The Engines of the Great Western Railway
The Freak Hurricane
Hurricane was, by far, the strangest looking engine among the freaks. It was a train in itself, with10 foot Drive wheels on the front carriage,( Remember the requirement for low piston speed?) boiler in the middle and tender bringing up the rear. Depending on which source you read: Hurricane is said to have never really ran, or to have run in excess of 80 mph. It is said to have never left the yard in some sources and credited in excess of 10000 miles by others. Given Hurricanes strange form it seems impossible for one man to reach both the reversing gear and regulator at the same time. In the early days of the GWR it seems unlikely Gooch and his fitters gave Hurricane any real chance. In 1838-39 both the drivers and fitters were working to the point of going to sleep standing. An engine that required a third man to run it would have been an untouchable. Admitting any knowledge or interest might have led to more work.