79-511: This article lists the wide variety of locomotives and multiple units that have operated on Great Britain 's railway network, since Nationalisation in 1948. British Rail used several numbering schemes for classifying its steam locomotive types and other rolling stock, before settling on the TOPS computer system in the late 1960s. TOPS has remained in use ever since. British Rail's shipping fleet: Locomotive A locomotive
158-496: A hydraulic press for baling cloth, in which the upper and lower tables approached each other simultaneously. He improved upon the hydraulic presses invented by Joseph Bramah , and in 1825 designed a huge press for testing chain cables . His press, built for the Navy Board , was 34 ft long and could exert a force of 1,000 tons. The press was completed just before Murray's death. Matthew Murray died on 20 February 1826, at
237-480: A conventional diesel or electric locomotive would be unsuitable. An example is maintenance trains on electrified lines when the electricity supply is turned off. Another use is in industrial facilities where a combustion-powered locomotive (i.e., steam- or diesel-powered ) could cause a safety issue due to the risks of fire, explosion or fumes in a confined space. Battery locomotives are preferred for mines where gas could be ignited by trolley-powered units arcing at
316-463: A diesel–electric locomotive ( E 2 original number Юэ 001/Yu-e 001) started operations. It had been designed by a team led by Yury Lomonosov and built 1923–1924 by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen in Germany. It had 5 driving axles (1'E1'). After several test rides, it hauled trains for almost three decades from 1925 to 1954. An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered only by electricity. Electricity
395-424: A factory at Mill Green, Holbeck . There were several mills in the vicinity and the new firm supplied machinery to them. The firm was so successful that in 1797 it moved to larger premises at Water Lane, Holbeck. The firm welcomed two new partners at this point; James Fenton (previously Marshall's partner) and William Lister (a millwright of Bramley, Leeds ). The firm became known as Fenton, Murray and Wood . Murray
474-409: A gauge of 4 ft 1½ ins. Once a system had been devised for making malleable iron rails, around 1819, the rack and pinion motion became unnecessary, apart from later use on mountain railways . However, until that time it enabled a small and lightweight locomotive to haul loads totalling at least 20 times its own weight. Salamanca was so successful that Murray made three more models. One of these
553-596: A great deal and it became apparent that a new engine assembly shop was required. Murray designed this himself, and produced a huge three-storeyed circular building known as the Round Foundry . This contained a centrally mounted steam engine to power all of the machines in the building. Murray also built a house for himself adjoining the works. The design of this was pioneering, as each room was heated by steam pipes, so that it became known locally as Steam Hall. The success that Fenton, Murray and Wood enjoyed because of
632-423: A ground and polished journal that is integral to the axle. The other side of the housing has a tongue-shaped protuberance that engages a matching slot in the truck (bogie) bolster, its purpose being to act as a torque reaction device, as well as a support. Power transfer from motor to axle is effected by spur gearing , in which a pinion on the motor shaft engages a bull gear on the axle. Both gears are enclosed in
711-410: A high ride quality and less electrical equipment; but EMUs have less axle weight, which reduces maintenance costs, and EMUs also have higher acceleration and higher seating capacity. Also some trains, including TGV PSE , TGV TMST and TGV V150 , use both non-passenger power cars and additional passenger motor cars. Locomotives occasionally work in a specific role, such as: The wheel arrangement of
790-550: A higher power-to-weight ratio than DC motors and, because of the absence of a commutator , were simpler to manufacture and maintain. However, they were much larger than the DC motors of the time and could not be mounted in underfloor bogies : they could only be carried within locomotive bodies. In 1894, Hungarian engineer Kálmán Kandó developed a new type 3-phase asynchronous electric drive motors and generators for electric locomotives. Kandó's early 1894 designs were first applied in
869-542: A journeyman mechanic at the flax mill of John Kendrew in Darlington , where the mechanical spinning of flax had been invented. Murray and his wife, Mary, had three daughters and a son, also called Matthew. In 1789, due to a lack of trade in the Darlington flax mills, Murray and his family moved to Leeds to work for John Marshall , who was to become a prominent flax manufacturer. John Marshall had rented
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#1732772640131948-498: A larger locomotive named Galvani , exhibited at the Royal Scottish Society of Arts Exhibition in 1841. The seven-ton vehicle had two direct-drive reluctance motors , with fixed electromagnets acting on iron bars attached to a wooden cylinder on each axle, and simple commutators . It hauled a load of six tons at four miles per hour (6 kilometers per hour) for a distance of one and a half miles (2.4 kilometres). It
