Paging the southerners

100t coal hoppers - I think they're JHA types with low track-force bogies.

They've been around for over 20 years, I used to work them out of the
Mendip quarries on stone trains - some years ago now.

 

Ta. I couldn't think of why the snout-noses at either end were there,
but I see it might be to house part of the hopper mechanism.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

Heh. Bad man.

 

They cover some of the brake equipment but not really the hopper gear.

I think the 'snouts' may be for streamlining to prevent "dead air" drag -
you can really feel the wind in empty wagons.

 

That's one's got to be worth some form of award.

 

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "sweller"
<> saying something like:

Thanks for the info - curious mind needs to know.

Ah, true enough. I tend to think of a train as an entity; with a modern
snout-nose loco punching through the air it would seem as if the rest of
it would simply follow in its wake, but there must be a helluva lot of
eddies and swirls between coaches/wagons and especially, as you say,
into the tops of wagons, making up a large drag.

 

Yes, it was a gift, really.

 

noisy fuckers too - loads go through the Gavenny valley visible from here.
Chug up the hill from Abergavenny station when full then race down the hill
when returning empty. Presumably they are taking coal (either from the open
cast mines in S.Wales or the bulk port at Port Talbot to the power station
at Ironbridge.

 

This was the M1 south on Friday night
www.flickr.com/photos/15262772@N00/5238633342/

The 'ploughs had given up (it seemed). Trucks were motoring down the inside
lane and building up a ridge of snow and ice on the outer side. Cars that
tried to cross it to lanes 2-4 were slewing around (1). They were only doing
10-30mph FFS. The Saab was happy in lane 3 at 60 per. It was quiet so I was
able to try avoidance maneuvers into lanes 2 and 4, as well as emergency
braking (to a halt). The latter was best done building up gradually and
holding it just off or just into ABS territory. But with (only front)
Wintracs I could maintain control perfectly well and stop quickly. About
equal to heavy standing water on ordinary summer tyres.

This was the same part of the M1 heading north on Monday morning
www.flickr.com/photos/15262772@N00/5238036405/

Where I found it more exciting was tight turns on sheet ice. The front tyres
were stuck to the road, the rears would come round to 30deg in a trice and
try to make 90deg. Controllable at low speeds. So 4xWintracs might be worth
the extra investment (if they had been available).

 

Radio 2? You uncultured, old fart.

 

The radio was not turned on (in volume terms) IYSWIM. The sheet ice in
swathes across lanes 3 and 4 plus football sized snowballs falling off the
central wall required some concentration.

 

In some countries you must have all 4 wheels fitted with winter tyres
if you're driving in snow. I've never tried with just 2, but I can
well imagine it might get, err, 'interesting'.

Just been to a local tyre centre this arvo[1], as all four of mine on
the R36 are down to their tread wear markers, at about 5mm of tread
left. Clearly well, like massively, within the legal limit, but at the
point where they're no longer giving the level of grip I want on snow.
Of which there's been a lot, both here in France and on the Swiss
motorways coming back on Sunday night. No dramas, but once or twice
there was enough of a 'moment' to start the adrenaline flowing.

Of course, I could have just slowed down...


[1] They didn't have any 205/50x17s in stock, so they've ordered some
for Thursday. Nokians, I'm going with this time, 730 euros the set. V
rated, as I'd never been altogether happy with the R rated (max
106mph) ones the VW garage supplied me with originally.

 

Ace wrote:

On one Austrain trip I swopped the rear snow tyres off one of the Evos
onto the front of the other Evo just so I had some semblence of grip.
The Yokahama semi-slicks weren't really up to the conditions.

I found it drove fine with just winter tyres up front



--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

I suspect it depends on how you drive. I'm happy just to maintain
reasonable forward progress and reach my destination in conditions that
would be very difficult for summer tyres. The Yokohama C-Drives the
French motorway vulture fitted in April have hardly any cross grooves at
all.

Just snow chains on the front were fine in the epic snow near Mont Dore
a couple of years ago. Fitting them whilst queuing in the fast lane
whilst kids were building snowmen on the verge was a surreal experience.

When I go out to 'the chateau' in February I may put the summer wheels
back on the front if it's not too cold when I set out, but the steelies
with winter jobs will be in the boot (one will be permanently as a spare
anyway) as well as snow chains.


--
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

On snow, yes fine, no issues at all. On sheet or black ice, less so in the
twisties.