Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Bang on, Sir.

There's a thing going on in the world of steam locomotives at the moment: a group of individuals are recreating a Pennsylvania Railroad T1. Now, apart from US railfans pointing at the Union Pacific "Big Boy" and saying "we've got the biggest steam engine in the world", it seems the sole raison d'être of this recreation of a T1 is to take away the world speed record for a steam locomotive from Mallard.

From https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/hi ... echnology/

By weight, the T1 Trust is more than half finished with No. 5550. When done, the plan is to make a run at the world speed record for steam locomotives established by London & North Eastern Railway A4 No. 4468 — Mallard — on July 3, 1938. The 126-mph record was set during a downgrade test run on Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, England, at Milepost 90 1/4.

They just can't take the idea that they're not a "winner", can they? "Nobody remembers who came second" indeed...

Boiler wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 12:20 pm Bang on, Sir.

There's a thing going on in the world of steam locomotives at the moment: a group of individuals are recreating a Pennsylvania Railroad T1. Now, apart from US railfans pointing at the Union Pacific "Big Boy" and saying "we've got the biggest steam engine in the world", it seems the sole raison d'être of this recreation of a T1 is to take away the world speed record for a steam locomotive from Mallard.

From https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/hi ... echnology/

By weight, the T1 Trust is more than half finished with No. 5550. When done, the plan is to make a run at the world speed record for steam locomotives established by London & North Eastern Railway A4 No. 4468 — Mallard — on July 3, 1938. The 126-mph record was set during a downgrade test run on Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, England, at Milepost 90 1/4.

They just can't take the idea that they're not a "winner", can they? "Nobody remembers who came second" indeed...

To me it's the same energy as Olympic Archery:
* Modern folks using an obsolete technology.
* But instead of "keeping the craft alive, and understandning its skills".
* Look at my $500 carbon fibre arrows, counterweighted 3d printed bow with frikken laser sights and micrometer offsets".

There's also Italy's Regia Aeronautica's obsessive mission to build the fastest biplane.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/wo ... ft-biplane

https://oldmachinepress.com/2016/07/13/ ... b-fighter/


If I were to build the fastest steam Loco, I think I'd forget cylinders and go with a turbine,
As there any reason why these hobbyists aren't following that line of development?

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 2:28 pm If I were to build the fastest steam Loco, I think I'd forget cylinders and go with a turbine,
As there any reason why these hobbyists aren't following that line of development?

There was at one time the 5AT project here in the UK, based entirely upon the ideas of Livio Dante Porta but that died a death due to it being "too different", I guess. We've tried a turbine locomotive on more than one occasion in this country - the LMS "Turbomotive", English Electric's GT3 to name but two but the latter came too late and the former was rebuilt in 1952 before being destroyed in the Harrow rail disaster shortly afterwards. It also couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding in reverse in turbine form.

But speaking of high-speed pursuits and getting back on track...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... oyees-musk

What. A. Surprise.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:29 pm Check out Mitch Benn 0n Youtube +

Are you one of his Patreon subscribers as well, Malcolm?

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 7:09 pm

The old "waking up too late" problem.

And after 4 years they'll all have forgotten, with Fox News whispering in their ears.

Samanfur wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 9:34 am

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:29 pm Check out Mitch Benn 0n Youtube +

Are you one of his Patreon subscribers as well, Malcolm?

No, just a follower

Doubt it'll achieve anything, but;

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... s-protests

Presumably the Second Amendment only applies under certain conditions, i.e. "communists".

Suggestion that Japan has made a deal with Trump. That's not particularly unlikely, given the security position it's in. See how transformative it is in terms of trade possibilities. Possible that it's something like the EU offer on car tariffs- yeah, we can lower this, but we're still not going to buy very many of your impractical cars.

Trump’s Easter message. I hope someone has a straitjacket ready.

Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country. Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten! Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America. He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing -- But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy
Easter!!!
From Donald Trump Truth Social 04/20/25 08:46 AM

"Mentally insane" there is genuinely a reference to political asylum, which he thinks is something to do with lunatic asylums.

47 insults, 32 lies, and 12 conspiracy theories.
America, look what you could have won, mental sanity





What’s the Auto Pen?

Youngian wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 6:21 am What’s the Auto Pen?

NOT a fucking Sharpie, for sure but this;

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopen

Please let this happen.

Efforts to prevent Trump addressing parliamentarians are being co-ordinated by Lord Foulkes, a minister in Sir Tony Blair’s former government.

Foulkes said: “While the government is obliged to deal with governments of all kinds, parliament should not welcome a leader who is anti-democratic and flouts the courts and the rule of law.

“He also fails to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which all parties in the UK parliament have done.”

Meanwhile, the Labour MP Kate Osborne is said to have asked the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, to follow his predecessor John Bercow in opposing an address from the president.

In a letter to Hoyle, she reportedly said: “I am asking you as the speaker to agree it would be inappropriate and mirror the previous speaker’s recommendation.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -and-peers

Any child of the Cold War will be familiar with this kind of distasteful diplomacy in which any crook or despot gets to dine with the Queen if they've cooled relations with Moscow. Don't recall Marcos or Caecescu addressing parliament, though.

I recall the late Queen, or someone close to her, saying her attitude to Ceaucescu was "nod, smile, and count the silverware".

Who's been on Fox News today?

Trump's first administration was a temp agency, shouldn't expect this one to be any different.

I can't believe that appointing an alcoholic, sex pest as defence secretary would turn out so badly.

“He’s doin’ a great job…” says The Donald.