Journal No. 117
Hyde, P.A. (Paper No. 317)
The roller bearing as applied to locomotives and rolling stock. 2-60. Discussion:
60-90.
Mainly as applied to rolling stock: at that time only used on locomotives
in USA or on British locomotives for export.
Sams, J.G.B. (Paper No. 316)
Some aspects of a colonial railway running department. 91-113, Disc.: 113-27;
465-6.
W.C. Williams (116-17 and written communication 126-7) noted the mileages
achieved on the Kenya & Uganda Railway with Garratt locomotives. E.D.
Trask (119) noted that high speeds could be achieved with small diameter
driving wheels. L.J. Leclair (116-17). H.M. Le Fleming (written communication
465-6) recorded the high mileages achieved by the L class on the Federated
Malay States Railway (Malaysia). Between Gemas and Kuala Lipis the locomotives
were working 142 miles out and back and achieved a mileage of 7952 per month.
Shields, T.H. (Paper No. 318)
Steam motive power operation (with special reference to engine loading).
158-229. Disc.: 230-42.
Author was based in Sutherland when paper was presented. He considered
boiler tractive effort and cylinder tractive effort and train and locomotive
resistance. As was to become the characteristic of this Author a great deal
of data was assembled together both in terms of routes and in terms of locomotive
classes and the loads permitted. Thus there are statistics for the Highland
Railway in Table 3 and the Great North of Scotland Railway in Table 5. The
locomotive power classifications adopted by the GWR, LMS, LNER (Southern,
North Eastern and Scottish - further divided into Northern and Southern Area),
the Southern Railway, the Great Southern Railways in Ireland, the Great Northern
Railway in Ireland, the German State Railway, the Cnadian National Railway
and the Pennsylvania Railroad are all listed. H. Chambers (230-1) commented
upon locomotive power classification; W.C. Williams (232-3); H. Holcroft
(232-6) commented on the Aspinall formula for calculating train resistance
and notedf the problems encountered with freight vehicles. At the meeting
in Newcastle C.C. Jarvis (239-40) commented on the Kiesel formula.
Journal No. 118
Renwick, H.P. (Paper 320)
Some observations on locomotive design ln its relation to running shed
maintenance. 245-73. Disc.: 274-99; 865-83.
Indian practice
Journal No. 119
Kirkland, R.I. (Paper No. 321)
Locomotive boiler repairs in headquarters shops. 306-37. Disc.: 337-63.
H. Chambers (337-8) expressed caution on the depth left for plating
and objected to term re-rivetting and suggested hammering to clean stays.
H. Holcroft (339-40) commented on copper thickness and on Churchward's approach
to boiler maintenance. Meeting at Doncaster (351-6): Sanders (351) spoke
about steel stays and high boiler pressures; mentioning the maintenance of
Royal Scot boilers at Crewe he stated that the maintenance cost increases
enormously with higher pressures and the use of steel stays. Meeting at
Birmingham (357-63):H. Chambers (358-9) mentioned door plate flanges and
the electric welding of copper stay holes in steel plate. Sanford noted that
higher pressures reduced firebox life to three to four years (e.g. on the
Royal Scot class)...
Tritton, J.S. (Paper No. 322)
Rail cars. 365-401, Disc.: 401-19. 12 illus., 11 diagrs.
Brief mention was made of Sentinel steam railcars in Jersey, but most
attention was given to the four-wheel Leyland railcar (diagram: Fig. 7 page
377) and to the Micheline railcars with pneumatic tyres. Consideration was
given to streamlining and to transmission systems and to the problems of
noise and vibration. H. Holcroft (407-8) was critical of the thin flanges
on the Michelin railcars. At the Newcastle meeting (411-19) G.W. McArd (412-13)
advocated the use of railbuses on the Ponteland branch..
Journal No. 120
Owen, A.B. (Paper No. 324)
Methods of dealing with engine repairs. 482-91. Disc.: 491-501.
Topics covered included boiler mountings, copper firebox stays, boiler
tubes, superheaters, motion pins and wheels and axles.
Arnold, Conway (Paper No. 325)
Special train braking problems (vacuum brake). 502-20. Disc: 521-5.
