View Full Version : A4
jow104
21st August 2004, 07:38 PM
These two photographs taken in the last 10 days in my hometown. They show an A4 class locomotive (same as the MALLARD) on an excursion from Bristol to Kingswear (Devon). The number of the loco is 60009 named Union of South Africa. The engine spent most of its running life running the route from Edinburgh to Aberdeen in Scotland, and was most probably withdrawn from active service around 1960.
echnidna
21st August 2004, 10:46 PM
Gosh and I thought this thread was about paper sizes.
jow104
21st August 2004, 11:21 PM
Caught you then.
Iain
22nd August 2004, 10:22 AM
My age is showing, I have been on these (well, behind them anyway) and the last one was the Silver King in the 50's.
ozwinner
22nd August 2004, 08:25 PM
Ohhh cool!! :cool:
Looks much like the "Flying Scotsman" that I saw once in Manchester.
Onya Woody :D
Al
jow104
22nd August 2004, 08:33 PM
May I call you Steptoe?
ozwinner
22nd August 2004, 08:38 PM
You can call me anything you like, just dont call me late for tea. :D
Al, Steptoe
gatiep
22nd August 2004, 09:39 PM
I wonder why it was called " Union of South Africa", I can't remember them ever being used in South Africa.
AlexS
22nd August 2004, 11:09 PM
Gosh and I thought this thread was about paper sizes.
In the Australian Army, an A4 was a Charge & Offence report, a document with which I became reasonably well acquainted during my all too brief and not too illustrious military career.
...started to have flashbacks.
jow104
22nd August 2004, 11:25 PM
To Gatiep,
I sure you know that the railway companies in prewar days traditionaly named their express engines, some classes of engine were named after cities, counties, shires, race horses, and the A4 class had a sprinkling of commonwealth titles. I recall there being a Commonwealth of Australia.
Just to recall the good old days, the journey from London to Edinburgh could take 8 hours and during that journey would consume at least 10 tons of coal, 22400lbs. A fireman would therefore shift 46lbs of coal on average a minute, nearly half hundredweight. I think I would have opted for the other type of transportation, the cruise out to Australia would be a rest cure (6 months?).
.
PS. They brought this engine out of retirement a couple of years ago and its named "The Rocket"