Fireless locomotive
Encyclopedia
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
designed for use under conditions restricted by either the presence of flammable material (such as in mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s) or the need for cleanliness
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is both the abstract state of being clean and free from dirt, and the process of achieving and maintaining that state.Cleanliness may be endowed with a moral quality, as indicated by the aphorism "cleanliness is next to godliness," and may be regarded as contributing to other ideals...
(such as at a food factory). Thus a traditional steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
is ruled out because of its open fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and the possibility of hot embers ejected from its chimney.
There are two types of fireless locomotive – fireless steam locomotives and compressed air
Pneumatics
Pneumatics is a branch of technology, which deals with the study and application of use of pressurized gas to effect mechanical motion.Pneumatic systems are extensively used in industry, where factories are commonly plumbed with compressed air or compressed inert gases...
locomotives. Diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
and battery electric locomotives fitted with equivalent protection are described as Flame-proof.
Steam
A fireless steam locomotive is similar to a conventional steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, but has a reservoir, known as a steam accumulator
Steam accumulator
A Steam accumulator is an insulated steel pressure tank containing hot water and steam under pressure. It is a type of energy storage device. It can be used to smooth out peaks and troughs in demand for steam. Steam accumulators may take on a significance for energy storage in solar thermal...
, instead of a boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
. This reservoir is partly filled with water and charged with steam from a stationary boiler. The locomotive can then work on the stored steam until the pressure has dropped to a minimum level, after which it must be recharged.
European fireless steam locomotives usually have the cylinders at the back, while American ones often have the cylinders at the front, as in a conventional locomotive. Major builders of fireless steam locomotives in the UK included Andrew Barclay
Andrew Barclay & Sons Co.
Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. was a builder of steam and diesel locomotives, based in Kilmarnock, Scotland, that was founded in 1840 and is now owned by Wabtec Rail.- History :...
and W.G. Bagnall
W.G. Bagnall
W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford...
.
Compressed air
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, but have also been used on tramways. (See Mekarski system
Mekarski system
The Mekarski system was a compressed-air propulsion system for trams invented by Louis Mékarski or Louis Mékarsky in the 1870s. He worked in France, was born in 1843 in Clermont-Ferrand of Polish origin...
)
Hybrid
Several hybrid locomotiveHybrid locomotive
A hybrid train is a locomotive, railcar or train that uses an onboard rechargeable energy storage system , placed between the power source and the traction transmission system connected to the wheels....
s have been built that have either used a fire for part of the time, e.g., Fowler's Ghost
John Fowler (engineer)
Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet KCMG LLD was an English civil engineer specialising in the construction of railways and railway infrastructure. In the 1850s and 1860s, he was engineer for the world's first underground railway, London's Metropolitan Railway, built by the "cut-and-cover" method under...
of the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
, or have used a fire to superheat
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
stored steam, such as the Receiver Locomotives built by Sentinel Waggon Works
Sentinel Waggon Works
Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries, railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries and locomotives.-Alley & MacLellan, Sentinel Works, Jessie Street Glasgow:...
. None has been a success.
Wheel arrangements
Most fireless locomotives have been of 0-4-00-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
or 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
wheel arrangement but there have been some 0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
and even a few 0-10-0
0-10-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-10-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles, and no trailing wheels...
. Some gauge 0-10-0 fireless locomotives from the German company Henschel
Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
were used in the construction of the Baghdad Railway
Baghdad Railway
The Baghdad Railway , was built from 1903 to 1940 to connect Berlin with the Ottoman Empire city of Baghdad with a line through modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq....
, probably to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
during the boring of tunnels.
Another German company, Hohenzollern
Hohenzollern Locomotive Works
The Hohenzollern Locomotive Works was a German locomotive-building company which operated from 1872 to 1929...
, built some articulated
Articulated locomotive
Articulated locomotive usually means a steam locomotive with one or more engine units which can move independent of the main frame. This is done to allow a longer locomotive to negotiate tighter curves...
fireless steam locomotives with a cab at each end. Only one of the bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s was powered, making the wheel arrangement B-2.
United Kingdom
One notable example is "Lord Ashfield" (Andrew BarclayAndrew Barclay & Sons Co.
Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. was a builder of steam and diesel locomotives, based in Kilmarnock, Scotland, that was founded in 1840 and is now owned by Wabtec Rail.- History :...
works no. 1989 of 1930) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology, and industry with emphasis on the city's achievements in these fields...
. It ran in limited service in the 1990s sharing a steam supply with the stationary exhibits.
The Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group
Scottish Industrial Railway Centre
The Scottish Industrial Railway Centre is an Industrial Heritage museum operated by the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group. The centre owns a number of standard gauge steam and diesel locomotives and an extensive collection of photographs.- History :...
is currently in the process of rebuilding its Andrew Barclay
Andrew Barclay & Sons Co.
Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. was a builder of steam and diesel locomotives, based in Kilmarnock, Scotland, that was founded in 1840 and is now owned by Wabtec Rail.- History :...
0-4-0 fireless locomotive (Works Number 1952 of 1928) and intends to operate it as part of a demonstration freight train.
United States
The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer has a fireless steam locomotive, the North Carolina Power and Light #3 0-4-0.National Cash Register 0-4-0 "Dayton" is preserved at the Southeastern Railway Museum
Southeastern Railway Museum
The Southeastern Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in Duluth, Georgia in suburban Atlanta.The museum was founded in 1970 by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. It is recognized by the IRS as a 501 non-profit organization for historical and educational purposes...
in Duluth, Georgia.
See also
- Advanced steam technologyAdvanced steam technologyAdvanced steam technology reflects an approach to the technical development of the steam engine intended for a wider variety of applications than has recently been the case...
- Bagnall fireless locomotives (preserved)Bagnall fireless locomotives (preserved)Six Bagnall fireless locomotives have been preserved in Great Britain. This is a surprisingly large number since W. G. Bagnall of Stafford, England, built only 14 fireless locomotives in total....
- List of fireless steam locomotives preserved in Britain
- List of steam technology patents