J.N. Gresham (521-2); K.R.M. Cameron (522); I.E.
Mercer (522) stated that the Webb steam brake was the "most useless brake
ever fitted". The author in reply to Caldwell mentioned the vacuum pump used
on the GWR.
Compton, J.N. (Paper No. 326)
The servicing of pooled locomotives, Bhusawal Division, Great Indian Peninsula
Railway. 527-87. Disc.: 1936, 26, 276-302.
Bottomley, J.E. (Paper No. 327)
Welding. 588-610.
Presented in Bombay
Journal No. 121 (September-October 1934)
Gresley, H.N.
Presidential address. 617-23.
As well as a plea for a locomotive testing station (see below) Gresley
mentioned progress on diesel electric high speed railcars in Germany and
the USA. Votes of thanks were presented by Maunsell (623-4) and Stanier
(624-5).
About six years ago the French engineers, who were fully alive to the benefits
which would be derived by the provision of a testing station, were able to
persuade the French Government that it was necessary to have such a station.
Just over twelve months ago the French station at Vitry, near Paris, was
opened, and the following day I [Gresley] had the privilege of seeing one
of the largest express passenger engines undergoing tests at over 60 miles
per hour on full load in the new station.
This experimental station is the most perfectly equipped in the world for carrying out analytical and scientific research into the working of that most wonderful yet thermally inefficient machine-the railway locomotive. The station has been described in full detail in the technical press. It is of interest to note that the hydraulic brakes, on the wheels of which the driving wheels of the locomotive under test are carried, and which can be regarded as one .of its most essential features, were of English manufacture. These brakes absorb the whole of the power developed by the locomotive, and are of such substantial design that each is capable of absorbing 1,200 h.p. continuously for long periods. The plant is designed to test locomotives having an axle load up to 30 tons running at all speeds up to 100 m.p.h. Provision is made for six hydraulic brakes, so that locomotives having six driving axles and capable of exerting up to 7,200 h.p. can be tested.
There are also four new dynamometer cars fitted with the most modern recording appliances, attached to the station. These are available for use in connection with trials in service on any of the French railways, and can also be used for checking the results of innovations which have been introduced as a result of research in the locomotive experimental station.
The total cost incurred in the construction of the station was about £120,000, exclusive of the dynamometer cars.
The French railways, since the establishment some years ago of the Office Centrale des Etudes de Material in Paris, have made such pronounced progress in: the design and scientific development of their engines that to-day their modern locomotives are second to none. The engines of the Paris Orleans Railway, for example, have achieved results in the haulage of long-distance high-speed trains of great weight over a severely-graded line which had never been attained by engines of similar weight. In preparing the designs of the new eight-wheel coupled express passenger engine recently constructed at Doncaster, I did not hesitate to incorporate some of the outstanding features of the Paris Orleans engine, such as the provision of extra large steam passages and a double blast-pipe. There was no real novelty in these features, but the French engineers had worked out the designs scientifically and had proved them by the results obtained in actual service. The double blast-pipe has two nozzles, each 5¾ins. in diameter, whereas the usual single blast-pipe has one nozzle of about 5¼ins. diameter. The result is that the back pressure on the pistons is reduced from about 7 or 8Ibs. per square inch to only about 2lbs. when running at speed. The establishment of the great new experimental testing station at Vitry is evidence of the confidence and conviction of the French engineers that progress can only be secured by full and complete research.
What have we here in England? A small locomotive testing plant of 500 h.p. capacity, installed at the Swindon works of the Great Western Railway thirty years ago by Mr. Churchward, whose tragic death last year we all deplore. He was without doubt one of the most eminent railway engineers of recent times, and we see evidence of his influence in the designs of the most up-to-date engines of each of the great railways of this country. The Swindon plant is, however, much too small for modern locomotives.
There are four dynamometer cars in existence on British Railways, all of which I regard as almost obsolete when compared with modern cars.
Before concluding my address, it is appropriate to refer to the tendency to-day towards the speeding up of all trains, and to make some reference to the extra high-speed passenger trains which have recently been introduced abroad. In this matter Germany has taken the lead. In France a similar service has been started on the Nord, between Paris and Lille, and Bugatti cars are running on the Etat and P.L.M. In Holland and Belgium a number of Diesel-electric high-speed units are working, but the speeds attained are not so great as in Germany. On the other hand, it is claimed in the United States that even higher speeds, up to 112 m.p.h. have been reached.
The question is naturally asked, why has nothing been done here beyond speeding up the existing steam-operated trains? The answer, of course, is the difficulty in finding on our congested railways a path for trains of such exceptional speeds. The permanent way of the British railways is well known to be the most perfect in the world, as is also the method of signalling, and there is no question that trains of the highest speed contemplated can be run with safety and comfort on our railways.
It is not suggested that speeds much in excess of 100 m.p.h. can economically be maintained. The air resistance, notwithstanding scientific streamlining, absorbs so much power. Experiments with models of existing types of coaches carried out by the National Physical Laboratory show that the air resistance of trains of average length, say twelve coaches, at 100 m.p.h., is approximately double that of similar trains at 70 m.p.h. In the case of the " Flying Hamburger," in which I recently travelled, it is calculated that 85 per cent. of the power generated by the Diesel engines is absorbed in air resistance when running at 100 m.p.h. Streamlining is essential at extra high speeds because air resistance of trains increases approximately as the cube of the speed, but it is of comparatively negligible value at lower speeds, up to, say, 50 m.p.h. I think that the day is not far distant when heavy trains consisting of one class only will be run at speeds not less than the best speeds of to-day, and that short extra high-speed trains, for which a supplement will be charged, will be run between London and the big industrial centres. The steam locomotive, however, of greatly improved efficiency, as a result of the establishment of a locomotive experimental station, will still continue as the chief power unit operating on our railways. Votes of thanks by Maunsell and Stanier add to ther interest of this paper.
Moon, A.N. (Paper No. 328)
One hundred years of railway coaches. 626-52. Disc. 652-75.
History of passenger rolling stock, including the influence of earlier
road vehicles, such as stage coaches. A.H. Whitaker (658) noted seeing Somerset
& Dorset Railway coaches in 1889 which still had luggage rails around
the roofs. J.W. Beaumont (658-9) noted that Webb radial axleboxes had been
firstly applied to the leading axles of compound locomotives, and then to
coaches. In the case of the latter bogies were also used, but not on
locomotives..
Mailer, J. (Paper No. 329)
Waste, its elimination, reclamation of scrap material and its influence on
design. 679-705. Disc.: 705-20.
Argentinian paper
Griffiths, S.
Connecting rod ends. 721-34.
Discussion meeting held in Perth, Australia, introduced by S.
Griffiths.
Blackwood, G.W.
Crank pins. 735-43.
Discussion meeting held in Perth, Australia, introduced by G.W.
Blackwood.
Journal No. 122
Collins, G.H.H. (Paper No. 330)
The manufacture and repair of locomotive boiler tubes. 748-72. Disc.:
772-84.
Gresley (772-4) cautioned that he was much more
familiar with tubes from the point of view of their use. All locomotive engmeers
are greatly indebted to the manufacturers for the perfection to which they
have brought the tubes of to-day. I remember the old steel tubes which were
used many years ago, and which were very different from the tubes supplied
at the present time, So great has been the improvement in steel tubes I do
not know whether any manufacturers of copper tubes are present—that
copper tubes seem to have entirely disappeared from English railways,
notwithstanding the fact that copper has reached a lower price to-day than
it has fetched for many years.
In the matter of the repair of tubes, a small point which has interested
me is concerned with the flue tubes on the Great Western Railway. The Author
has stated that when these were taken out they had the screwed portion at
the end removed, and that this could happen three times before the end of
the tube was, as it were, closed up again to form a new portion which might
be screwed. My own experience is that when a screwed tube has had three runs
in the boiler it is not worth the expense of doing any more to it, as it
is so much pitted, even in districts where the water is pure and there is
no scale. In fact, for a tube to go more than three times is a very rare
thing. Some people, I am well aware, go to the expense of filling up these
small pit holes electrically, but I consider that the labour and the
cost—unless there are only a few odd holes here and there—do not
represent money well spent, and it is better to scrap the tube and have a
new one of which the engineer is perfectly sure.
