Steam Driven Vehicle Speed Records!

Click on each picture for a closer look!
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Occassionally we post news of interest from beyond our immediate area. Here is one news worthy item of interest to those of us who are ardent fans of steam driven vehicles such as our #6213 and our Sweet Creek locomotives.
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Edward's Air Force Base, California: Tuesday August 25th, 2009:
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"Today at 8.19am (California time) Charles Burnett III successfully broke the land speed record for a steam powered car - which has stood for more than 100 years - achieving an average speed of 139.843 mph on two runs over a measured mile. Driver Charles Burnett III piloted the car for both runs reaching a peak speed of 136.103 mph on the first run and 151.085 mph on the second. The new international record, which is subject to official confirmation by the FIA, breaks the previous official FIA record of 127 mph set in 1906 by American, Fred Marriott, driving a Stanley steamer at Daytona Beach." - For more information visit their website.
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A quick trip to Wikipedia to explore land records for vehices on rails reults in the following information:
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"Determination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail". The French TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels riding on metal rails. In April 2007, the TGV broke its own 1990 record with a new speed of 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph) under test conditions with a shortened train (two power cars and three passenger cars) and larger wheels to reduce angular speed in the motors.
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The Japanese JR-Maglev is the fastest non-conventional train in the world, having achieved 581 km/h (361 mph) on a magnetic-levitation track. Unmanned rocket sleds that ride on rails have reached over 10,400 km/h (6,462 mph), equivalent to Mach 8.5. The fastest manned rail vehicle is a manned rocket sled, that travelled at 1,017 km/h (635 mph)."
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Wikipedia also reports that an "LNER Class A4 4468 named Mallard is the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives at 125.88 mph (202.58 km/h). The record was achieved on July 3rd, 1938 on the slight downwards grade of Stoke Bank south of Grantham on the East Coast Main Line, and the highest speed was recorded at milepost 90 ¼, between Little Bytham and Essendine. It broke the German (DRG Class 05) 002's 1936 record of 124 mph (200.4 km/h)."
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In the two pictures at the left below, we see the Mallard as preserved at the famed National Railway Museum in York, England. We even have one instance of a Mallard class locomotive in our National Railway Museum (Exporail) - the "Dominion of Canada" (see picture at lower right). Click here for a very interesting Wikipedia entry on the "Dominion of Canada" .
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Posting by Russ Milland
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