam loco's that could equal or beat the 3,300hp of the Deltics was the Stanier's Duchess pacific class, which they were recorded of doing so on a couple of occasions climbing Shap.

 

Although I don't fully understand such things, I'll admit, the 3,300 (ish) horsepower sometimes attributed to a "Duchess" is surely the indicated horsepower - a largely theoretical number, and not one it could actually exert on a train.

 

My understanding is that the maximum drawbar horsepower, (the useable power they actually have to pull a train) attributed to such locos was far less.

 

A quick Google seems to indicate that the record achieved by "Duchess of Abercorn" whilst on test was an indicated 3,333 HP, but at the drawbar the number was 2,511 HP.

 

Perhaps one of the train buffs more knowledgeable than I can explain what each number actually represents, and what is a genuine comparison to something like a Deltic diesel ?