1027-410: A liquid-tight housing containing lubricating oil. The type of service in which the locomotive is used dictates the gear ratio employed. Numerically high ratios are commonly found on freight units, whereas numerically low ratios are typical of passenger engines. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations , transmitted to the railway network and distributed to
1106-486: A locomotive describes how many wheels it has; common methods include the AAR wheel arrangement , UIC classification , and Whyte notation systems. In the second half of the twentieth century remote control locomotives started to enter service in switching operations, being remotely controlled by an operator outside of the locomotive cab. The main benefit is one operator can control the loading of grain, coal, gravel, etc. into
1185-404: A number of important innovations including the use of high-pressure steam which reduced the weight of the engine and increased its efficiency. In 1812, Matthew Murray 's twin-cylinder rack locomotive Salamanca first ran on the edge-railed rack-and-pinion Middleton Railway ; this is generally regarded as the first commercially successful locomotive. Another well-known early locomotive
1264-473: A self-contained compact engine with a new type of slide valve, were contested and overturned. In both cases, Murray had made the mistake of including too many improvements together in the same patent. This meant that if any one improvement were found to have infringed a copyright , the whole patent would be invalidated. Despite the manoeuvrings of Boulton and Watt, the firm of Fenton, Murray and Wood became serious rivals to them, attracting many orders. In 1812
1343-403: A separate fourth rail for this purpose. The type of electrical power used is either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). Various collection methods exist: a trolley pole , which is a long flexible pole that engages the line with a wheel or shoe; a bow collector , which is a frame that holds a long collecting rod against the wire; a pantograph , which is a hinged frame that holds
1422-483: A short three-phase AC tramway in Evian-les-Bains (France), which was constructed between 1896 and 1898. In 1918, Kandó invented and developed the rotary phase converter , enabling electric locomotives to use three-phase motors whilst supplied via a single overhead wire, carrying the simple industrial frequency (50 Hz) single phase AC of the high voltage national networks. In 1896, Oerlikon installed
1501-522: A significantly larger workforce is required to operate and service them. British Rail figures showed that the cost of crewing and fuelling a steam locomotive was about two and a half times larger than the cost of supporting an equivalent diesel locomotive, and the daily mileage they could run was lower. Between about 1950 and 1970, the majority of steam locomotives were retired from commercial service and replaced with electric and diesel–electric locomotives. While North America transitioned from steam during
1580-408: A small mill at Adel , for the purpose of manufacture but also to develop a pre-existing flax-spinning machine, with the aid of Matthew Murray. After some trial and error, to overcome the problem of breakages in the flax twine during the spinning of the flax, sufficient improvements were made to enable John Marshall to undertake the construction of a new mill at Holbeck in 1791, Murray was in charge of
1659-402: A smoother drive. Because only a lightweight locomotive could work on cast iron rails without breaking them, the total load they were capable of hauling was very much limited. In 1811, John Blenkinsop patented a toothed wheel and rack rail system. The toothed wheel was driven by connecting rods , and meshed with a toothed rail at one side of the track. This was the first rack railway , and had
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#17327726401311738-457: Is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train . If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit , motor coach , railcar or power car ; the use of these self-propelled vehicles is increasingly common for passenger trains , but rare for freight trains . Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push-pull operation has become common, where
1817-456: Is common to classify locomotives by their source of energy. The common ones include: A steam locomotive is a locomotive whose primary power source is a steam engine . The most common form of steam locomotive also contains a boiler to generate the steam used by the engine. The water in the boiler is heated by burning combustible material – usually coal, wood, or oil – to produce steam. The steam moves reciprocating pistons which are connected to
1896-416: Is supplied to moving trains with a (nearly) continuous conductor running along the track that usually takes one of three forms: an overhead line , suspended from poles or towers along the track or from structure or tunnel ceilings; a third rail mounted at track level; or an onboard battery . Both overhead wire and third-rail systems usually use the running rails as the return conductor but some systems use
