This is why they should bring back the old steamers. The weight combined with the heat of the steam meant that they could run on rails that modern trains find impossible. They also, rather more sensibly, attached sanding gear to the front to provide grip, something the modern trains don't seem equipped to handle. Or perhaps it's just the operators that can't handle the idea...D.B. wrote:Oh for the love of god...
It is a bit cold. Do greater anglia trains require a warm tank + heat lamp or something? Are they tropical trains, ill suited to our climate? Can i get the RSPCT to press charges? If not what is going on?
Interesting titbit: one of the reasons maintaining the trackwork has become so expensive these days is because they have to send special trains out to scan every inch of line looking for microscopic fatigue cracks in the rail head. These cracks develop as the rails shift and flex under the weight of the trains and if they're not dealt with they can result in the rail cracking rather catastrophically - especially in cold weather. It's only become a problem in the last 30 or so years. Before that the trains were so heavy that any microscopic cracks in the surface of the rail were worn off by the weight of the passing train before they could develop into a serious problem.
So yeah, everything was better in the old days. Bring back the age of steam!