Proceedings Institution of Mechanical Engineers: 1900-1909
Hele-Shaw, H.S.
Road locomotion. 185-247. Disc. :248-331. Plates 29-38.
Sauvage, Edouard
Recent locomotive practice in France. 375-433.
Discussion: Bowman Malcolm (416-17) described
his experience with Worsdell von Borries two-cylinder compound locomotives
and his experience of Walschaerts valve gear on the Belfast & Northern
Counties Railway. Also discussion by H.A. Ivatt (412-13)
on his experience with the Worsdell von Borries system with a Class 101 0-6-0
and his own arrangement on a Class 60 4-4-0 whilst he was Locomotive
Superintendent of the GNR(I). John A.F. Aspinall (408-12); Twinberrow (423-5)
referred to self-balancing systems including the Yarrow, Schlick, Twinberrow
system..
Carus-Wilson, C.A.
Polyphase electric traction. 435-58. Disc. 459-62. + Plates 56-67.
Polyphase System applied to railways, with illustrations from the
Burgdorf Railway in Switzerland. Included acceleration tests made on the
Burgdorf Railway, and a comparison of the results with those obtained with
continuous-current railway motors at Chicago.
Donkin, Bryan
Observations on an improved glass revealer, for studying condensation in
steam-engine cylinders, and rendering the effects visible. 509-32. Disc.:
532-53 + Plates 72-5.
Tests on staionary compound engines; both high- and low-pressure cylinders
were examined..
Twinberrow, J.D.
Capacity of railway wagons as affecting cost of transport. 557-74. Disc:
575-616 + Plates 76-84.
Long wagons.had a body with twice the standard capacity, but with
an increase of only one-third in tare weight. The resulting gross load per
axle would then be 14 tons; but as enlarged capacity would be obtained chiefly
by increasing the length, the wheelbase of the four-wheeled vehicle would
create inconvenience on the sharp curves of sidings in colliery yards and
factories, and would involve greatcr resistance to traction on ordinary curves
and necessitate the removal of short turntables and traversers. Both the
Grcat Western Railway and the London and North Western Railway were experimenting
with steel coal-wagons of 20 tons capacity with a wheelbase of 12 feet, the
bodies were provided with side doors for unloading; the tare of the GWR wagon
was 8 tons 6 cwts., whilst that of the LNWR had been reduced to 7 tons 18
cwts. by the expedient of employing thinner plate.
Coal traffic terminals fell into the following classification:
Producer’s terminal. Colliery yard.
Consumer’s terminal. Industrial establishments, etc
Trader’s depot. Distribution by cartage.
Shipping terminal of Railway or Dock.
The first would usually admit long wagons without alteration, but the levels
of the screens and filling spouts limited the height above rail-level.
Weighbridges could usually be adapted for bogie-wagons, if the load on each
bogie is taken separately. Included an examination of the methods of transhipping
coal via hoists and staiths to colliers. End-door wagons were used in South
Wales, and self-discharging hoppers in Northumberland and Durham. Discussion:
F,G, Wright (GWR, 583) noted that wagons had been designed to carry 160 chaired
sleepers each, and were constantly employed running to various points of
the line; 250 twenty-ton coal wagons were then running between the Ebbw Vale
and Cileby Collieries and different parts of the system, and to have wagons
running regularly carrying special traffic was advantageous and
economical.
Pettigrew, W.F.
History of the Furness Railway locomotives. 727-38.
Illustrated with line drawings of virtually all locomotives from Fairburn
0-4-0s tpo latest 0-6-0s and 4-4-0s.
Gould, R.
Some particulars of the results of the compound locomotive on the Buenos
Aires Great Southern Railway. 817-22. Disc. 823-4 + Plates 159-161.
Worsdell/Von Borries two-cylinder compounds (4-4-0, 2-6-0 and 2-6-2T)
were selected as being the simplest arrangement, and interfered least in
terms of duplicate of parts with the standard simple engines already in service.
Both simple and compound locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock under the
instructions of Livesey, Son and Henderson, the Company’s Consulting
Engineers. The first compound was acquired in 1889 and the results obtained
were "so excellent" that, with the exception of locomotives for shunting
and local traffic, no simple engines (either goods or passenger) had since
been ordered. The engines proved easy to handle, exhibited a high economy
in coal and water, and owing to the reduced demand on the boiler, showed
less tendency to prime and scale than the original simples; they could run
much fuller into gear without lifting the water, and thus haul heavier loads.