1975-522: Is that these power cars are integral part of a train and are not adapted for operation with any other types of passenger coaches. On the other hand, many high-speed trains such as the Shinkansen network never use locomotives. Instead of locomotive-like power-cars, they use electric multiple units (EMUs) or diesel multiple units (DMUs) – passenger cars that also have traction motors and power equipment. Using dedicated locomotive-like power cars allows for
2054-590: The EMD FL9 and Bombardier ALP-45DP There are three main uses of locomotives in rail transport operations : for hauling passenger trains, freight trains, and for switching (UK English: shunting). Freight locomotives are normally designed to deliver high starting tractive effort and high sustained power. This allows them to start and move long, heavy trains, but usually comes at the cost of relatively low maximum speeds. Passenger locomotives usually develop lower starting tractive effort but are able to operate at
2133-674: The Medieval Latin motivus 'causing motion', and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine , which was first used in 1814 to distinguish between self-propelled and stationary steam engines . Prior to locomotives, the motive force for railways had been generated by various lower-technology methods such as human power, horse power, gravity or stationary engines that drove cable systems. Few such systems are still in existence today. Locomotives may generate their power from fuel (wood, coal, petroleum or natural gas), or they may take power from an outside source of electricity. It
2212-500: The traction motors and axles adapts the power output to the rails for freight or passenger service. Passenger locomotives may include other features, such as head-end power (also referred to as hotel power or electric train supply) or a steam generator . Some locomotives are designed specifically to work steep grade railways , and feature extensive additional braking mechanisms and sometimes rack and pinion. Steam locomotives built for steep rack and pinion railways frequently have
2291-408: The 1950s, and continental Europe by the 1970s, in other parts of the world, the transition happened later. Steam was a familiar technology that used widely-available fuels and in low-wage economies did not suffer as wide a cost disparity. It continued to be used in many countries until the end of the 20th century. By the end of the 20th century, almost the only steam power remaining in regular use around
2370-648: The 40 km Burgdorf—Thun line , Switzerland. The first implementation of industrial frequency single-phase AC supply for locomotives came from Oerlikon in 1901, using the designs of Hans Behn-Eschenburg and Emil Huber-Stockar ; installation on the Seebach-Wettingen line of the Swiss Federal Railways was completed in 1904. The 15 kV, 50 Hz 345 kW (460 hp), 48 tonne locomotives used transformers and rotary converters to power DC traction motors. Italian railways were
2449-752: The United Kingdom was a petrol–mechanical locomotive built by the Maudslay Motor Company in 1902, for the Deptford Cattle Market in London . It was an 80 hp locomotive using a three-cylinder vertical petrol engine, with a two speed mechanical gearbox. Diesel locomotives are powered by diesel engines . In the early days of diesel propulsion development, various transmission systems were employed with varying degrees of success, with electric transmission proving to be
List of British Rail classes - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-733: The age of sixty. He was buried in St Matthew's Churchyard in Holbeck , Leeds. His tomb was surmounted by a cast iron obelisk made at the Round Foundry. His firm survived until 1843. Several prominent engineers were trained there, including Benjamin Hick , Charles Todd , David Joy and Richard Peacock . It is a testament to the good design and workmanship that went into his steam engines, that several of his big mill engines ran for over eighty years, and one of them, installed second-hand at
2607-414: The boiler pressure, and he designed a mechanical hopper that automatically fed fuel to the firebox. Murray was the first to adopt the placing of the piston in a horizontal position in the steam engine. He expected very high standards of workmanship from his employees, and the result was that Fenton, Murray and Wood produced machinery of a very high precision. He designed a special planing machine for planing
2686-813: The boiler tilted relative to the locomotive frame , so that the boiler remains roughly level on steep grades. Locomotives are also used on some high-speed trains. Some of them are operated in push-pull formation with trailer control cars at another end of a train, which often have a cabin with the same design as a cabin of locomotive; examples of such trains with conventional locomotives are Railjet and Intercity 225 . Also many high-speed trains, including all TGV , many Talgo (250 / 350 / Avril / XXI), some Korea Train Express , ICE 1 / ICE 2 and Intercity 125 , use dedicated power cars , which do not have places for passengers and technically are special single-ended locomotives. The difference from conventional locomotives
