Brief Overview
IMLEC was back to Chingford for 1977 and there was a large crowd attending to spectate. This included some from as far away as Germany, United States and a supporters contingent from Holland and Belgium to support Belgian entrant Raf Loosen.
Bill Perrett was back to defend his title from 1976 and did so with consummate ease, finishing over 0.5% ahead of his nearest rival. D. E. Lawrence provides the details of the winning run:
"Run No. 8 Southampton S.M.E. member, Bill Perrett, was making another attempt, his third I think, to win IMLEC. As I've already said, he won last year with his Speedy and had entered the same locomotive again; he had done some necessary maintenance on it but there were no alterations. The essential details are two 1 1/2 in. by 2 1/8 cylinders, working pressure is 100 p.s.i., piston valves are actuated by outside Walschaerts gear and the travel in full gear is 0.585 in. There are five superheater flues each with a semi-radiant element; an arch is fitted in the firebox. I have the load for the run recorded as driver, observer, plus 12 passengers, but the official score board gave it as a total of 12 persons. Bill got away to a careful start with only a trifle of well-controlled slip being noticed. The engine had a pronounced shouldering action at low speed under load. Speed rose to around 7.5 m.p.h. and stayed generally around that figure for much of the run. There was one lap with a marked slowing on the top curve but otherwise laps were reeled off like clockwork in a steady business-like way, unflurried and free of trouble, very little loss from the safety valve, and firing was regular. Towards the end, Bill said, he almost misjudged the amount of fire he needed to finish the last lap, but anyway he managed to drive safely into the station without a hitch and when the result was put on the board it showed Speedy as a clear per cent in front of its nearest rival. I note that in some runs there is a difference of two persons between the score board records of numbers carried and my own notes. With due respect to the host club, I suspect they did not always include driver and observer and I am taking my own figures as correct."
Interesting Facts
Bill Perrett became the first person to defend his IMLEC title and the first two time champion.
2nd, 3rd and 4th places were all members of Rugby MES, although Fred Winsall (Peterborough) and Bryan Woolston (Coventry) represented different clubs in the competition.
Belgian entrant Raf Loosen borrowed Tom Luxford's unusual streamlined B17, he struggled with his lack of intimate knowledge of the engine, but enjoyed the experience non the less.
Prizes were awarded by T. C. B. Miller, Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, British Railways, 1968 - 1972.