As an offset against these advantages, the first compounds sometimes showed
an inclination to jib after starting, due to the rapidity with which the
automatic Worsdell/Von Borries starting valve caused compounding to take
place, reducing the power by cutting off the live steam from the low-pressure
cylinder before long and heavy trains were fully in motion. A modification
to the valve made in the Company's worshops obviated the tendency to jib
and ensured certain and easy starts.
Lenke, R.
Some experiences and results derived from the use of highly superheated steam
in engines. 847-53. Disc.: 854-64.
International Engineering Congress, Glasgow, 1901: relates solely
to stationary engines.
Dalby, W.E.
The balancing of locomotives. 1157-88. Disc.: 1189-1208. + Plate 188
Mainly theoretical. Alexander
McDonnell (pp. 1191-3) described early work on
locomotive wheel balancing which had included contact with le Chatelier and
with Beyer. Parks (Park?) his assitant had performed tests on running locomotives
without balancing..
Volume 63 (1902)
Smith, Walter M.
The application of cylindrical steam distributing valves to locomotives.
515-36. Disc.: 536-44 + Plates 61-9.
Prior to 1887 piston valves had been tried experimentally in locomotive
engines, but without much success, and the experiment invariably resulted
in the piston valve being discarded. In 1887 the author turned his attention
to the question, and endeavoured to produce a satisfactory piston valve,
and in the following year a compound passenger engine was built fitted with
piston valves of the type shown in Fig. 6, Plate 62. This engine had two
cylinders, the high pressure being 18 inches in diameter, the low pressure
26 inches in diameter, the length of stroke in each case being 24 inches.
One valve 7 inches in diameter was used for the high pressure and two valves
5½ inches for the low pressure cylinder, the latter valves being placed
side by side and actuated by one rod connected to each of the valve spindles.
In 1831 a goods engine was built with cylinders and valves of the same size
and form as those of the previous engine, with the exception that steam was
admittcd by the ends of the valves, instead of at the centre of the valve,
as in the previous case. As an experiment, gun-metal rings were substituted
for those of cast-iron. To get sufficient flexibility in the wide rings,
the flanges formed on the same had to be made shallow. This gave very little
end surface, and the rings after a time became loose ; and it was found necessary
to make these flanges deeper, and means had to be devised to prevent the
rings being too rigid. The method adopted is shown in Fig. 7, Plate 63. Another
and better method is shown in Fig. 8.
Dalby, W.E.
The education of engineers in America, Germany, and Switzerland. 281-349.
Volume 65 (1903)
Stromeyer, C.E. and Baron, W.B.
An inquiry into the working of various water-softeners. 773-886.
Controlling chemical treatment; and detailed descriptions of water
softening apparatus by Archbutt-Deeley, Atkins Company, Babcock and Wilcox,
Bell Brothers, Body Water, Carrod, Desrumaux, Doulton...
Volume 66 (1904)
Sauvage, Edouard
Compound locomotives in France. 327-80. Disc.: 380-467.
Participants to the Discussion included John F. Robinson (pp. 398-400)
and Churchward (400-04).
Volume 67 (1904)
Churchward, G.J.
Testing plant on the Great Western Railway at Swindon. 937-9.
Bed of cast iron bolted onto a concrete platform. Five pairs of bearings
enabled horizontal travel. Dynamometer.This led to contributions from W.F.
Pettigrew which noted measured tests in service. (940-5) and from J.F. McIntosh:
"We have no fixed locomotive testing plant, properly so called, unless a
10-mile gradient of 1 in 75 may be classed as such. Tabor indicator was used.
Noted that working conditions could not be replicated on a test plant
(945-6).
Neilson, R.M.
A scientific investigation into the possibilities of gas-turbines. 1061-1106.
Disc.: 1106-31.
Volume 68 (1905)
Wicksteed, Charles
Notes on the visit to America. 97-101.
"The one thing that must impress every visitor to America is that
the Americans are great at great things. In method, in enterprise, in
self-reliance, and in giant and rapid production, they were far ahead of
the British." The case for introducing American methods into Britain and
the difference in the economic conditions in the two countries were examined.
The USA had vast resources of raw materils and a much bigger local market,
which was aided by protectionism. If the railways that were laid through
a wilderness, had not been made cheaply, they could not have been constructed
at all; the same may be said of the towns. Thus temporary work began as a
matter of necessity. Americans, comparatively speaking, do not repair; they
scrap their things and buy new ones. Locomotives were scrapped in about ten
years; shops are gutted and supplied with now plant; railway bridges were
rapidly replaced.
Flamme, M.J.B.
Superheaters applied to locomotives on the Belgian State Railways. 409-27
Volume 70 (1906)
Churchward, G.J.
Large locomotive boilers. 165-75. Discussion: 176-255.
"In America the great power of engines now employed renders the wide
fire-box a necessity, but in Great Britain, where the coal burnt per mile
is very much less, few boilers of this kind have been built." He made reference
to the Ivatt Atlantics and Holden's 0-10-0T. Continuing [in the USA] " poorer
coals in large quantitities can be burnt with much greater facility and economy
in this type than in the narrow pattern [but his offset when] "goods trains
are kept standing, as is often the case." With reference to the USA, Churchward
noted the leaking of tubes and via stays. A higher standard of skill was
required by the fireman. The main mass of the fire being so much nearer the
tube-plate had a bad effect upon the tubes. Churchward referred to Drummond's
experiments with water tubes and noted his experiments on steam drying.
Churchward had fitted a Schmidt superheater to the No. 1 boiler. Hughes opened
the discussion questionning why freight locomotives were not fitted for
compounding in the UK. He is also mentioned piston valves, water softening
and furnace design.
Greaven, Louis
Petroleum fuel in locomotives on the Tehuantepec National Railroad of Mexico.
265-84. Disc.: 285-312 + Plates 35-9.
1906 (Volume 71)
Riches, T.H. and Heywood, Thomas E.
Mechanical appliances used in the shipping of coal at Penarth dock. 423-33.
+ Plates 45-55.
Hydraulic machinery, and its associated engine house and hydraulic
mains: some of the equipment was invented by the authors. The earlier timber
wagon tips were described, but then recent (1905) coal tips installed by
Messrs. Tannett, Walker and Co., of Leede, with steel structures were described
and illustrated at length.
Macaulay, John
Coal-shipping appliances and hydraulic power-plant at the Alexandra (Newport
and Soute Wales) Docks and Railway, Newport, Mon. 435-65. Disc.: 466-98 +
Plates 65-65.
Riches, T.H. and Haslam, Sidney B.
Railway motor-car traffic. 651-78. Disc.: 678-718.
In 1873 or 1874 Rowan attempted to sell steam railcars in Britain
but without success, although sales were achieved in Austria and Switzerland.
The LSWR Fratton to Southsea service was the earliest and this was followed
by the vertical boilered cars on the GWR. They enabled more frequent services
to be provided where traffic was light. The Taff Vale Railway has heavy gradients
of up to 1 in 40. The TVR cars were designed to cope with heavy gradients
and the locomotive portion was designed to be simple to detach from the body
and to be able to raise steam rapidly. He considered the alternatives of
electric vehicles: battery electric had been used in Swansea and in Belgium
but the capital cost was high: the overhead and third rail options were also
mentioned.
The TVR car was steam-heated, had oil-gas lighting and an electric bell for
communication with the conductor-driver. The cars cold provide a more frequent
service, set up or set down more frequently and had rapid acceleration –
and could achieve 20 mph on 1 in 40.
Cars were also operating on the GNoSR, GCR, LNWR, SECR, GSWR, GNR, NER and
PTR (where three miles had to be climbed at 1 in 40).
Clarkson, Thomas
Steam as a motive power for public service vehicles. 753-87. Disc.: 787-860
+ Plates 83-6..
Fowler, Henry
Lighting of railway premises: indoor and outdoor. 865-906. Disc.:
906-41.