2765-420: The cars. In addition, the same operator can move the train as needed. Thus, the locomotive is loaded or unloaded in about a third of the time. [REDACTED] Media related to Locomotives at Wikimedia Commons Matthew Murray Matthew Murray (1765 – 20 February 1826) was an English steam engine and machine tool manufacturer , who designed and built the first commercially viable steam locomotive ,
2844-460: The center section would have a 200-ton reactor chamber and steel walls 5 feet thick to prevent releases of radioactivity in case of accidents. He estimated a cost to manufacture atomic locomotives with 7000 h.p. engines at approximately $ 1,200,000 each. Consequently, trains with onboard nuclear generators were generally deemed unfeasible due to prohibitive costs. In 2002, the first 3.6 tonne, 17 kW hydrogen (fuel cell) -powered mining locomotive
2923-407: The collecting shoes against the wire in a fixed geometry; or a contact shoe , which is a shoe in contact with the third rail. Of the three, the pantograph method is best suited for high-speed operation. Electric locomotives almost universally use axle-hung traction motors, with one motor for each powered axle. In this arrangement, one side of the motor housing is supported by plain bearings riding on
3002-455: The collection shoes, or where electrical resistance could develop in the supply or return circuits, especially at rail joints, and allow dangerous current leakage into the ground. Battery locomotives in over-the-road service can recharge while absorbing dynamic-braking energy. The first known electric locomotive was built in 1837 by chemist Robert Davidson of Aberdeen , and it was powered by galvanic cells (batteries). Davidson later built
3081-405: The driving wheels by means of connecting rods, with no intervening gearbox. This means the combination of starting tractive effort and maximum speed is greatly influenced by the diameter of the driving wheels. Steam locomotives intended for freight service generally have smaller diameter driving wheels than passenger locomotives. In diesel–electric and electric locomotives the control system between
3160-524: The early 1950s, Lyle Borst of the University of Utah was given funding by various US railroad line and manufacturers to study the feasibility of an electric-drive locomotive, in which an onboard atomic reactor produced the steam to generate the electricity. At that time, atomic power was not fully understood; Borst believed the major stumbling block was the price of uranium. With the Borst atomic locomotive,
3239-469: The faces of the slide valves. Apparently this machine was kept in a locked room, to which only certain employees were allowed access. The Murray Hypocycloidal Engine in Thinktank museum , Birmingham, England, is the third-oldest working engine in the world, and the oldest working engine with a hypocycloidal straight line mechanism. As a result of the high quality of his steam engines, sales increased
List of British Rail classes - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-426: The firm of Boulton and Watt , invented a new type of steam valve, called the D slide valve . This, in effect, slid backwards and forwards admitting steam to one end of the cylinder then the other. Matthew Murray improved the working of these valves by driving them with an eccentric gear attached to the rotating shaft of the engine. Murray also patented an automatic damper that controlled the furnace draft depending on
3397-427: The firm supplied John Blenkinsop , manager of Brandling's Middleton Colliery, near Leeds, with the first twin-cylinder steam locomotive ( Salamanca ). This was the first commercially successful steam locomotive. The double cylinder was Murray's invention; he paid Richard Trevithick a royalty for the use of his patented high pressure steam system, but improved upon it, using two cylinders rather than one to give
3476-520: The first commercial example of the system on the Lugano Tramway . Each 30-tonne locomotive had two 110 kW (150 hp) motors run by three-phase 750 V 40 Hz fed from double overhead lines. Three-phase motors run at constant speed and provide regenerative braking , and are well suited to steeply graded routes, and the first main-line three-phase locomotives were supplied by Brown (by then in partnership with Walter Boveri ) in 1899 on
3555-514: The first in the world to introduce electric traction for the entire length of a main line rather than just a short stretch. The 106 km Valtellina line was opened on 4 September 1902, designed by Kandó and a team from the Ganz works. The electrical system was three-phase at 3 kV 15 Hz. The voltage was significantly higher than used earlier and it required new designs for electric motors and switching devices. The three-phase two-wire system
3634-529: The high quality of their workmanship attracted the hostility of competitors, Boulton and Watt . The latter firm sent employees William Murdoch and Abraham Storey to visit Murray, ostensibly on a courtesy visit, but in reality to spy on his production methods. Murray, rather foolishly, welcomed them, and showed them everything. On their return they informed their employers that Murray's casting work and forging work were much superior to their own, and efforts were made to adopt many of Murray's production methods. There
