Engine

Origins

The first engine to have functioned was built by English, Richard Trevithick. In 1804 its Locomotive with vapor tractor drew a train on the rails of the steel-works of Penydarren close to Merthyr Tydfil with the Wales. In fact, the engine which drew a train from 10 tons iron and 70 passengers installed in five coaches out of the fifteen kilometers of the way were too heavy for the rails of cast iron used at the time. The engine made only three voyages before being abandoned. Trevithick built a series of other engines after the experiment of Penydarren, of which one which circulated in a coal mine and which was noticed by the young person George Stephenson.

The first engine with vapor to carry out a business service was the Salamander of Matthew Murray, planned for the lines with toothed rack of the Middleton Railway, in 1812. It was followed in 1813 by Puffing billy, built by Christopher Blackett and William Hedley for the railroad of the mine Wylam, first engine with adherence alone. This machine, oldest to remain, is presented today to the Science Museum of London.

In 1814, George Stephenson, inspired by the former engines of Trevithick and Hedley persuaded the director of the coal mines of Killingworth where he worked to authorize it to build a machine with vapor. It built the Blücher engine, whose wheels were equipped with rolls. Stephenson played an important role in the development and the diffusion of the engines with vapor. The elements which it designed improved work of the pioneers. In 1825 it builds the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway which became the first railroad open to the public. In 1929, it builds the Rocket, which contributed and gained the Concours of Rainhill. This success carried out Stephenson to found one of the first companies constructors of engines, which will receive orders of all Europe and the United States.

See also : History of the railroads

Engines and Motorized

Advantages of the engines

There are many reasons which explain why the function of traction of the trains was, traditionally, insulated in the engine, rather than distributed in a self-propelled vehicle. These reasons include/understand:

the aspect practices : if the engine breaks down, one can easily replace it by another. A breakdown of the traction part thus does not put the whole of the train except service;
the maximum use of the capacity of traction : the traction part is more expensive than the remainder, and thus is more expensive when it is immobilized. To separate the engines makes it possible to use the capacity of traction in an optimal way;
the flexibility : more powerful engines can be substituted for smaller when the need is felt some, for example at the time of a passage of plain in mountain, requiring more power;
the cycle of obsolescence : to separate the traction part of the towed load makes it possible to replace one without affecting the other. For example, the technique of traction of a machine can be exceeded whereas its comfort remains satisfactory, or the opposite.

Advantages of the motorized one

The use of motorized has also its advantages, which must be compared with those of the engines:

energy efficiency: the Automotrice S have a better output than tractor drawn oars and they are less prone to ice-skating, particularly in slope, the mass of the train (in the majority of the cases) being placed around the wheels, whereas an engine can count only on its own mass;
not need to turn over the engine : the majority of motorized have a driving cabin at each end, which makes it possible to change the direction of walk by changing cabin simply. There are not need either to uncouple/réatteler the engine, which allows a faster change of direction and increases safety;
reliability: the majority of motorized have several engines, distributed in the train. In the event of breakdown of the one of the engines, it is sometimes possible to continue with a power of reduced traction and to arrive at destination. However, of many engines intended for freight several engines have, with the result that they can also continue to circulate;
safety : the motorized ones often have completely independent brakes on each car, which wants to say that a breakdown of brake on an element will not prevent the train stopping.

Classification by mode of traction

The engines can draw their power from fuels (wood, coal, oil, natural gas), or it can draw it from an electric source. It is frequent to classify the engines by energy source. Most frequently met are quoted below.

Vapor

Diesel

Gas turbine

Electric

Magnetic levitation

Hybrid

There exist some prototypes Czech Japan board and of engines functioning partly on diesel and partly on batteries, reloaded during brakings or, for the Japanese prototype by a Combustible battery. In mountainous area, the brake by recovery would allow a saving in fuel 20%. A series of Power trolley S hybrids at summer ordered in 2004 by the Pacific Union and the National Canadian. A saving in 90% of particulate emission has Pu being observed since the startup of these machines compared to a traditional diesel.

Experimental modes

There are some other modes of propulsion in experimentation.

In 2006, the company Parry People Movers produced a light vehicle on rail mû by the energy stored in a Volant of inertia to the manner of the small cars “with friction”. The wheel is put in rotation by an electrical motor supplied with batteries, or, on another prototype, by a petrol engine. Rotation is also maintained during brakings. It also was proposed to launch and maintain rotation in stations, which would increase the costs of installation, but would reduce those of exploitation and, by reducing the vehicles, would increase their autonomy.

The system of wheel of inertia was tested on several lines, of which networks with way of 60 of the Ffestiniog Railway, the Welsh Highland Railway as well as the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. The first service on regular line was launched in February 2006 in order to ensure Sunday the service road of a small line between the station of Stourbridge junction and Stourbridge Town the the United Kingdom. This system seems more developed in the field of the urban transport

Classification according to the use

The three principal categories of engines are often subdivided according to their role. Thus, there are engines for trains of passengers, others specialized for the goods trains and finally the shunters. These categories result from two characteristics of the machines: effort with starting (and thus the tractor drawn load) and maximum speed. For example, an engine designed for the goods trains has an effort with starting making it possible to take off 1500 T on the level, but its top speed is of 90 km/h. Contrary, an engine for trains of passengers will not be able to take off of very heavy train (500 T for example, which represents 11 Corail cars), but will be able to reach the speed of 160 km/h. The case of the shunters is particular, since they are machines designed to develop an uninterrupted effort at very low speed, for example in the Triage S. Their power is intermediate, very often lower than that of the machines planned for freight. These engines often have a cabin exceeding the caps in order to provide a better visibility.

There exist engines able to fulfill several roles at the same time, thanks to a change of gear ratio or via electronics of power. Many European engines are of this type, contrary to the American machines remaining strongly directed towards the goods, and of which only very a small portion will be brought to circulate beyond 140 km/h. The load of the trains in Europe and the possibility of putting the machines in multiple units facilitate the diffusion of such engines.

For the engines with vapor, simple means of recognizing their type are to look at the size of the wheels. Indeed, the pistons (thus effort) there being directly connected, one realizes that for a blow of piston, an engine equipped with large wheels will traverse a distance higher than another equipped with small wheels, but that with energy provided to the piston equalizes, that having smaller wheels will be more powerful. This is why the engines specialized with the service of the goods often have several small wheels connected, whereas the engines passengers have less coupled but very large axles, up to 2 m for the 241 P, for example.

Some engines are especially designed for the railroads of mountain, adding to the usual mechanisms of the brakes and sometimes of the toothed racks. The engines with vapor designed for such a service often have an inclined boiler, in order to guarantee that the hearth is always surrounded by water to heat, without what it could be very seriously deteriorated.

See too

Internal bonds

Rail-car
electric Diesel loco
Locomotive
Motorized
Locomotive with vapor

Classifications:

Some manufacturers of engines:

Alstom
General Electric
Bomber Transport
Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik (SLM), which belongs now to Stadler

External bonds

Locomotive with vapor international

Random links: