I know picking up water on the fly was commonplace, however picking up fuel on the fly??? It would be fascinating to find out!Google for "Land speed record for rail vehicles" shows a number of speed records for types of power up to the Rocket Sleds in the 600 mph range.Steam locomotives show a variety of claims for the speed record over the last 120 years - NYC 999 claimed 112.5 mph in the 1898 rail service to the Chicago Worlds Fair.

Kat Eschner is a freelance science and culture journalist based in Toronto. Do I think Mr. Bruce was talking through his store teeth when he mentioned Milwaukee As running faster than 128 mph? I don't know, and more particularly I'm not going to come out and say that deserves to be considered as the 'record' speed ... it isn't amenable to the right kind of independent confirmation and proof that would be appropriate. Of course there is always a problem trying to go back and re-write history using today's un historical opinions. Likewise, there's a certain 'in the know' cred for buying into the PRR T1 being an impossibly slippery failure and hopeless dog.
Then, the “Flying Scotsman” became the … We also have a fairly good record of quietly achieving things that are considerably better, when and if actually put to a test,  than better-advertised or more snarkily promoted things. Too much re thinking and - poof it means nothing!Other steam records were held for the Milwaukee Railroad 1935 claim for 113 mph by Atlantic type engine MW 2. There is tremendous romance (even leaving national pride aside) in 112+ mph for NYC 999 or 127+ for PRR 7002.



I would argue the truth is better served by discussing the tall tales and wishful thinking as 'historical artifacts' themselves -- much the same, I might add, for any Brit who tries to fib his or her way into claiming 126 mph for Mallard, or uses selective sourcing to justify a claim of 'first or fastest' that just happens to make the home island's stuff look best (City of Truro, debunkers all? Observation of English locomotives of the period, I doubt that their tender capacities would permit operation of that distance without replenishing the supplies of both fuel and water. Flying Scotsman sets speed record on this day (11/30) in 1934 The flying Scotsman's fame became immortalised when in 1934 it became the first steam locomotive in the history of the world to be officially recorded at the speed of 100 mph. The Flying Scotsman, featuring the 1862 train and the 1923 locomotive; Flying Scotsman, nickname of Scottish athlete and rugby player Eric Liddell (1902–1945) "Flying Scotsman", a song by Spear of Destiny from the 1983 album Grapes of Wrath If you look at what happened if AY sent his time as "by" (meaning when the last car passed his tower) and Elida sent his time as when the locomotive arrived at his tower, you get about this speed for the three or so miles.I have a deeper contention with Dr. D's point, which is somewhat related both to 'the world will little note or long remember' and to the general acceptance of good-sounding history over true and factual history. Destined for fame from the very beginning, Flying Scotsman entered service in 1923 as the figurehead of the Kings Cross to Edinburgh express service, and has since broken numerous records including being the first steam locomotive to top 100mph, way back in 1934. Milwaukee also claimed 104 mph in 1935 for a class F6 Hudson MW 6402.It is an interesting web sight featuring the steam locomotive speed records for all countries around the world.It has been pointed out in the pages of TRAINS, among other places, that the timing methods used to make these speed claims (primarily stopwatch or open telegraph key) had a substantial margin of error even by the standards of that period.Great, it doesn't make these facts any less historically significant! As for fuel, bunker extentions and modifications have been done to increase capacity, it has been done to many steamers, including C&O 614 and NKP 765.Supposedly in 1876 PRR ran a special Jersey City to Pittsburgh nonstop-- 433 miles or some such thing.This video shows LNER 4472 pulling a substantial tank car behind the tender for portions of the Australian tour.I wonder how many miles this configuration of 614 could travel?