3713-400: The high speeds required to maintain passenger schedules. Mixed-traffic locomotives (US English: general purpose or road switcher locomotives) meant for both passenger and freight trains do not develop as much starting tractive effort as a freight locomotive but are able to haul heavier trains than a passenger locomotive. Most steam locomotives have reciprocating engines, with pistons coupled to
3792-413: The installation. The installation included new flax-spinning machines of his own design, which Murray patented in 1790. In 1793 Murray took out a second patent on a design for "Instruments and Machines for Spinning Fibrous Materials". His patent included a carding engine and a spinning machine that introduced the new technique of "wet spinning" flax, which revolutionised the flax trade. Murray maintained
3871-441: The locomotive's main wheels, known as the " driving wheels ". Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself, in bunkers and tanks , (this arrangement is known as a " tank locomotive ") or pulled behind the locomotive, in tenders , (this arrangement is known as a " tender locomotive "). The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive was built by Richard Trevithick in 1802. It
3950-675: The locomotives were retired shortly afterward. All four locomotives were donated to museums, but one was scrapped. The others can be seen at the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad , Iowa, and at the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California. The Toronto Transit Commission previously operated a battery electric locomotive built by Nippon Sharyo in 1968 and retired in 2009. London Underground regularly operates battery–electric locomotives for general maintenance work. In
4029-457: The machinery for Marshall's mills and made improvements that pleased his employer. At this stage it seems that Murray was the chief engineer in the mill. Industry in the Leeds area was developing fast and it became apparent that there was an opportunity for a firm of general engineers and millwrights to set up. Therefore, in 1795, Murray went into partnership with David Wood (1761–1820) and set up
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#17327726401314108-476: The machinery for heckling and spinning flax . Heckling was the preparation of flax for spinning by splitting and straightening the flax fibres. Murray's heckling machine gained him the gold medal of the Royal Society of Arts in 1809. At the time when these inventions were made the flax trade was on the point of expiring, the spinners being unable to produce yarn to a profit. The effect of his inventions
4187-494: The most popular. In 1914, Hermann Lemp , a General Electric electrical engineer, developed and patented a reliable direct current electrical control system (subsequent improvements were also patented by Lemp). Lemp's design used a single lever to control both engine and generator in a coordinated fashion, and was the prototype for all diesel–electric locomotive control. In 1917–18, GE produced three experimental diesel–electric locomotives using Lemp's control design. In 1924,
4266-711: The new engine. The ship was renamed Experiment and the engine was very successful, eventually being transferred to another boat, The Courier . In 1816 Francis B. Ogden, the United States Consul in Liverpool received two large twin-cylinder marine steam engines from Murray's firm. Ogden then patented the design as his own in America. It was widely copied there and used to propel the Mississippi paddle steamers . Murray made important improvements to
4345-563: The piston rod of the steam engine, which was attached to the gear's rim. As the piston rod moved backwards and forwards in a straight line, its linear motion would be converted into circular motion by the gear wheel. The gear wheel's bearing was attached to a crank on the flywheel shaft. When he used the hypocycloidal straight line mechanism he was able to build engines that were more compact and lightweight than previous ones. However, Murray ceased to use this type of motion as soon as Pickard's patent expired. In 1799 William Murdoch , who worked for
4424-688: The power supply of choice for subways, abetted by the Sprague's invention of multiple-unit train control in 1897. The first use of electrification on a main line was on a four-mile stretch of the Baltimore Belt Line of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) in 1895 connecting the main portion of the B&;O to the new line to New York through a series of tunnels around the edges of Baltimore's downtown. Three Bo+Bo units were initially used, at
4503-425: The south end of the electrified section; they coupled onto the locomotive and train and pulled it through the tunnels. DC was used on earlier systems. These systems were gradually replaced by AC. Today, almost all main-line railways use AC systems. DC systems are confined mostly to urban transit such as metro systems, light rail and trams, where power requirement is less. The first practical AC electric locomotive
