Max speed...

[Rheoman]

That’s a brave profile picture!

Taken 16 years ago on a state of the art Sony 1.3mp camera phone approaching Linslade tunnels- before the mobile phone ban came in!

 

[Jimini]

Taken 16 years ago on a state of the art Sony 1.3mp camera phone approaching Linslade tunnels- before the mobile phone ban came in!

It’s a great photo!

 

[43066]

Taken 16 years ago on a state of the art Sony 1.3mp camera phone approaching Linslade tunnels- before the mobile phone ban came in!

Great work!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I have to say that whenever I've tried to use my GPS on a Pendolino it's simply refused to work so I can believe there can be issues!

It'll work fine if you stand in one of the vestibules.

Within the cabin - yes, very awkward, thanks to the letterbox windows...

 

[Paul Kelly]

There's another interesting comment about the accuracy of mobile phone GPS speed calculation here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/iet-running-on-diesel.225001/page-3#post-5480135 - I have to say I'm still quite skeptical about the way people are simply dismissing it as inaccurate. Point taken that the accuracy varies depending on how many satellites are visible but many GPS apps will tell you exactly how many satellites it can see and where they are so you can adjust the position to get the best view etc. - and as mentioned in that other thread they can try to measure the doppler shift too. If the speed limiter in modern trains is based off GPS that would seem to indicate that it's accurate enough.

 

[najaB]

If the speed limiter in modern trains is based off GPS that would seem to indicate that it's accurate enough.

I suspect that the train will have a large, fixed, probably external, antenna.

 

[Gonzoiku]

they had them fancy modern electric trains. @43066 suggests he done it a 1970's lump powered by a submarine engine! Winner.

OFFICAL ANNOUCEMENT: In no way does RUK encourage or support such dangerous risk taking. It is not big, it isn't clever and it costs a fortune in diesel and lubrication oil.

Would that be a reference to the Deltic engine's naval origins? I can't imagine a submarine broadcasting the beautiful asthmatic bellow of a 55 would make it past the breakwater unseen! But the Deltic engine was used in fast patrol boats:https://www.imeche.org/news/news-ar...ious-problem-for-the-navy's-fast-patrol-boats which recounts:

The Deltic engine was developed to meet the need identified by the Admiralty for a high-powered, lightweight diesel engine for fast patrol boats. The Second World War had demonstrated vulnerabilities in using petrol engines, most notably flammability.

The Deltic is a two-stroke opposed-piston compression ignition diesel engine with either three or six banks of three cylinders arranged in a triangle. Crankshafts are located at each corner of the triangle with each crank having an exhaust and inlet connecting rod from the two adjacent cylinders. The crankshafts were connected by phasing gears to a single output shaft.

The first engine was produced in 1950. The Deltic went on to power many of the Royal Navy’s small and fast craft and was still in use in Hunt-class vessels in 2018. The Deltic was primarily used at sea, but it was also used in some British Rail locomotives.

 

[DarloRich]

Would that be a reference to the Deltic engine's naval origins

No - the Paxman Valenta was used in, I think, the RN Upholder class submarine. They were all sold to the Canadian Navy and are now called something else. They were the last RN diesel submarines.

The Deltic engine went in the RN Hunt class of minesweeper but they have been replaced by CAT engines now.

 

[43096]

No - the Paxman Valenta was used in, I think, the RN Upholder class submarine. They were all sold to the Canadian Navy and are now called something else. They were the last RN diesel submarines.

It was also used in various surface ships: most notably in Type 23 frigates (four in each) and eight in each of the three Invincible class aircraft carriers (which also had four Olympus gas turbines).

Powerrrrrrrr, as Clarkson might say.

 

[DarloRich]

It was also used in various surface ships: most notably in Type 23 frigates (four in each) and eight in each of the three Invincible class aircraft carriers (which also had four Olympus gas turbines).

Thanks - I knew the Invincible class carriers had the Olympus gas turbines but not the rest. Interesting.

PS the Soviets must have had bad sonar not to hear an HST coming towards them underwater

 

[43096]

Thanks - I knew the Invincible class carriers had the Olympus gas turbines but not the rest. Interesting.

PS the Soviets must have had bad sonar not to hear an HST coming towards them underwater

What I don’t know is if the ships had the Napier turbocharger: you’d suspect not!!!

Mind you, the noisiest noise I have ever heard was in a building’s basement generator room with four V12 VP185s on full power. I was in there with ear defenders on and it was still deafening.

 

[D6130]

Thanks - I knew the Invincible class carriers had the Olympus gas turbines but not the rest. Interesting.

PS the Soviets must have had bad sonar not to hear an HST coming towards them underwater

Fascinating stuff guys, but we're going wildly OT here! In an attempt to rectify this, I would like to point out that 124 mph is nearer to the metric speed of 200 km/h....so it will probably become the new norm when ETCS is rolled out.

 

[the sniper]

That’s a brave profile picture!

It's a right faff having the film developed off a non-electronic device...

 

[Gonzoiku]

No - the Paxman Valenta was used in, I think, the RN Upholder class submarine. They were all sold to the Canadian Navy and are now called something else. They were the last RN diesel submarines.

The Deltic engine went in the RN Hunt class of minesweeper but they have been replaced by CAT engines now.

Thanks for the correction. Wow, I remember the Upholder class being the future patrol subs - I had no idea they had had such a short RN service life. Nor did I have any idea that the Valenta went underwater!

GZ

 

[E27007]

Drivers have an inbuilt curiosity, some of our old stock, long withdrawn, the back of speedometer head could be accessed quite easily, the back had a circuit board with a small bank of ON/OFF switches the switches could be pushed over with the tip of a ballpoint pen, Those switches must have been for calibration of the speedometer, being a bright spark, the driver worked out the combination of switches to knock about 20 mph off the speedometer reading, used only when running light back to depot on a job and knock return, when running at nearly 80, the speedometer showed 60, if the Driver received a Form 1 for speeding, the charge would have to be dropped as the speedometer would fail a mandatory calibration check.

 

[R Martin]

I remember when the electrification into Euston in about 1965 being in the cab of a AL 5 with a defective speedo when we got to Watford in 13 minutes! Boy was it a rough ride. line speeds were a bit lower then.