94-865: Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English general engineering company and railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw , Manchester . Charles Beyer , Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson founded the company in 1854. The company closed its railway operations in the early 1960s. It retained its stock market listing until 1976, when it was bought and absorbed by National Chemical Industries of Saudi Arabia. German-born Charles Beyer had undertaken engineering training related to cotton milling in Dresden before moving to England in 1831 aged 21. He became draughtsman at Sharp, Roberts and Company 's Atlas works in central Manchester, which manufactured cotton mill machinery and had just started building locomotives for
188-422: A Swiss farmer from Chéseaux , who built a 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 + 5 ⁄ 8 in ) field railway but never got a permission to run it. The hotelier bought it in 1999 and put in operation in 2000 as a tourist attraction under the name "Tren Turistico Arenal". As of 2004 and 2017 , it is 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long, with an elevation of 200 m (660 ft) and two tunnels. Built in
282-600: A company that manufactured machines which made cardboard boxes in factories in Dereham with 90 employees and in Suffolk with 500 employees. Space Deck and Beyer Peacock International were praised in 1982 for having achieved increased profitability. National Chemical Industries itself went bust in the early to mid-1980s. As of 2012 the building that housed the former boiler shop, tender shop and boiler mounting shop – 550 feet (167 metres) in length – remained in use as part of
376-480: 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
470-463: 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
564-423: 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
658-410: 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
752-550: 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
846-414: A joint company with Metropolitan-Vickers to build locomotives other than steam. By 1953 Beyer, Peacock had acquired more than five subsidiary companies; two others followed five years later. In 1958 Beyer, Peacock (Hymek) Ltd was formed. Beyer and Peacock started building their Gorton Foundry in 1854 two miles east from the centre of Manchester at Openshaw on a 12-acre site, on the opposite (south) side of
940-498: 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
1034-410: 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
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#17327874084241128-486: 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
1222-402: A mule-drawn railroad, between Puntarenas and Barranca, the construction of the current right-of-way occurred from 1895 to 1903, which was halted due to lack of foreign funds and then proceeded with national funds until 1910. From 1926 to 1930, the railroad was converted to electrical, which then changed its name to Pacific Electric Railroad ( Ferrocarril Electrico al Pacífico , F.E. al P.). It
1316-404: 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
1410-401: A partnership opportunity. However, the business at the outset (Beyer, Peacock & Co.) was a legal partnership and the partners were therefore liable for debts should the business fail; in a mid-Victorian economic climate of boom and bust, it was a risky venture. Beyer could raise £9,524 (nearly £900,000 in 2015) and Peacock £5,500, but they still required a loan from Charles Geach (founder of
1504-438: A select few who were charged with preserving railway assets. However, operations were never fully suspended, and there was always at least the occasional freight and maintenance traffic along certain parts of the network. Some other parts, on the other hand, were essentially abandoned until 2005 when urban passenger services were reintroduced along a corridor between the suburbs of Pavas, to the west of San José, and San Pedro, to
1598-403: 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
1692-483: 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
1786-522: 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
1880-801: A single copy of its Dreadnought Class for the Pennsylvania Railroad , as the former railway's shops were not legally permitted to sell their locomotives. Aside from this locomotive, and nine 2-6-0 's built for the Costa Rica Railway , the company remained out of the North American market. During the First World War Beyer, Peacock manufactured artillery; in August 1915 Gorton Works was put under government control with production switching almost entirely to
1974-457: 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
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#17327874084242068-456: 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
2162-570: Is not clear what connection there is between the two firms. Beyer Peacock's archives are held at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. List shows delivery year(s), railway and locomotive class, wheel arrangement ( Whyte notation ) and number in order . List shows delivery year(s), railway and locomotive class, wheel arrangement ( Whyte notation ) and number in order . Click "Show" to display. Locomotive A locomotive
2256-416: 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
2350-522: 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
2444-610: The Ferrocarril de Golfito was used for banana freight transportation. One line ran from Golfito to Coto Junction then north to Palmar Sur. This line was 89 km (55 mi) long. A second line ran from Coto Junction to Puerto Gonzalez where there was a connection with the Chiriquí railway , allowing produce to be exported through Puerto Armuelles in Panama . This line was 39.5 km (24.5 mi) long. Multiple branches served
2538-590: 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
2632-729: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway . There he was mentored by head engineer and prolific inventor of cotton mill machinery Richard Roberts . By the time he resigned 22 years later he was well established as the company's head engineer; he had been involved in producing more than 600 locomotives. Richard Peacock had been chief engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway 's locomotive works in Gorton when he resigned in 1854, confident in his ability to secure orders to build locomotives. Beyer's resignation presented Peacock with
2726-472: The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) line from Peacock's previous works. The site was chosen because land was cheaper than in the city, allowing ample room to expand, and there was a good water supply from an MS&LR reservoir. At the Foundry, Beyer designed and manufactured machine tools needed to build the locomotives, and oversaw locomotive design and production. Peacock dealt with
2820-674: 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
2914-523: The Midland Bank and first treasurer to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers , of which Beyer and Peacock had been founding members). Soon afterwards, however, Geach died, the loan was recalled, and the whole project nearly collapsed. Thomas Brassey came to the rescue, persuading Henry Robertson to provide a £4,000 loan in return for being the third (sleeping) partner. It was not until 1883 that
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3008-500: 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
3102-408: 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
3196-648: 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
3290-576: The Caribbean coast; the project was initiated by the government of General Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez and was surveyed in 1868 by the British civil engineer Edmund Wragge . The railroad from Alajuela to San José was completed by the beginning of 1873 and later continued until Cartago . Materials and equipment were brought into Alajuela from Puntarenas by oxen-powered carts. Due to a shortage of finances and natural obstacles (especially around Río Sucio),
3384-608: The Caribbean ports of Limón and Moín with the Pacific port of Caldera, traversing the Central Valley area and Costa Rica's largest cities along the route, the system fell into disrepair towards the end of the 20th century following a financial crisis that saw the President of Costa Rica, José María Figueres , order the cessation of Incofer's commercial activity, resulting in the redundancies of most of its workforce except for
3478-407: The Caribbean since 1890 from San José , but these were abandoned and under maintained. Only the remnants of the urban areas remain. Detailed maps of the former routes can be accessed via the guiascostarica.info portal - see External Links below. The talk page for this Misplaced Pages page lists the maps required. The currently abandoned Ferrocarril al Pacífico first started in 1857 by implementing
3572-530: The Gorton Foundry at the end of 1958. In 1966, after 112 years of operation, all production ceased at Gorton Foundry. During that time, the company had built nearly 8,000 locomotives. In 1976 Beyer Peacock was sold to Sheikh Mohammed Y. Al Bedrawi's National Chemical Industries of Saudi Arabia. The remaining industrial parts of the company then were Space Deck, a supplier of steel roofing units, and its main industrial company Richard Garrett Engineering,
3666-490: The Hammerstone Road Depot of Manchester City Council. Beyer, Peacock & Company Ltd last filed accounts to Companies House in 1989. Since then it has been compulsorily struck off several times, but restored on the request of creditors. No activity has been registered since 2015. Companies House also lists another company called Beyer, Peacock & Company that was founded it 1998, and is now dormant. It
3760-664: The National Concessions Council ( Spanish : Consejo Nacional de Concesiones, CNC ) rejected and archived the plans for the dry canal. There are very few private railways, in small loops. At the Hotel Los Héroes in Nuevo Arenal , Tilarán Canton ( Guanacaste Province ), a Swiss hotelier has built a mountain railway for the guests of his panorama restaurant, Pequeña Helvecia (little Switzerland). The rolling stock had been originally used by
3854-527: The South Pacific, where difficult terrain and lightly laid, tightly curved track, usually narrow-gauge , severely limited the weight and power output of conventional locomotives. In Garratt's design, two girders holding a boiler and a cab were slung between two "engine" units, each with cylinders, wheels and motion. The weight of the locomotive was therefore spread over a considerable distance. Both engine units were topped by water tanks. The unit adjoining
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3948-752: 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
4042-813: 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
4136-496: The business side, often travelling to continental Europe to secure orders. In July 1855 the first locomotive, built for the Great Western Railway , left Gorton Foundry. Between 1854 and 1868 the company built 844 locomotives, of which 476 were exported. The company sold mainly to the British colonies , Southern Africa and South America. The London and North Western Railway had commissioned Beyer, Peacock to build
4230-443: The cab end also held a fuel bunker. Between 1909 and 1958, Beyer, Peacock built more than a thousand Garratts; significant types are listed below . Among them, three of the most significant are preserved (see the "Preserved steam locomotives" table below): In the decade following 1954, the company built four types of diesel-powered locomotives and two electric types, listed below . Locomotive manufacturing transformed rapidly in
4324-529: 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 Rail transport in Costa Rica Rail transport in Costa Rica is primarily under the stewardship of Incofer (Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles), an autonomous institution of
4418-460: 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
4512-407: 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
4606-455: 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
4700-473: The company was incorporated as a private limited company and renamed Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd. In 1902 it took on its final form as a public limited company. During the Great Depression , faced with competition from tramways and electric railways, the company began to look for alternatives so that they were not dependent on one product. In 1932 they acquired their first company and in 1949 formed
4794-587: The company. An articulated locomotive design that became renowned in the 20th century was another innovation, the Garratt articulated locomotive, invented by Herbert William Garratt , who was granted a patent in 1908; Beyer, Peacock had sole rights of manufacture in Britain. After the patents ran out in 1928, the company began to use the name "Beyer-Garratt" to distinguish their locomotives. They became widely used throughout Africa, South America, Asia, Australia and
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#17327874084244888-579: The construction of an inter-oceanic dry canal ( Spanish : Canal Seco Interoceánico ) across the country, from the Caribbean sea to the Pacific Ocean, through the northern plains of the country, in a similar and parallel route to the Route 4 road. The main way of merchandise transportation would be using railroad to transport container, with plans to build ten road lanes alongside the railroad tracks, two new ports on each coast terminus. In April 2020
4982-493: The construction of the remaining sections was delayed, and the entire line did not become operational until December 7, 1890. A contract for the building of the Pacific Railroad was signed in 1897, but again, the enterprise faced natural, financial and political difficulties. The Pacific Railroad was officially launched on July 23, 1910, when the first Pennsylvania-built steam locomotive, María Cecilia , named after
5076-529: The country. The route followed the Atlantic coast until the small port of Matina , before it passed inland to Reventazón River . From there the original intention was to run close to Irazú . A more southerly route traversing the Ochomogo Pass was ultimately built. From San José the railway continued onto Alajuela, the small Pacific port of Tivives and Puntarenas. The railroad was jointly owned by
5170-411: The damaged section, it is dangerous to do so. The resulting lack of regular traffic on this line has facilitated the theft of rails. Visitors to Costa Rica may perceive the railway as being somewhat limited compared to other forms of transport, due to the current lack of anything except a basic commuter service. While mainly freight lines, there were passenger services to the Pacific since 1910 and to
5264-405: 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
5358-524: 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,
5452-467: The east. Since then, services have been greatly increased following investment in second-hand DMUs imported from Spain and the rehabilitation of dozens of kilometres of previously inoperative track. As of May 2014 , the bulk of railway operations occur in the Central Valley area and consist of passenger services between: As shown in the current (2024) INCOFER schedules, further sections, between Heredia and Alajuela and from Cartago to Paraiso, extended
5546-520: 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
5640-514: 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
5734-483: The following routes (San Jose is the nation's capital): Currently abandoned and dismantled, the Ferrocarril de Quepos was an essential part of the banana production in the Central Pacific coast of the country. The principal route ran from La Palma (northern branch) via Quepos to Portalon (southern branch). Multiple branches served the plantation areas. Right-of-way is now owned by Incofer. Now abandoned,
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#17327874084245828-417: The granddaughter of former President Rafael Iglesias, departed from Puntarenas to San José with passengers and cargo. Due to the required hard labor and lack of personnel in the country, workers from Jamaica , Italy and China , immigrated to Costa Rica . The transcontinental railway from Limón to Puntarenas became operational in 1910 and was central for the connection of the various fertile regions of
5922-400: 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
6016-437: The infrastructure, including the railways: "The road network is extensive but of poor quality, railways are in disrepair and only slowly being reactivated after having been shut down in the 1990s ... Internal transportation overly relies on private road vehicles as the public transport system, especially railways, is inadequate." In 1871, construction was started on a railroad from Alajuela to Puerto Limón , via San José , on
6110-623: The late 1950s. In 1955 British Railways decided to switch from steam to diesel traction and by then overseas railways had done the same. A major problem the company soon faced was that it had chosen to make diesel-hydraulic locomotives when the Western Region had opted for lightweight locomotives with hydraulic transmission under the British Railways Modernisation Plan of 1955; but British Railways opted for diesel-electrics. The company all but closed down
6204-497: The lines' electrification in 1905. The locomotives' main designer, Hermann Ludwig Lange (1837–92), was a native of Beyer's home town, Plauen, Saxony (now Germany) who had undertaken an apprenticeship followed by engineering training. Beyer had invited him to England in 1861 and employed him for the first year in the company workshops, then as a draughtsman under his direction. He became chief draughtsman in 1864 or 1865. After Beyer's death in 1876, he became chief engineer and co-manager of
6298-441: 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
6392-675: 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
6486-494: 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,
6580-793: The plantation areas. Hamlets served included Palmar Sur , Piedras Blancas , Coto 47, Laurel and Golfito . Right-of-way is now owned by Incofer. Several locomotives were cosmetically restored and can be seen in Golfito . This line ran from the Suretka area to Sixaola where it crossed the Sixaola River to reach Guabito in Panama. From there the railway continued to Almirante on the Caribbean coast. There were formerly two railway connections between Costa Rica and Panama, both are now closed. There were no connections to Nicaragua . One connection
6674-688: 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
6768-494: The services existing in 2014. Trains (particularly freight trains, as well as a privately operated tour train) ran between San José and the port of Caldera until 2011, when a short section of the line was compromised following the construction of Route 27 . This prompted a dispute between Incofer and the highway developer, Autopistas del Sol. This dispute has not yet been resolved and Incofer officials have been quoted as saying that while they are technically able to run trains over
6862-425: 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
6956-410: The state and the Costa Rica railway company, with the latter behind the 1904 arrangement to build several branch lines through the banana districts of the Atlantic littoral. In 1926, a decision was made to electrify the Pacific line, and the first electric train ran from San José to Puntarenas on April 8, 1930. The Costa Rican railroad network was damaged during an earthquake in 1991 and its operation
7050-471: The state. Incofer owns the national railway infrastructure and operates virtually all freight and passenger services, which consist primarily of commuter trains through the highly populated Central Valley . The whole Incofer network is 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow gauge , although there are small tourist railways of other gauges. Much of the railway system requires major repairs. An August 2016 OECD report provided this summary about
7144-454: 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
7238-464: 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
7332-641: The war effort, especially heavy field artillery. During the Second World War , the company was again brought under government control but continued to build locomotives throughout the war. A technological innovation that strengthened the company's reputation was the world's first successful condensing locomotive design for London's first underground railway – the Metropolitan Railway A Class 4-4-0 tank engine . Between 1864 and 1886, 148 were built for various railways; most operated until
7426-433: 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
7520-705: 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
7614-502: 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
7708-789: 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
7802-671: 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
7896-471: 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
7990-650: 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
8084-567: Was in use until 1995. The railroad of this line in the Greater Metropolitan Area was re-purposed to create the Interurbano Line . Works started in 1871 for the Ferrocarril al Atlántico , and ended in 1890, currently the railroad between Cartago and the Caribbean plains is abandoned, but there are steel freight operations on the Caribbean ocean side. The railroad of this line in the Greater Metropolitan Area
8178-670: Was on the Golfito Railroad, the second was on the Changuinola Railway. Both were on privately owned and operated plantation networks. The Sixaola bridge on the Changuinola line collapsed in 2017. In 2018, China donated to Panama a feasibility plan to open a high speed train between Panama and Costa Rica, but by 2019, the plan was rejected. As of 2020 there are no current or planned connections to Panama or Nicaragua. There are plans and studies regarding
8272-426: 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
8366-757: Was re-purposed to create the Interurbano Line , which covers the East of the Central Valley up to Cartago. By reconditioning and restoring the railway tracks in the Greater Metropolitan Area , Incofer, the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (Costa Rican Railway Institute in English) was able to put into work a commuter line, the Tren Interurbano , which connects the provinces of Alajuela , Heredia , San José and Cartago . There are street running trains in several places. Incofer runs
8460-484: Was suspended in 1995. Since 2000, Incofer has been working to recommence and popularize rail transport again. On 14 March 1926, the El Virilla train accident happened on the Atlantic line, in a religious pilgrimage from Heredia to Cartago, out of around a thousand passengers, there were 385 deaths and 93 injured passengers, so far the worst train accident in the country's railroad history. Although it once connected
8554-943: 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
8648-650: 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
8742-546: 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
8836-638: 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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