4582-454: The train may have a locomotive (or locomotives) at the front, at the rear, or at each end. Most recently railroads have begun adopting DPU or distributed power. The front may have one or two locomotives followed by a mid-train locomotive that is controlled remotely from the lead unit. The word locomotive originates from the Latin loco 'from a place', ablative of locus 'place', and
4661-464: The trains. Some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility . The railway usually provides its own distribution lines, switches and transformers . Electric locomotives usually cost 20% less than diesel locomotives, their maintenance costs are 25–35% lower, and cost up to 50% less to run. The earliest systems were DC systems. The first electric passenger train
4740-595: The twin-cylinder Salamanca in 1812. He was an innovative designer in many fields, including steam engines, machine tools and machinery for the textile industry . Little is known about Matthew Murray's early years. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1765. He left school at fourteen and was apprenticed to be either a blacksmith or a whitesmith . In 1785, when he concluded his apprenticeship, he married Mary Thompson (1764–1836) of Whickham , County Durham. The following year he moved to Stockton and began work as
4819-433: The world was on heritage railways . Internal combustion locomotives use an internal combustion engine , connected to the driving wheels by a transmission. They typically keep the engine running at a near-constant speed whether the locomotive is stationary or moving. Internal combustion locomotives are categorised by their fuel type and sub-categorised by their transmission type. The first internal combustion rail vehicle
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#17327726401314898-705: Was Puffing Billy , built 1813–14 by engineer William Hedley for the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne . This locomotive is the oldest preserved, and is on static display in the Science Museum, London. George Stephenson built Locomotion No. 1 for the Stockton & Darlington Railway in the north-east of England, which was the first public steam railway in the world. In 1829, his son Robert built The Rocket in Newcastle upon Tyne. Rocket
4977-502: Was a kerosene -powered draisine built by Gottlieb Daimler in 1887, but this was not technically a locomotive as it carried a payload. The earliest gasoline locomotive in the western United States was built by the Best Manufacturing Company in 1891 for San Jose and Alum Rock Railroad . It was only a limited success and was returned to Best in 1892. The first commercially successful petrol locomotive in
5056-403: Was also an attempt by the firm of Boulton and Watt to obtain information from an employee of Fenton, Murray and Wood by bribery. Finally, James Watt jnr purchased land adjacent to the workshop in an attempt to prevent the firm from expanding. Boulton and Watt successfully challenged two of Murray's patents. Murray's patent of 1801, for improved air pumps and other innovations, and of 1802, for
5135-789: Was constructed for the Coalbrookdale ironworks in Shropshire in England though no record of it working there has survived. On 21 February 1804, the first recorded steam-hauled railway journey took place as another of Trevithick's locomotives hauled a train from the Penydarren ironworks, in Merthyr Tydfil , to Abercynon in South Wales. Accompanied by Andrew Vivian , it ran with mixed success. The design incorporated
5214-671: Was demonstrated in Val-d'Or , Quebec . In 2007 the educational mini-hydrail in Kaohsiung , Taiwan went into service. The Railpower GG20B finally is another example of a fuel cell–electric locomotive. There are many different types of hybrid or dual-mode locomotives using two or more types of motive power. The most common hybrids are electro-diesel locomotives powered either from an electricity supply or else by an onboard diesel engine . These are used to provide continuous journeys along routes that are only partly electrified. Examples include
5293-471: Was designed by Charles Brown , then working for Oerlikon , Zürich. In 1891, Brown had demonstrated long-distance power transmission, using three-phase AC , between a hydro-electric plant at Lauffen am Neckar and Frankfurt am Main West, a distance of 280 km. Using experience he had gained while working for Jean Heilmann on steam–electric locomotive designs, Brown observed that three-phase motors had
5372-650: Was entered into, and won, the Rainhill Trials . This success led to the company emerging as the pre-eminent early builder of steam locomotives used on railways in the UK, US and much of Europe. The Liverpool & Manchester Railway , built by Stephenson, opened a year later making exclusive use of steam power for passenger and goods trains . The steam locomotive remained by far the most common type of locomotive until after World War II . Steam locomotives are less efficient than modern diesel and electric locomotives, and
