quote:Originally posted by John Craft:quote:around the time the 611 had just finished her rebuild for the first time.They had her on a 5 mile straight stretch somewhere in North Carolina.They said they got her up to 126 Point something.quote:126 mph, esp on a just-overhauled loco that had not run in years, is pretty hard to believe. On the PRR tests in which 610 got up to 111 mph, the machinery speed was some incredible figure ( which, of course, I can't now recall ), so 126 mph from 70" drivers is really difficult to imagine, even with the J's cross- and counter-balancing. Can any of you confirm the 126 figure?
No, because it didn't happen. I photographed 611 on that move, and 65mph was about as fast as I can remember it going. I have a vague recollection of hearing about some 70+ running between Crewe and Norfolk in the 80s, but I never personally witnessed 611 top 70, though I paced it at 65mph more than once.
I can't think of any Southern or N&W line that's rated for higher than 79mph (ATS would be required). A train operating at 126mph would definitely get the attention of the FRA, and not in a good way. There are stories of CPR 2839 exceeding 79mph, but I don't recall ever hearing one about 611.
The RPM figure you refer to was 540RPM (drivers worn to 68 1/2"). At 126mph, that would be 618RPM.
Finally, getting 611 to 126+ on a 'five mile straight stretch' is rather unlikely - physics gets in the way. Getting 'Mallard' up to 126 required 10 miles of running downhill:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...lass_A4_4468_Mallardquote:Mallard, with six coaches plus a dynamometer car in tow, topped Stoke Summit at 75 mph and began to accelerate downhill. The speeds at the end of each mile from the summit were recorded at:
87½
96½
104
107
111½
116
119
122½
124¼
and finally 125 mph. The speed recorded by instruments in the dynamometer car reached a momentary maximum of 126 mph.
At 126mph, 'Mallard''s running gear (80" drivers) would be making 529RPM.
Anyone who says 611 was operated at 126mph during the excursion era is, to put it politely, overflowing with bovine-manufactured petunia fertilizer.
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