BRITISH RAILWAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 35, 11 February 1937, Page 4

BRITISH RAILWAYS

STAYING ON STEAM

DIESEL ENGINES NOT;

WANTED

Continued use of steam locomotives on British railways in face oft the successful advance of the Diesel engine on high-speed runs in . other countries is now revealed to be largely a matter of policy, says the "Ghristian Science Monitor." ■•..', , y Queries ;to vh'igh officials of British railway-companies bring the answer , that, while the companies' experts, are keeping an open mind on questions of capabilities '■ of Diesel locomo'tivcs versus .steam, it is at present better policy;for the railways to.use coal, as . the; coal producers are the railways' best customer's., , :'.;■ Diesel-steam-discussions have been brought to the .fore once more following record runs by,, a; London, Midland, andf Scottish '.Railway test train. powered; by sfeam,' from London:, to Glasgow and .back:' .;■;! Pulling seven light coaches. V tha L.M.S. locomotive, Princess Elizabeth, made the 401-J-mile journey to Glasgow in 5 hours 53 minutes, averaging" 68.2 miles an hour, and returned the rhext day to, London.in 5 hours 44 minute 3, !at an averages-speed* .of 70 miles per hour. .}':' \ ''- ■*..i'l • " •'.?.■■'. ;■; ■ '.sChe second'run is claimed.in London ,as a world's .record for-steam trains, being the longest and fastest non-stop run ever made, under steam by one. MARK OF . 18£|5, BROKEN, ft __.The -.record. the train beat was" sat UP in :1895. Vln tha.t year.; the Eoyal Scot express '.< made .'Edinbvirgh from L0nd0n,392 miles away;' in 6 Hours 18. minutes. This was during thejdays of freak trains run by two competing routes to Scotland in an attempt to snatch the greater part,o| the traffic. ■About the only, person ■.disappointed . in the new record run is Driver I'Tom Clarke, who complained at the finish that he was never allowed to letv. the Princess Elizabeth above 95 miles an hour. ■ ■ . .•• '■ ■- ■ ,v. This'test run'is; expected to tie a herald of ;a new.^speed competition between the London:'and North Eastern and; the L.M.S.";..The L.N.E'.R. Silver Jubilee' train runs/ a regular trip tfromLondon to Darlington, 232 miles, at an average speed of' 70 miles an hour. Although the new record has been much publicised in Britain, newspapers make no mention of Diesel train records. It seems-to. be forgbtten'that the ten fastest regular services irj'the world are run by Diesel trains of the German State Railways, and that*two years ago the' Burliryson Zephyfc, in . the United States, made a non-stop run of 1015 miles at an average speed of 77.6 miles per hour, beating the longdistance speed record previously "held by the British Royal Scot with 56 miles per hour over 400 miles, by 23 miles per hour for the same.distance. «r "Monitor" investigations- show i that the question of Diesel locomotive performance is considered "a very dedicate one" by the British railways, ■ .; Locomotive experts are watching the progress made in Diesel design '& and .performance, -s-and have introduced Diesel rail-cars' on several less important routes/ ' ;. FIRST COSTS HIGHER, f "There are several reasons why .British railways do not introduce streamlined Diesel;? expresses on their -main lines,' 'a" railway '" official , told •;.! the "Mpnitor-V'^'irL. the.,first place!?; tha capital ■co^t': aßp;ears-;to:':'be higher^ In the second plac| steam: seems wel^abla toehold its own,'well 'eiiough, inajfact, iovmake it unnecessary. $6} run Dieselengined trains.';' ','' ....-/j. '5, . *j_ •''One of the great prpTDlems m -Eng--landr-is- that ■. heavy- expressitrains -liaye 'to^be gulled athigh.spe£d£over routes which incur,fairly 'steep''gradients?; We find.thatthe. steam locomotive is £yery bit as -useful in;- maintaining high averages uriderstheseV conditions as --[any Diesel train.". . . -•;,;: ;; 't ■< ' Another point of view was put to the interviewer by a ; traffic expert of the Great Western Railway. - :-_ -; "We could run faster trains,' ,- he declared, "but it really is not worth the cost/;: TofeacEelerate one mainvseryice;'6nfour''line,tcin,dj'on,iany lines in Britaini-m'eaffiv'alteratitfns^n hundreds ofi other- ■•tjsaiii'* schedules.: l:(, ;./; "'''-« if meansj-holffirigVup>.: goods : ;and passenger 'triams7%^ss';;importance at s^v|ral:-points;'>peffea|)gr.oii^completely fe7nMeUirig^-scheduieV;;;;'<Sv>r a large area?' • -Our*; railway's-:a*esßeally g: too cramped /to^make, -high-speed trams, carrying-small^loa^Si^of-th. while,.