WELL DONE Well done Alastair, a great presentation. A credit to you and all the research you have done. The model at the NRM being on a gradient plinth is a nice touch. Personally, I think the electrification wires spoil the Lickey, although obviously this results in an increase in train speeds climbing the bank. Of course to give it its correct title, and to reflect the geological formation of the area and its relationship to the wider Birmingham area, it should be referred to as The Lickey Plain. James Hennighan Yorkshire, England

Enjoyed this talk as my Father-in-Law (deceased) was a driver of this fabulous engine, which I first viewed as a child by the railway line in Blackwell at the age of 4 or 5! He was still driving trains when I first met my Husband in the early 1960's.

I was lucky enough to have a cab ride on Bertha up the bank and back my uncle bribed the driver with a ten bob note on 29/4/56. fabulous experience for a young lad of 11 "duck down behind the tender side sheet " said the driver as we go through Bromsgrove station, which I did as he opened up the regulator creating a fabulous surge of energy and noise!

Thanks for the memories of Big Bertha climbing up the Lickey Bank, I remember my Dad had an Austin Seven and used to take me and my sister to a road that went under the track were we then had a gate access to a sand bunker along side the track so we could wave to the drivers as they pushed the train up the incline, then we would wait for Big Bertha to come back down on her own. World war two had just ended so I must have been 7 years old when I started recording numbers in my LMS Ian Allen train number books. Happy Days.

Wonderful stuff. Having been born in Derby and lived within earshot of the Lickey for more than 40 years I feel connection to The Midland and Big Bertha. There was so much information in this talk which I hadn't appreciated, so thanks for this presentation, and thanks too to Bromsgrove Society for sharing it.

Excellent, very enjoyable Thankyou. Your passion is clear to see and shared by many others. 👏

Really enjoyed the video. My Dad worked at Garringtons for a while and he took me down to Bromsgrove ( from Rednal) to see her. I would have been six or seven at the time but I do remember it was a really gloomy day. Later when I became a serious trainspotter I spent a lot of time At Blackwell so was very familiar with 92079 with the front light from Big Bertha, Happy Days. Great memories.

Excellent talk Alastair, I learned a few things that I didn't previously know about Big Bertha. All so interesting for me as a native of Bromsgrove & life long railway enthusiast. I almost got a ride up the bank on her in the early 1950s when I was a small child - but that's another story. I just found the book on Amazon too, looking forward to reading it.

Absolutely fascinating. I really enjoyed this wonderful presentation about "BB". Totally agree, it's a crying shame she wasn't preserved. Perhaps one day a group of enthusiasts could recreate her again like they are doing with the LNER P2 "Prince of Wales". Thanks for a great 1hr 24m of history. 😁

Such passion and enthusiasm is great to see. Thank You.

That is a fasinating history of Big Bertha, I've never looked too much into this engine, but I recently started looking into her more & more. This has been very insteresting to watch un-interupted.

A great tribute to an awesome loco which has opened my eyes as to the real history behind the Lickey

Hello Alastair!! Fancy you popping up in one of my excursions down the KZread railway rabbit hole!!

Excellent presentation, just the right balance for me of historic and technical content. Lucky to have seen the engine in the early 50’s when my father took me to the incline from Redditch on his cycle. Then late 50’s into early 60’s many days spent spotting at Vigo or Blackwell.

So well spoken and very informative, you certainly have done your homework on Big Bertha. One of a kind, but didn't it do well, a very nice piece of kit and it shows.🙂👍

Very informative and absorbing history of this unique locomotive. Thank you.

What a fabulous presentation. Really enjoyed.

I've always known her as 'Big Emma', a name which certainly goes back to the early 1930's, when it appeared in the 'Model Railway News'. Other people in the area apparently knew her as 'Big Liz', but by whatever name you know her, she was one massively impressive machine. Someone told me that when she was being broken up it was discovered that the mainframes had been worn away around her back wheels till they were only half the original thickness, due to the flanges bearing on them on curves.

Thank you. Most interesting and informative, especially to an ignoramus regarding steam locomotives (and railways in general) like me.

Thanks for that Alastair, Most enjoyable stuff, Two items to note but not picked up on, (am i being picky) 10 driving wheels and all with flange's! unlike the 9fs, also of note, Balance / Reciprocating weights on centre driving wheelset appear to be maybe 10 degree's out of time to the rest, clearly for a reason? maybe to take out vibration when coasting down the bank. Cheers.

@muir8009

3 жыл бұрын

hi. the offset balancers in the central drivers isn't too much of a rarity, especially for multi driven locos. you'll see them on the set where the piston rods and connecting rods are connected, this axle having the greatest reciprocal mass. the idea is that at speed the offset balance will counteract the dynamic augment (hammerblow) of that heavier axle set which also has to take the included weight of the piston thrust. if you look carefully you'll not that the weight is behind on the leftside, ahead on the right. at 90° instead of a balanced 180 they'd be a lot of force concentrated in only a quarter turn and in the locos case with heavy rods at the end of each piston thrust the offset balancers are "throwing" the weights slightly ahead or behind of the end of the piston stroke, thus creating a reverse inertia as a counteraction. :)

Like the video .Enjoy it very much.

My uncle worked as a fireman at bromsgrove before going to garringtons. Would be nice if a statue or static build of the loco could be displayed in the town around the new station area

That loco reminds me of the ill fated Great Eastern 'Decapod'.

A fantastic review of Big bertha. A one of a kind locomotive and a shame it never survived. But in those days Preservation was not in the mind of BR. I wouldn't say she's ideal for a replica due to her useful ness factor being low. But they NRM or the other Model rail companies could make a fortune with having a super detailed model of her built.