5451-457: Was known as Lord Wellington , and the others are said to have been named Prince Regent and Marquis Wellington , though there is no known contemporary mention of those two names. The third locomotive intended for Middleton was sent, at Blenkinsop's request, to the Kenton and Coxlodge Colliery waggonway near Newcastle upon Tyne , where it appears to have been known as Willington . There it
5530-426: Was presented by Werner von Siemens at Berlin in 1879. The locomotive was driven by a 2.2 kW, series-wound motor, and the train, consisting of the locomotive and three cars, reached a speed of 13 km/h. During four months, the train carried 90,000 passengers on a 300-metre-long (984 feet) circular track. The electricity (150 V DC) was supplied through a third insulated rail between the tracks. A contact roller
5609-417: Was preserved for some years at the colliery, but was eventually scrapped. In 1811 the firm made a Trevithick -pattern high-pressure steam engine for John Wright, a Quaker of Great Yarmouth , Norfolk . The engine was fitted to the paddle steamer l'Actif , running out of Yarmouth. The ship was a captured privateer that had been purchased from the government. Paddle wheels were fitted to it and driven by
5688-466: Was seen by George Stephenson , who modelled his own locomotive Blücher on it, minus the rack drive, and therefore much less effective. After two of the locomotives exploded , killing their drivers, and the remaining two were increasingly unreliable after at least 20 years’ hard labour, the Middleton colliery eventually reverted to horse haulage in 1835. Rumour has it that one remaining locomotive
5767-943: Was tested on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in September of the following year, but the limited power from batteries prevented its general use. Another example was at the Kennecott Copper Mine , Latouche, Alaska , where in 1917 the underground haulage ways were widened to enable working by two battery locomotives of 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 tons. In 1928, Kennecott Copper ordered four 700-series electric locomotives with on-board batteries. These locomotives weighed 85 tons and operated on 750-volt overhead trolley wire with considerable further range whilst running on batteries. The locomotives provided several decades of service using Nickel–iron battery (Edison) technology. The batteries were replaced with lead-acid batteries , and
5846-410: Was that James Pickard had already patented the crank and flywheel method of converting linear motion to circular motion. Murray ingeniously got round this difficulty by introducing a Tusi couple hypocycloidal straight line mechanism . This consisted of a large fixed ring with internal teeth. Around the inside of this ring a smaller gear wheel, with half the outer one's diameter, would roll driven by
5925-650: Was the first in the world in regular service powered from an overhead line. Five years later, in the U.S. electric trolleys were pioneered in 1888 on the Richmond Union Passenger Railway , using equipment designed by Frank J. Sprague . The first electrically worked underground line was the City & South London Railway , prompted by a clause in its enabling act prohibiting use of steam power. It opened in 1890, using electric locomotives built by Mather & Platt . Electricity quickly became
6004-583: Was the technical innovator and in charge of obtaining orders; Wood was in charge of day-to-day running of the works; Fenton was the accountant. Although the firm still served the textile industry, Murray began to consider how the design of steam engines could be improved. He wanted to make them simpler, lighter, and more compact. He also wanted the steam engine to be a self-contained unit that could readily be assembled on site with pre-determined accuracy. Many existing engines suffered from faulty assembly, which took much effort to correct. One problem that Murray faced
6083-456: Was to reduce the cost of production, and improve the quality of the manufacture, thus establishing the British linen trade on a solid foundation. The production of flax-machinery became an important branch of manufacture at Leeds, large quantities being made for use at home as well as for exportation, giving employment to an increasing number of highly skilled mechanics. In 1814 Murray patented
6162-546: Was used on several railways in Northern Italy and became known as "the Italian system". Kandó was invited in 1905 to undertake the management of Società Italiana Westinghouse and led the development of several Italian electric locomotives. A battery–electric locomotive (or battery locomotive) is an electric locomotive powered by onboard batteries ; a kind of battery electric vehicle . Such locomotives are used where
6241-638: Was used to collect the electricity. The world's first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near Berlin, Germany, in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens (see Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway and Berlin Straßenbahn ). The Volk's Electric Railway opened in 1883 in Brighton, and is the oldest surviving electric railway. Also in 1883, Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram opened near Vienna in Austria. It
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