The Victorian Steam Locomotive: Its Design and Development 1804-1879

202 Pages·2014·7.767 MB·English

by  Kinnear Clark, G. D. Dempsey

FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1879, this book on locomotive engines has been
identified as a lost publication by Pete Waterman, who has written the
foreword to this reprint.
The book, which was published in the year of the Tay Bridge Disaster and
the Zulu War in South Africa, looks in to the history and development of the
steam locomotive, from 1804 to 1879. It shows examples of famous types of
machines from the past, to the then most up-to-date pieces of railway
locomotive technology.
With a selection of quality drawings and engineering diagams, as well as rare
photographs of locomotives from this remarkable period of industrial change,
The Victorian Steam Locomotive is a timely and long-overdue insight into the
thinking of Victorian Engineers, written as a contemporary text.
Front Cover: London & North Western Railway 2-2-2 tender locomotive, 3020
Cornwall, constructed in 1847, designed by Francis Trevithick. Here it is seen in
its rebuilt form in 1888, now preserved at the National Railway Museum, York.
Back Cover: Great Northern 2-4-0 tender passenger locomotive, number 292,
designed by Archibald Sturock and rebuilt by Patrick Stirling.
uk £19.99
us $39.95
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The Victorian
Steam Locomotive
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The Victorian
Steam Locomotive
Its Design and Development 1804–1897
G.D. Dempsey, C.E.
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
Pen & Sword Transport
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © G.D. Dempsey, C.E. 2015
ISBN 978 1 47382 323 5
The right of G.D. Dempsey, C.E. to be identified as the Author
of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission
from the Publisher in writing.
Typeset in Ehrhardt by
Mac Style Ltd, Bridlington, East Yorkshire
Printed and bound in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd,
Croydon, CRO 4YY
Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of Pen &
Sword Archaeology, Atlas, Aviation, Battleground, Discovery,
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PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED
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Contents
Foreword vii
Preface viii
Part I: Historical Sketch and Description of the Locomotive Engine 1
Part II: The Modern Locomotive 55
Section I: General Description 55
Chapter 1 Introduction 56
Chapter 2 The Frame and the Wheels 58
Chapter 3 Conditions of Stability 62
Chapter 4 The Boiler 65
Chapter 5 Coal-Burning Boilers 68
Chapter 6 The Engine 75
Chapter 7 Action of Steam in the Cylinder 82
Chapter 8 Tractive Force and Adhesion 89
Section II: English Types of Locomotives 91
Section III: Special Description of a Modern Locomotive 113
Chapter 9 General View of the Engine 114
Chapter 10 Framing 122
Chapter 11 The Axle-Boxes 126
Chapter 12 The Axles and Wheels 129
Chapter 13 The Boiler 134
Chapter 14 The Safety-Valves 142
Chapter 15 Steam-Pipes and Regulator 143
Chapter 16 The Glass-Gauge and the Whistle 145
vi The Victorian Steam Locomotive
Chapter 17 Boiler Now Constructed 146
Chapter 18 The Cylinders and Valves 149
Chapter 19 The Blast-Pipe 153
Chapter 20 Pistons and Crossheads 154
Chapter 21 Connecting-Rod 156
Chapter 22 Valve-Gear 158
Chapter 23 Feed-Pumps and Injector 160
Chapter 24 The Tender 163
Section IV: Resistance of Trains 165
Chapter 25 Experimental Resistance 166
Chapter 26 Resistance for Steep Inclines 173
Index 175
Foreword
For most of us who try to keep the steam age alive we can become
blasé about its history, but like everything in life things develop in
their own way. However, when man’s creative hand is involved then
the results are amazing. From 1804 to 1897 the world changed beyond
anyone’s comprehension. It took 139 years to get from the first telephone
to the mobiles we all take for granted today, but they’re still telephones!
This book shows how we moved from a simple idea of boiling water to
make steam to generate power, to the steam engine we still know and love.
There have been lots of inventors who try to improve on our Victorian
Heritage but they are just tweaks. This book plots the development of the
Steam Locomotive and is a book I recommend to all who love them or
wish to work on their preservation. A fascinating read.
Dr Pete Waterman
OBE, DL. President of the Combustion Engineering
Association. Fellow of the Institute of Cast Metal Engineers
Preface
The Locomotive Engine is a microcosm of engineering, which never
fails to command the admiration of technical men, and the wonder
of everybody. As Mr Dempsey truly remarks, ‘A locomotive engine
followed by a train of carriages always impresses the spectator as a
remarkable exhibition of inanimate power.’
In the first part of this elementary treatise, descriptive of the locomotive
engine, whilst I have adhered to the outlines of Mr Dempsey’s original
description, I have considerably abridged it, although preserving, nearly in
its entirety, the illustrated account of the standard six-wheeled passenger
locomotive, constructed by Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Co, in the era
of 1838–43.
The second part of this volume is descriptive of the modern locomotive,
in which the distinguishing types of English engines are exhibited by
examples; and one of them, an express passenger locomotive, constructed
by Messrs. Beyer, Peacock, and Co, is fully described and illustrated in
detail.
The contrast thus afforded between the early locomotive and the
perfected engine of today, supplies, it is believed, an instructive study for
the student, and material for reflection to the more advanced engineer.
In the account of the modern locomotive, the general principles which
regulate the design and construction of the framing, the boiler, and the
engine proper, are enunciated and explained; and the practice of coal
burning in locomotives is treated, historically and practically, with
expositions of the best practice of the present day.
A section on the resistance of engines and trains on railways is added,
in which the chief contingencies affecting the resistance of trains and the
performance of engines, are brought into consideration.
D. K. Clark
Part I
Historical Sketch and Description
of the Locomotive Engine