@smhorse

Жыл бұрын

I think Rapido are going to have a go at replicating Big Bertha in OO. Very ambitious.

@JohnDavies-cn3ro

Жыл бұрын

Somebody did do a kit for her a few years back. Made up (or not) they now command a spanking price!

No mention on the unusual sloping top of the fire box from the Belpaire Ring down to the cab. The inside cylinders don't appear to have a steam chest. Is the loco a compound if so how is the steam passed in to the cylinder and out to the blast pipe. ? Can please someone enlighten me as to this puzzle. ?

@alanwhittaker1447

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ken, I read somewhere that Big Bertha was a cross compound with the L-H outer exhausting into the R-H inner and visa versa. If outer cranks set at 180 degrees would this work? Would love to know more and would explain why the cylinder blocks were considered to be so unique. Any ideas how to find out more? Alan Whittaker. Derby, ex Toton

@Martin_Adams184

3 жыл бұрын

@@alanwhittaker1447 My understanding of this, based on a number of articles that I've read over the years, is that the locomotive was not a compound. However, because there was insufficient room for four sets of valve gear, the inside cylinders were fed by the unusually large outside steam chests, and the steam was passed to them by pipes that were perforce longer than the passage to the outside cylinders. Inevitably, the valve events were not ideal; but on a slow-slogging locomotive of this kind, that did not matter enough to make the idea unworkable. (I am certain that I have seen a detailed drawing of the cylinder-and-valve layout, including the crossover pipes; but I cannot find it - my huge collection of magazines and books is in a complete mess since a house-move.) I might be wrong about some details; but I'm pretty certain that I have the main points correct. Some aspects of this arrangement can be seen in the drawing at 13.03 of this excellent video, and in the amazing photographs immediately thereafter. Also, the photo at 1.20.40 clearly shows the pipes coming off the top of the valve chests and going "inside" towards the inside cylinders.

@kenharris5390

3 жыл бұрын

@@alanwhittaker1447 As an aside are there any forums that discuss these subjects ? I live in Australia and would like to keep abreast of this aspect of railway history. I would appreciate any links you could provide for this old 88A Canton Cardiff boy.

Did the headlamp survive......?

sounds like james stewart the film star a rail fan

I don't recall the Eastern building a one-off for working on the docks. Does anyone have any info on this machine?

@trainsrules080908

3 жыл бұрын

possibly the Decopod ?

@royfearn4345

3 жыл бұрын

The GNR(?) Decapod 0-10-0 tank was a one-off experiment for a steam alternative to suburban electric trains which have very fast acceleration. A ten-coupled loco would have been useless on the tight curves.

@graemehannam3950

3 жыл бұрын

@@royfearn4345 Think the decapod was great Eastern, if I am right it was something to do with how fast could a steam locomotive accelerate as the great Eastern was looking at electrification of their line, the decapod proved its worth in one way, but she was too heavy and I think she was rebuilt

isn't it funny: berthas driving wheels were still larger than the New Zealand railways express engines, which I may add, a Ja class had been recorded at 72mph, so big bertha could've potentially had a bit of a turn in her if needed be.

hi great video,big bertha was a great looking loco. sheer brute force on tap, what clowns went and scrapped it.when it could have been sent to a museum. hornby and bachmann have not made a model of it, again clown activity

@TONYJUD57

3 жыл бұрын

DJH did a white metal kit, i have it but don't run it, for display only, it is as built with high tender sides, later lowered to assist in reverse operation.

@keithparker5103

3 жыл бұрын

Peter Smith, when I was an apprentice at Derby Loco Works I watched Big Bertha being cut up. I was too upset to notice if anything was saved.

@smhorse

Жыл бұрын

Rapido are going to do Big Bertha in OO.

@PreservationEnthusiast

Жыл бұрын

​@@keithparker5103 Shame we have no pictures of cutting up the scrap. Scrapping steam locos is great fun. Break them down and send the pieces for melting!

@keithparker5103

Жыл бұрын

@@PreservationEnthusiast The last steam loco's to be scrapped in any number was back in the '60s So unless you are in your 80s you wouldn' t know anything about it, you bonehead.

Whatever happened to the big light?

Using the Bank of England inflation calculator, the cost of the loco, tender and light was over £450,000 in today's money, but compare that to the £3 million that Tornado cost in 2008...

@johnbishop5316

2 жыл бұрын

I think you're not comparing like with like. Any index is based on a large number of goods and applying an index number to one good doesn't mean much. At the time the engine was built, making an engine was a fairly routine business. Even a very unusual one. Making one today is horrendously difficult. So while the Bof E's index might make sense for comparing what an average worker's wage might buy, then and now, for example, I think your use here is inappropriate. I think it's fantastic that we still have the experise to make on at all!

I've got a model of big bertha in 0 gauge

@jsgaming3248

2 жыл бұрын

Which manufacturer is it?

Duchess TE was 40K, so not more.. Of course TE not total measure of power but that is what you quoted...

cant;tunderstabda word youaresaying

can you make your content inclusive by formatting the auto captioning into closed captioning? it is sadly very hard to watch relying on only the dreaded auto captioning (I'm Profoundly Deaf) I have to stop halfway as it got really difficult to watch.

Big Bertha another Midland monstrosity inadequate bearings and tortuous steam passages.

@michaelpage8337

3 жыл бұрын

My uncle was at a convalescent home at Blackwell and took me to see the line when I went to visit him saw Big Bertha and the wagons with their brakes pegged