Scotland's unintentionally useful engine - Caledonian Railways 123

In this video, we take a look at the Caledonian Railway single driving locomotive that was only built for publicity. In a surprise twist of fortune, the engine turned out to be more useful than first anticipated.

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This video falls under the fair use act of 1976 This video is available to use under the appropriate Creative Commons Licence.
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[chollocks]

When doing a historical presentation it's customary to get things right. The locomotive was designed by Dugald Drummond not Douglas

[aquamojavi]

Only in Scotland can someone intentionally make something useless and have it unintentionally be useful

[agerestricted]

That's a very Scottish engine in the fact that it refused retirement

[lairdcummings]

Scots engineers: unintentionally excellent for over three hundred years.

[ThomasG-Chuklenuts]

Lovely story, lovely engine!

Also the fact that it's still preserved today, serving as an exhibition piece just as it was intended to do back then, made my day.

[penandinkproductions]

The fact that this went a mile a minute is legendary

[MrXbow]

The Caledonian single: I’ve proved I can do more than what people thought.
The Fairy Swordfish: you an’ got nothin’ bruv.

[LectronCircuits]

4-2-2 engine is absolutely gorgeous, and totally awesome. Everybody should have one. Cheers!

[carltrotter]

What can I say, us Scots are just good engineers even when we aren’t trying,

I live just down the road from that museum! Time to make a trip.

[peterrobinson]

Always thought it was a most elegant Cally’s blue paint job helped!

[Jamesb]

The races to the north were actually the race to Aberdeen. The winners being the Caledonian having control of Kinaber junction just north of Montrose.

[alexthomson]

Drummond was one of the best designers of his time producing locomotive designs for the Caledonian railway well a head of other larger railways

[garryferrington]

Beautiful engine. Not so much outdated as the last and best of it's type.

[sadwingsraging]

"Just because it is old fashioned doesn't mean it is useless."
Reminds me of the story of a huge line of coal cars left stranded on an uphill grade when one of the diesel engines quit. Another engine that just happened to be on a maintenance run was directed to go give the lads a push. The conductor of the disabled train figured out what was pushing him when he seen the giant cloud of smoke and fire rising from around the bend behind him after hearing the steam whistle and the thunderous chugging echoing in the valley.

[Thomas__Blue]

Thomas is a really useful engine!

But also this engine is really cool! It'd be nice if they ever got it back in steam again. Reminds me a little bit of Edward, old but still reliable.

[cmc]

I'm impressed with this engine, a grand livery and splendid in its performance.

[SuburbaniteUrbanite]

It's so scottish that it becomes useful through sheer anger.

[bluebellsfan]

I love these videos! Your at 466 subscribers. It's 467 Now!

[plaguedoctortrainmansnscal]

I like the fact that you put in bagpipe music. Y’know… Scottish trains Scottish music.

[catmansell]

No.123 was built by Neilson Reid for an exhibition in Glasgow after which they persuaded the Caledonian Railway to purchase it. The railway author O.S. Nock wrote a history of the 1888 and 1895 railway races. The limiting factor of the locomotives concerned was the water capacity of the tenders and no water troughs. Cat Mansell.