Includes arc lighting, oil lamps and gas lighting; the use of a portable
photometer for assessing lighting in passenger stations; the cost of gas
mantles; fuel consumption; the use of incandescent electric lamps; and the
problems of lighting goods yards, locomotive sheds and workshops. Hughes
contributed to the Discussion (pp 917-20)
Riches, Tom Hurry
Address by the President. 495-507. + Plates 34-52
Contains an uncorrected error on first page: Stockport [sic] and
Darlington Railway! Maw and Aspinall gave the Votes of Thanks. The paper
acknowledged the Presidential Addresses by
Tomlinson and
Johnson relating to railway engineering,
and the very extensive collection of illustrations of "modern" express passenger
and freight locomotives follows on from Johnson. On the major main lines
the speed of passenger trains and length of non-stop runs had greatly increased.
Public demand for greater comfort and increased competition called for much
larger coaches, some of 35 tons and more, had greatly added to the weight
per passenger to be hauled. These demands made more powerful locomotives
necessary. Like Johnson he yearned for
a larger gauge: "we are led to wish that the 5-foot 6-inch gauge had been
adopted. It would have given room, not only for cylinders and motion work,
but would also have enabled journals to be lengthened without crippling other
dimensions."
"A word of regret I must express, that the fine old single-driving-wheeled
locomotive has to be superseded... the day seems to have arrived when sufficient
adhesion cannot be obtained on one pair of wheels to utilize the increased
tractive capacity of the modern locomotive, with the result that two or more
pairs of wheels have now to be coupled to utilize the power produced." Instead
of using large wheels, which were favoured thirty years ago, smaller wheels
were used, and greater care was needed in balancing to avoid undue oscillation."
Increased steam-pressures led to much larger fire-boxes and greater heating
surfaces. Churchward’s paper on boiler design was
noted, and boilers were only briefly reviewed. There were the cone [conical]
boiler, having a large space round the box and above the crown so as to give
plenty of steam space, the barrel gradually tapering to the leading end.
There was the Belpaire fire-box, which had been introduced into British
locomotives for some time with some success, although it requires greater
care in construction, and somewhat greater care in management and repairs.
The Drummond cross tube fire-box succeeded in improving evaporation. Many
years ago some predecessors used water mid-feathers and transverse tubes,
but, these were large diameter, and whether from lack of experience or from
the lower quality of materials these earlier schemes failed through being
too costly to maintain and too difficult to keep stock running constantly.
In those days of high pressures, not only in the sense of steam pressure
but also of heavy and continuous work by the locomotive, it was essential
for the boiler to be both well, and as far as possible, simply made; to ease
maintenance and provide economy. Larger firegrates and heating surfaces,
together with the more rapid generation of steam at higher pressure, had
placed extra stress on the locomotive boiler.
Many efforts had been made to introduce compounding, but there does seem
one requirement that has not been fully accomplishcd, namely, to get full
effect out of the steam condensation should be applied. It was proposed that
with the facilities then existing on many railways for picking up water,
it might have been possible to apply a condenser, and so assist in front
of the piston by obtaining at least a partial vacuum and then pumping the
condensed steam back into the boiler at high temperature.
Smaller improvements included the almost universal cab; the protection of
gauge-glasses; water-gauges on tenders or other tanks to save men from risks,
which used to exist in their having to leave the foot-plate, when the locomotive
was running, to ascertain the condition of their water-supply. Power-brakes
were almost universal upon locomotives, and therefore the men had much better
control of their engines and trains.
Although a high percentage of goods wagons were built to carry 8 and 10 tons,
the average weight carried by these vehicles rarely exceeded 2 tons, and
therefore if it were possible to put the load of a train into the wagons
capable of carrying the weight, the load to be hauled would be reduced by
at least 50 per cent through the saving in tare weight. This is a matter
that in the interests of the country at large should surely have received
greater attention. It was often urged that still larger wagons should be
used in England, and that the practice on British railways should be brought
more closely into line with that of the American, but a large percentage
of the traffic over American railways was carried over much longer distances
than in Britain: further, the load per vehicle was very much higher. Moreover,
effort had been initiated by American railroads to reduce the waste of vehicles
compared with the loads carricd. Larger wagons in Britain lacked suitable
traffic other than coal, iron ore, rails, stone and a few other heavy
commodities, but even coal tended to be restriacted to small lots of 10 tons
or less, as purchasers did not exceed these quantities: send a 30 or 40-ton
wagon carrying 10 tons or less would have been wasteful. Even for shipment
traffic, many ships, particularly in the coasting trade, took small cargoes.
