Prototype Beauty and the Beast
- Thread starter Ressaldar
- Start date
Jon Fitness
Western Thunderer
A bathtub and a coffee pot?
hat on, out the door (slam, sound of running...)
hat on, out the door (slam, sound of running...)
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
I think I prefer the Q1, but then I've always been a fan of form following function.
And if you put them both in the same livery (black) I've no doubt the Duchess would look worse.
And the 'streamlining' was ineffective.
And...
Okay, I'll stop now.
Steph
And if you put them both in the same livery (black) I've no doubt the Duchess would look worse.
And the 'streamlining' was ineffective.
And...
Okay, I'll stop now.
Steph
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
We also know Mr Stanier wasn't a fan of "smoothing", but they still went through air tunnel charades on a scale model before committing to the shape.
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
The more cynical of us would assume a copy of the German BR05...
Steph
oldravendale
Western Thunderer
I could not possibly agree with Steph.........but I do.
I suppose the NRM have done us a favour in re-creating an air smoothed "Coronation", particularly as there are a couple of others in their later form for us to see. However, the de-streamlined and un-streamlined locos were, imho, much more impressive locos. They are one of the few classes that also looked good in blue.
(Jon, hope you left the door open).
Brian
I suppose the NRM have done us a favour in re-creating an air smoothed "Coronation", particularly as there are a couple of others in their later form for us to see. However, the de-streamlined and un-streamlined locos were, imho, much more impressive locos. They are one of the few classes that also looked good in blue.
(Jon, hope you left the door open).
Brian
Ressaldar
Western Thunderer
Overseer
Western Thunderer
But does the Q1 form really follow the function? The Q1 is styled just as much as the Duchess, just a different aesthetic. The Q1 boiler isn't a funny shape under the cladding and the smokebox didn't need to be that shape. Bulleid could have picked lots of other shapes. A Dean Goods or a J15 would be a better example of form following function in my opinion. If you put gold go faster stripes and glossy red paint on the Q1 it would look pretty dire, but no one has done that as far as I know. The photos of Duchesses in wartime black do look bad. I am not a huge fan of either class but they are both distinctive and interesting.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Perhaps, but in one of my reference books there are photos of a Bassett-Lowke Princess clad in a wooden mockups of the proposed casing. The text claims it was used for wind tunnel tests, and who am I to argue with Mr Twells?
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
The Q1 cladding did need to be that shape as the lightweight cladding used couldn't be formed in conventional railway locomotive shapes. For the smokebox, it's just about the simplest shape that would give you a flat base to mount directly to the top of the cylinder block. Although I suppose you're correct, it could have been square.
The full brief of the Q1 included a reduction in the need for new tooling, low weight and high power. The application is sublime, Lord Nelson firebox, Q running gear and a lot of simple fabrications. Bulleid's masterpiece.
Of only he'd been given equally strong direction on some of his other projects!
Steph
The full brief of the Q1 included a reduction in the need for new tooling, low weight and high power. The application is sublime, Lord Nelson firebox, Q running gear and a lot of simple fabrications. Bulleid's masterpiece.
Of only he'd been given equally strong direction on some of his other projects!
Steph
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
The curved top to the boiler encourages rain to run off, of course.
Ressaldar
Western Thunderer
that comment could be construed as a (loss) Leader - sorry Steph.
I do like the Q1 - having spent a lot of time in my early years (the 50s) at Tonbridge, you just could not miss them.
cheers
Mike