NBL 23141 Reid-MacLeod Steam Turbine 1926-08-03 Springburn
North British Locomotive Company No. 23141, Reid-MacLeod Steam Turbine 4-4-0+0-4-4 Built by NBL, Springburn Works, Glasgow in 1924, withdrawn in 1927 and scrapped in 1940.
The history of the steam locomotive is littered with experiments designed to improve the technology. Some succeed, but are too expensive to manufacture and/or maintain. Others fail because the expectations are wildly unrealistic. A few make even the most casual observer wonder what ever posessed... I'm not sure where the Reid-MacLeod locomotive fits into this spectrum!
Exhibited in 1924 at the British Empire Exhibition, it had some trial runs in 1926/7 but failed dismally and was quietly withdrawn. It languished forgotten until it went for scrap in about 1940.
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