In wagon stock some efforts had been made to introduce automatic couplings,
but without much success. Eitherside brakes had also been devised with some
success, and roller bearings had been evaluated to a limited extent on some
wagons. Specifications had been agreed for wagons of 10, 12, 15, 20, 30,
40, and.56 tons capaeity.
The development of railway steam-motor-cars (steam railcars) was mentioned.
Controversay had arisen over this type: for sparsely populated districts,
and for close tratfic over short distances, these self-contained cars were
eminently successful, but when used to haul trailer-cars their advantages
disappeared. Under such circumstances the method is being adopted on the
LSWR and LBSCR, and some of the othor railways, including the Taff Vale,
of fitting carriages that can be attached to an ordinary locomotive, and
by which arrangement that locomotive can be driven from the leading end of
the carriage when it is being pushed in front, is the better method of dealing
with mixed traffic. He cited his own to be published Paper.
Electric traction was briefly considered. Similar questions arose to those
relating to steam railcars; electricity might be in the same way be abused
if not used properly. In the case of passenger traffic there can be no doubt
that for frequent trains, over not too long distances and for frequent stops
and high speeds, electricity is extremely useful and desirable. Electric
traction for goods and mineral traffic raised the question of regenerative
control: in South Wales and many other mining districts, loaded wagons came
down hill and empties had to be taken up. If it were possible to use the
gravity and momentum of the down train to generate current for the up traffic,
at reasonable cost, then it ought to make an enormous difference in tho
possibilities of electric traction for such purposes. Why should not the
slowing and stopping of trains be done by retardation of the electric motor
instead of by brakeblocks, and this force returned electrically to thc generating
station for other use?
Ivatt, Henry A.
Notes on road trials of three express passenger-engines, carried
out on the Great Northern Railway in 1906. 525-32.
With No. 1300 (a four-cylinder compound); No. 292 (combined 4-cylinder
compound or simple) and No. 294 (2-cylinder simple). All were Atlantics.
Nock considered these tests to be
highly inconclusive., but were
reproduced in his book on the class.
1908 (Volume 74)
Dalby, W.E. and Hurry Riches, T.
Balancing of reciprocating engines. Lecture at the Graduates' meeting. 197-217.
Brislee, F.J.
Combustion processes in English locomotive fire-boxes. 237-68.
See LNWR Expperiment class:
reserach at Liverpool Univeristy was funded by LNWR.
Fry, Lawford H.
Combustion and heat balances in locomotives. Based on experiments with the
Pennsylvania Railroad Testing Plant. 269-375.
Volume 75 (1908)
Riches, T. Hurry and Reynolds, Bertie
Forced lubrication for axle-boxes. 599-624.
Steam railcars.
Volume 76 (1908)
Aspinall, John A.F.
Address by the President. 423-91.
Advantages of electrification for local services are:
High schedule journey speed.
Much more frequent service when required.
Increased acceleration and deceleration.
Greater possible mileage per train per day, increasing the earning capacity
of any given quantity of rolling stock, and increasing the loading and unloading
capacity of existing platforms.
Volume 77 (1909)
Hughes, George
Locomotives designed and built at Horwich with some results. 561-653.
Presented at IME Meeting in Liverpool on 27 July 1909. Wintour, speaking
on behalf of Ivatt noted, "As Mr. Churchward has stated, it is absolutely
necessary there shall be some check on the lubrication which, if it once
gets slack, will cause a great smash on the engine. In one case where the
lubrication failed, the piston and the cylinder were quite broken up, and
we find it very necessary to have a reliable lubricator and a good cylinder
oil, with steam superheated to 650°F. If these precautions are not taken,
more cost may be incurred in five minutes than will be saved in two years."
Like many others, Ivatt patented an arrangement of steam pipes in the smokebox,
to provide a low degree of superheat in older engines where new tubeplates
were hard to justify: but their complication militated against their
advantage-they were mounted on trunnions to permit swinging them clear for
tube-cleaning.
Dalby, W.E.
Heat transmission. 921-86. Disc. 987-1071.
Very extensive (over 500 papers were examined) literature review on
heat transfer between fuel combustion in a furnace and water in boilers of
all types, including those on locomotives..
2008-09-05