Hello,

Adventurescot on YouTube just posted this video. I believe this Youtuber is Richard Niven, former fireman in the Red Devil back in the heyday.

https://youtu.be/IA2vToKrGSU?si=noOHyN_e5tmv4x_z

The short clips at the beginning and end are new material, the clip in the middle with Richard and John is already out there.

Note the clip at the end….the RD sounds like John Deere twin, really turned up….the sharp exhaust cracks is the marker left by David Wardale’s modifications. Rock steady and flying! Very impressive.

Regards,

Randy

Have more.

I've sent this video to multitudes of folks over the years, and one of the common responses is "shock and awe" at the fact that this is Cape Gauge (1067mm/3' 6") and not standard gauge like UP across Wyoming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVYS7xj3eic

I've had the privilege of pacing N&W 611 and 1218 side by side at speeds slightly higher than their later official 40-mph speed limits, and have seen videos of similar pacing of C&O 614--a trio that has to qualify as the pinnacle of American steam locomotive engineering technology. But the fine-running "sewing machine" that was SAR 3450 impresses me more, somehow.

Great video; thanks for posting. That last sequence of the engine on a passenger train at speed with the razor sharp exhaust is a great one. Notice there’s not even a hint of smoke from the stacks, showing the GPCS was working exactly like it was supposed to.

PERFORMANCE and BEAUTY - in the same "package".

Thanks for these great videos; a perfect reminder of our own Niagaras, and others!!

This reminds me of a comment that was made about the 'other' great technical tour de force, BR 71000 (with British Caprotti steam-servo poppet valve gearO) -- someone complained that the exhaust precision made it sound like a "bloody Sulzer"...

The EL/NJT U34CH is perhaps the greatest of the 'honorary steam locomotives' in this respect -- if you closed your eyes during the acceleration north from River Edge Road/North Hackensack station, you could easily imagine modern steam on the head end instead of 'diseasel'...

These 3/4 sized “Niagaras” especially in the class 26 were pushed to the very limits. I believe the road speed limit was 50 mph but the last clip seems greater. Keep in mind these had 60” drivers.

Reminds me of an exchange I had with a noted preservationist on a certain PA based pacific locomotive for which I was volunteering in the late 1980’s. When bringing up the crosshead counterweight (which is a prevalent feature of the SAR Class 25s) and their possible benefit to minimize high speed bending at the end of the piston rod, I received a response like I was smoking left handed cigarettes. It makes sense, the inertia of a crosshead shoe on one side would add a twist to the rod. The last video clip gives a sense this could be helpful. Note the 611 has double shoes, addressing that by default.



It helped on the Kimberley to DeAar line it was fairly level, once the engineer had it hooked up, the fireman could lean it out, they would settle in for hours of this. There were grades like out of Orange River, also a stop there, which would break up the steady running. Places like Kraankuil were level and you could see flat miles in both directions, they flew though Kraankuil. Also, as recalled in Wardale’s book did he weld stop blocks to keep the fire doors cracked open for excess air over the fire? There were over fire ports in the side of the fire box but all of them helped completely burn the fuel above the fire. The other infamous high speed video of the 3450 from the highway overpass was almost smokeless also. Using stationary reciprocating engine speak, saying the 3450 was “ lean burn” is likely an understatement. They were shoving air over that fire from all directions!

Regards,
Randy

Look at the other video to which I linked. They could have done a Carl Franz/Pete Lerro charter or older UP steam runby proud without sanding the flues or a heavy load. It probably heavily depended on what got dumped in the tender that morning.