UK Bulleid Leader
UK Bulleid Leader
Okay, so what on earth is this? Is it a diesel? The tag says steam. Did you mess it up again?
Ah, the Bulleid Leader, where do I even begin with this thing? Oliver Bulleid (that’s EID not IED) was the CME of the Southern Railway during the war years. He designed the legendary Merchant Navy class and the slightly smaller Battle of Britain/West Country class.
He also designed the Q1.
And the leader was his baby. This engine was designed to give steam power a new lease of life. It has a ‘modern’ outline, similar to Southern electrics of the time.
Pros
It can go through carriage washes.
No need to turn it around, it has two cabs.
No outside motion, it’s done with gears
Articulation! Go round corner good.
Modern lookin
Light axle load.
Cons
Underpowered for its size
Fireman cooked alive
Hard to maintain
OIL BATH
Unconventional, non-standard
Looks dumb
The locomotive was not a success, and did not redefine the steam loco.
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