The Author has also referred to the stretching of ordinary boiler tubes,
This practice has been introduced by the Great Western Railway and has been
a very good one indeed. I myself have copied it, as I have copied many Great
Western Railway practices. I remember an occasion when I went down to see
the works at Swindon and got Mr. Churchward to lend me the drawings so that
I could make a stretching bench for myself. Now, however, I consider that
the stretching method is not the best one; the cutting off of the ends, and
the flash welding of a new end is the cheapest and most effective practice
to-day.;
Fowler (not Sir Henry) got the impression that the repairing of locomotive
bailers was a very camplicated job. It seemed that if the boiler was fabricated
solely by welding, it would much simpler to repair by cutting with an
oxy-acetylene blow-lamp and inserting a new piece welded with the electric
arc, by which one can obtain a joint, the ductility of which is better than
the ductility of a riveted joint, both in the longitudinal and transverse
senses. A butt welded joint stands up to fatigue much better than a riveted
joint and it has higher efficiency so far as tensile properties are concerned.
For thase reasons, he could not understand why locomotive engineers persisted
in fabricating boilers by riveting, when numbers of high pressure boilers
for other than locomotive work are welded.
H. Holcroft The cost of locomotive boiler repairs was one of the main items
in the upkeep of locomotives, and anything that can be dane to. minimise
it is greatly to be desired. The Authar describes up-to-date shop methods
by which this can be accomplished, and he has evidently made a great deal
of progress; but it is of little avail to have good organisation unless the
bailer is taken. care of in service. The locomotive shed staffs can do a
great deal towards this, and so can the drivers and firemen in the handling
of their engines; but they cannot do everything if the design is not right
in the first place.
Early in his Paper, the Author stated :-" The thickness of copper through
which the heat has to be conducted is increased from 9/16in.
to 13/16in., and the heat transference is further impeded
by a.coating of scale on the water side. The heat conductivity of metals,
and of copper in particular, is so. great that there is only a difference
in temperature af a few degrees between the fire side and the water side
of the plate. It is true that scale increases the temperature somewhat,
particularly when it gets 1/8in. or less thickness, but I believe that a
great deal of over-heating is simply due to the fact that there is no "solid"
here to conduct the heat away. In other words, a great deal of attention
must be paid to the circulation of water in the boiler when the design is
got out. I remember that when I was at Swindon the late Mr. Churchward attached
great importance to this point, and always made sure there was plenty of
area at the bottom and sides of the boiler for the water to pass freely along
and fill up the front water leg. He increased the width of the tube to give
plenty of room between the tubes which were were imported from Sweden: he
had visited the works in 1912-13 to study their methods. All steel supplied
for locomotive tubes was known as "rimming" steel which was cleverly arranged
that the blow holes were situated in such a part of the ingot that when formed
into a billet and made into a finished tube they were midway between the
inner and outer tube. The late Dr. Stead, of Middlesbrough and others made
exhaustive experiments and found these blow: holes are completely welded
up. During WW1 Messrs. Steel Peech and Tozer were able to produce this steel
in Britain.. H. Chambers (775) noted that the worst problem with pitting
or necking occurs near to the copper tube plate. Two theories have been
promulgated: the first is due to the effects of expansion where the finish
scale is broken away leading to corrosion; or is due to electrolytic action
where the tube is close to the copper tube play. He also wondered if beaded
tubes were worth the extra expense. J.A. Richards (775) commented on the
composition of the steel used for tube manufacture: it needed to have a very
low phosphorus and sulphur contents. J. Clayton, (776) noted that tube
manufacture should be standardized and that one of the Southern Railway works
still stretched tubes, and that tube stretching was extremely useful during
WW1.. R.H. Whitelegg (777-8); T. Henry Turner (779-80) on zinc attack; K.
Cantlie (780-2) experience in countries other than Britain.
Wells, G.M. (Paper No. 331)
Modern machine shop methods and equipment. 785-824. Disc.: 824-5.
Hoare, G.E. (Paper 332)
Tool room practice in the central locomotive works, Moghalpura. 826-64
In India