Quote:
Originally Posted by klordger1900
Getting away from Kestrel for a mo and on the subject of APT, I have met one of the electrical engineers who worked tirelessly on testing the train and it was flawed because of the brakes. The aerodynamics of the carriages caused the brakes to freeze at high speed and that would have meant a very costly redesign of the carriage profile to make any significant difference. Apparently politics took over when it was axed.
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The last bit is the key: "Politics took over." Today I spoke to one of the fitters who spent several months and thousands of miles on the APT on the West Coast Main Line.
The problem with freezing brakes was limited to a short period of extreme winter weather. So cold that the diesel in lorries was freezing!
Otherwise he felt that the brakes were more than adequate.
I don't think the APT spent very long in revenue earning service. The Tory Press saw to that!
Best wishes,
John H-T.