Richard von Helmholtz
Encyclopedia
Richard Wilhelm Ferdinand von Helmholtz (28 September 1852 - 10 September 1934) was a German engineer and designer of steam locomotive
s.
Richard von Helmholtz was born on 28 September 1852 in Königsberg, Prussia
, the son of the physicist Hermann von Helmholtz
and his first wife Olga, née von Velten.
After studying in Stuttgart and Munich, in 1873 he began his career as a design engineer at the Krauss locomotive works
in Munich, where he soon rose to become head of the design bureau. In this capacity, he had a considerable influene on the destiny of the company for decades, especially after the retirement of Georg Krauss from the management n 1885. In the course of his career he worked on all the components making up a locomotive, including less conspicuous parts such as his development of a new type of sander.
In 1887 he conducted ground-breaking research into the behaviour of locomotives on curves. From this theoretical work a practical result ensued in 1888: the design of the Krauss-Helmholtz bogie
, which saw widespread use on locomotives with carrying wheels
- and not only on steam locomotives. The Austrian designer, Karl Gölsdorf
, drew even wider-ranging conclusions from the work of Helmholtz and created a radially-sliding coupled axle, the so-called Gölsdorf axle
, which became a standard in the construction of locomotives.
Of the many locomotive classes designed under his direction, a few examples are given here:
In such a long and innovative career, the occasional mistake was to be expected. For example, the Palatine P 3.II which was built in 1900 and displayed at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris
was an express train
locomotive with a dolly axle. This design did not acquit itself well; as early as 1902 the dolly axle was removed and the engine converted into a normal 2'B1' locomotive.
After his retirement, he remained connected to the world of locomotives. Blessed with an excellent memory well into old age, he occupied himself, partly as an author and partly as a publisher, with recording the historical development of the steam locomotive. He died on 10 September 1934 in Munich
.
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...
s.
Richard von Helmholtz was born on 28 September 1852 in Königsberg, Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, the son of the physicist Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science...
and his first wife Olga, née von Velten.
After studying in Stuttgart and Munich, in 1873 he began his career as a design engineer at the Krauss locomotive works
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
in Munich, where he soon rose to become head of the design bureau. In this capacity, he had a considerable influene on the destiny of the company for decades, especially after the retirement of Georg Krauss from the management n 1885. In the course of his career he worked on all the components making up a locomotive, including less conspicuous parts such as his development of a new type of sander.
In 1887 he conducted ground-breaking research into the behaviour of locomotives on curves. From this theoretical work a practical result ensued in 1888: the design of the Krauss-Helmholtz bogie
Krauss-Helmholtz bogie
A Krauss-Helmholtz bogie is a mechanism used on a steam locomotive, where a carrying axle is connected to a coupled axle via a lever such that when the carrying axle swings to the side on going round a curve, it causes the coupled axle to move sideways in the opposite direction...
, which saw widespread use on locomotives with carrying wheels
Carrying wheels
The carrying wheels on a steam locomotive are those wheels that are not driven, i.e. they are uncoupled and run freely, unlike coupled or driving wheels. They are also described as running wheels and their axle may be called a carrying axle. Carrying wheels are referred to as leading wheels if they...
- and not only on steam locomotives. The Austrian designer, Karl Gölsdorf
Karl Gölsdorf
Karl Gölsdorf was an Austrian engineer and locomotive designer.-Early Life:Karl Gölsdorf was born on 8 June 1861 in Vienna, the son of Louis Adolf Gölsdorf. Even as a schoolboy he was introduced to locomotive design by his father, the chief mechanical engineer of the Imperial and Royal Southern...
, drew even wider-ranging conclusions from the work of Helmholtz and created a radially-sliding coupled axle, the so-called Gölsdorf axle
Gölsdorf axle
The Gölsdorf axle system is used on railway locomotives to achieve quiet running and low wear-and-tear when negotiating curves. It comprises a combination of fixed axles and axles that can slide radially, all within a single, rigid locomotive frame....
, which became a standard in the construction of locomotives.
Of the many locomotive classes designed under his direction, a few examples are given here:
- In 1888 the Bavarian D VIIIBavarian D VIIIThe Bavarian Class D VIII were saturated steam locomotives with the Royal Bavarian State Railways .- History :...
, the last one of which was still in service in 1958. - In 1896 the Bavarian AA I, of which only one was built.
- In 1897 the Bavarian D XIIBavarian D XIIThe Bavarian Class D XII steam locomotives were manufactured by the firm of Krauss from 1897 for the Royal Bavarian State Railways . Ninety six of them were procured for service on the stub lines running from Munich into the mountains, but in reality they were stationed in many large Bavarian...
(Pt2/5), and virtually identical Palatine P2.II, of which a total of 174 engines were built. - In 1908 the Palatine P 5Palatine P 5The six-coupled P 5 of the Palatinate Railway was to replace the four-coupled locomotives in the Palatinate. They were given a leading Krauss-Helmholtz bogie and a trailing bogie in order to achieve satisfactory weight distribution....
and Bavarian Pt3/6, which ran for almost 50 years.
In such a long and innovative career, the occasional mistake was to be expected. For example, the Palatine P 3.II which was built in 1900 and displayed at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
was an express train
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
locomotive with a dolly axle. This design did not acquit itself well; as early as 1902 the dolly axle was removed and the engine converted into a normal 2'B1' locomotive.
After his retirement, he remained connected to the world of locomotives. Blessed with an excellent memory well into old age, he occupied himself, partly as an author and partly as a publisher, with recording the historical development of the steam locomotive. He died on 10 September 1934 in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Publications
- Richard von Helmholtz, Wilhelm Staby: Die Entwicklung der Lokomotive im Gebiete des Vereins deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen. Oldenbourg, München und Berlin 1930. (Reprint: Callwey, München 1981. ISBN 3-7667-0542-3)
- Richard von Helmholtz: Die historischen Lokomotiven der Badischen Staats-Eisenbahnen. Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe, 1936. (Reprint: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte, 1982, ISBN 3-921700-36-1)
Sources
- Günter Metzeltin: Die Lokomotive – Lexikon ihrer Erfinder, Konstrukteure, Führer u. Förderer. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte, Karlsruhe 1971
- Karl-Ernst Maedel, Alfred B. Gottwaldt: Deutsche Dampflokomotiven – Die Entwicklungsgeschichte. Transpress, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-344-70912-7
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany