John Barraclough Fell
Encyclopedia
John Barraclough Fell was a British railway engineer and inventor of the Fell mountain railway system
.
Fell spent the early part of his life in London, living with his parents. About 1835 he moved with them to the Lake District. In 1840, he married a 25-year-old woman named Martha in Kirkstall, England. In this area he worked on the first of several railways he would help construct: the Furness and Whitehaven Railway.
He continued working professionally on railways while living in Italy in the 1850s. Fell helped construct several early Italian lines, including the Central of Italy, the Meremma, and the Genoa and Voltre. He frequently crossed Mont Cenis
, between Italy and France by road, and this reportedly inspired him to create his Fell Centre-Rail System.
The Fell Centre-Rail System tackled the problem of trains climbing and descending steep grades, which was often necessary until improvements in tunneling were developed. In Fell's system, a third rail was run between the two rails of the train tracks, and was gripped on its sides by additional drive wheel
s on a specially designed locomotive as well as the brake pads of a special brake van
. Back in England, a patent was issued to Fell for the idea in 1863. Fell conducted experiments with his idea in 1864-65 on the Whaley Bridge Incline of the Cromford and High Peak Railway
located in Derbyshire
.
The tests attracted attention of the governments of Britain and France, and the first railway using the Fell Centre-Rail System was a temporary one built in 1866-67 over the Mont Cenis Pass, the same Mont Cenis that had served as Fell's inspiration. This railway, built by John Brogden and Sons
, was used from 1868 to 1871, primarily to transport English
mail to India
as part of the All Red Route. It was replaced by the then in progress Mont Cenis Tunnel after only three years because improvements in tunneling shorted construction time of the 13.6 kilometer tunnel.
Its worth proven in practice, some other railways subsequently used the Fell system, including the Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo
(Cantagalo Railway) in Brazil, and the Rimutaka, Roa, and Rewanui Inclines belonging to various railways in New Zealand. Many of the railways used the system for many years, sometimes only for braking.
Fell also experimented with other kinds of railroads, including early light rail systems and rapid construction field railways for the British War Office
. His son, G. Noble Fell, helped him with some of his research.
John Fell related in his later years his three greatest achievements:
The controversial academic Dr. Barry Fell
was a grandson.
Fell mountain railway system
The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running...
.
Fell spent the early part of his life in London, living with his parents. About 1835 he moved with them to the Lake District. In 1840, he married a 25-year-old woman named Martha in Kirkstall, England. In this area he worked on the first of several railways he would help construct: the Furness and Whitehaven Railway.
He continued working professionally on railways while living in Italy in the 1850s. Fell helped construct several early Italian lines, including the Central of Italy, the Meremma, and the Genoa and Voltre. He frequently crossed Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
, between Italy and France by road, and this reportedly inspired him to create his Fell Centre-Rail System.
The Fell Centre-Rail System tackled the problem of trains climbing and descending steep grades, which was often necessary until improvements in tunneling were developed. In Fell's system, a third rail was run between the two rails of the train tracks, and was gripped on its sides by additional drive wheel
Drive wheel
A drive wheel is a roadwheel in an automotive vehicle that receives torque from the powertrain, and provides the final driving force for a vehicle. A two-wheel drive vehicle has two driven wheels, and a four-wheel drive has four, and so-on....
s on a specially designed locomotive as well as the brake pads of a special brake van
Brake van
Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard...
. Back in England, a patent was issued to Fell for the idea in 1863. Fell conducted experiments with his idea in 1864-65 on the Whaley Bridge Incline of the Cromford and High Peak Railway
Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge -Origins:...
located in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
.
The tests attracted attention of the governments of Britain and France, and the first railway using the Fell Centre-Rail System was a temporary one built in 1866-67 over the Mont Cenis Pass, the same Mont Cenis that had served as Fell's inspiration. This railway, built by John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons was a firm of Railway Contractors, Iron and Coal Miners and Iron Smelters operating from roughly 1837 to the bankruptcy in 1883. However the business essentially started when John Brogden moved from his father's farm near Clitheroe to set up in business in the rapidly...
, was used from 1868 to 1871, primarily to transport English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mail to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as part of the All Red Route. It was replaced by the then in progress Mont Cenis Tunnel after only three years because improvements in tunneling shorted construction time of the 13.6 kilometer tunnel.
Its worth proven in practice, some other railways subsequently used the Fell system, including the Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo
Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo
The Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo or Cantagalo Railway in Brazil operated from 1873 to 1965, and used the Fell mountain railway system, with equipment from the temporary Mont Cenis Pass Railway which closed in 1871. From 1883 the Fell rail was used for braking only...
(Cantagalo Railway) in Brazil, and the Rimutaka, Roa, and Rewanui Inclines belonging to various railways in New Zealand. Many of the railways used the system for many years, sometimes only for braking.
Fell also experimented with other kinds of railroads, including early light rail systems and rapid construction field railways for the British War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. His son, G. Noble Fell, helped him with some of his research.
John Fell related in his later years his three greatest achievements:
- launching the first steamer on the English Lakes
- starting the first railway in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- carrying the first railway over the AlpsThe AlpsThe Alps is a 2007 American documentary film about the climbing of the north face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps by John Harlin III, son of John Harlin who died on the same ascent 40 years earlier...
The controversial academic Dr. Barry Fell
Barry Fell
Barry Fell was a professor of invertebrate zoology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. His primary research was on starfish and sea urchins...
was a grandson.
Further reading
- The Mont Cenis Fell Railway, P. J. G. Ransom, ISBN 978 0 906294 41 3