The Legacy of Steam The age of The Iron

HorsesBy Student

Railroading: A legacyRailroading has had a profound effect across

the world. Even today, rail lines still are in use, hauling both freight and people to their destinations. In this presentation I will walk you through a brief history of the single most iconic machine to operate on rails. The Steam Locomotive.

Pre-Steam (1700s)People, being as innovative as they are, did

find ways for transport before the steam engine. The most common method was horse and buggy, which was functionable... but was also both slow and uncomfortable. Horses were high maintenance, and most horse drawn wagons were not comfort vehicles. And no matter what, there was a limit to the amount that could be hauled by horses, so people kept trying.

Mining TramsMining has always been an important part of

society. But before any kind of powered machinery, all raw material had to be removed by hand. An innovation that was to become mine carts slowly came to relieve the strain placed on worker, allowing them to place larger amounts of material on to a cart that ran on a pair of simple rails, which was to become the groundwork of railroads.

Richard TrevithickRichard Trevithick was a British inventor

born in Cornwall England in 1771. He was the youngest of six children and not respected by his elders. His schoolmaster once reported him as being “disobedient, obstinate and slow.” By the age of nineteen, he was beginning to follow a path of engineering.

Richard Trevithick (cont)Richard proved his former schoolmaster wrong.

He went on to invent a manner of things, but one one of his most famous inventions, is the steam locomotive. All previous steam engines where low pressure, which was safer than high pressure, but could not produce nearly as much force. Trevithick began experimenting with this high pressure in the early 1800s, and by 1802, he had his first high pressure mobile steam engine, the Coalbrookdale Locomotive.

Trevithick Coalbrookdale Loco

The coalbrookdale was the first ever recorded mobile steam engine. This prototype was in service for a short time however, as its primitive design made it dangerous and clumsy to operate, and was scrapped a few years later. A few redesigns made it slightly better, but it was eventually left behind, while others got ahold of the design and began to make there own.

The Coalbrookdale Locomotive

Railroads Grow in Europe (Early 1800’s)

One of the first places that steam engines grew common in mining operations. Already having the rail systems set in, simple steam engines where implemented, of which could haul much more than any people could. The people building the engines made changes to the basic design, slowly building bigger, better, and faster engines.

Railroads began to boom (1820s-1900s)

Once railroads gained a strong foothold in Europe, It quickly began to spread east and west, making a worldwide impact. From Japan to the U.S., railroads began to become an invaluable part of modern infrastructure. Different countries began to make the railroads there own, making changes to design in both rail and engine, leading to a vast spectrum of different models, all based of of Trevithick’s design.

Railroads go to warBy the 1900s, railroads spread across almost every continent, used for both hauling materials and people from destination to destination. Beginning in WWI, railroads where one of the most utilized assets for war efforts. Their ability to haul large amounts of cargo, such as weapons and ammunition as well as soldiers quickly made them popular all around the world.

A line of German armoured artillery cars. These were common sights in Europe during wartime, both on their own and as escorts for for cargo.

Peacetime Even during peacetime, railroads never slowed down. They became more popular than road vehicles on account that they the could haul almost a hundred times more material than any truck or semi could.

Phasing out Steam (1950s-1970s)During the 1950’s steam began a slow decline as it was replaced by the diesel engine, which was regarded as cleaner and more efficient. Diesels took the rails while the steam locomotives were sent to the scrap yards to be cut up and molten down for recycling. Hundreds of engines suffered this fate, while a few were saved and preserved, and others simply abandoned, thus ending the era of the Steam locomotive.

ScrapyardsAs steam was phased out, most, as soon as

there boiler tag expired, instead of fixing them they simply sent them to the scrapyard to be cut up, melted down, and used for other purposes. Some were abandoned before they fully deconstructed them, leaving there rusted, hollow husks corroding into the ground.

Some classic examples of scraping in process. While some parts were saved as spares, some were cut into smaller, more manageable parts and melted down and reforged as other things.

1970s and beyondSince about the 70s, diesel has been the primary type of engine for both cargo and passenger service, and electric monorails have began to grow exponentially in the last 15 years. While diesel and electric seem dominant, in the farthest corners of the world, such as China and Cuba, steam engines still run strong.

Famous LocomotivesIn this next line up I will show you some of the most famous and most memorable of locomotives from around the world.

The LNER a4 Class “Mallard”

On July third, 1938, the A4 Mallard locomotive reached the speed of 126 mph, the fastest recorded speed of any steam locomotive in history. While it is recorded to be the fastest steam locomotive in the world, it is structurally identical to its six surviving A4 brethren. As of now it is currently on display at the National Railway museum, requiring a major overhaul.

The remaining A4s, and their liveries. From top to bottom: The silver Jubilee, the Bittern, The Mallard, The Union of Africa, the Sir Nigel Gresley, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower. Many A4 units where made that were topically identical to the Silver Jubilee, such as the Quicksilver, Silver Link, and Silver Fox. The liveries, or color schemes shown here are just there longest lived versions, but they all have donned a different color at one time in their history.

The 5700 Pannier tank engine was one of the most built and most successful engines on The Great Western Railroad. The first came about in the early 40s, and because of the diverse amount of uses for it such as shunting in yards, or mainline work, a total of 790 engines of this class were built.

GWR 5700 Class Pannier Tank

GWR’s no. 7714, one of only 16 of the 5700 class preserved today. It was withdrawn in 1959, but luckily put in preservation. It is currently undergoing a major overhaul, (a major rebuild) and should be back in service in late 2015.

A1X Stroudley Terrier “Stepney”

“Stepney”, as the engine has been named, was the first engine to belong to the famous Bluebell Railway. It is one of the last of its class in existence, and by far the most famous. It was out of service and on display for nearly 40 years until 2010, when it was finally overhauled and repainted.

“Stepney” in his original colors. As of 2010, he has been recolored to his later black and grey livery, though is scheduled to to be repainted in this scheme after a major overhaul sometime in the near future.

The Union Pacific had 25 4000-Class articulated locomotives to haul freight on their line. The number 4014 was the first built by the American Locomotive Company in 1941. One of the most recognizable features of these units are there record breaking size, which is what earned the them the name “Big Boy”, and to this date no class of steam engine has matched its size.

Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big Boy”

An image of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014. Measuring in at about 132 feet long, its running gear which the wheels rotate in order to handle curves. The total weight of this double-expansion engine is about 1,200,000 pounds.

The UP No. 4014 Compared to a human, school bus, etc.

The e2 class was built in the early 1900’s, and is one of the most recognizable steam engines in the world. Most had a service life of about 50 years, but they have become an icon as something you probably recognize. Thomas the Tank Engine!

Billington e2-class 0-6-0t

A billinton E-2 with extended side tanks. The creator of Thomas The Tank, Wilbert Awdry, chose this as the basis for his character Thomas because it was the first model train he got for his son, Christopher. Most of his characters are based upon model trains he got for his son, such as a Pannier tank character, of whom he called “Duck”, do to the model having a bent axle giving it a waddling look as it moved.

While steam may never run on the mainline like it did in its glory days, and most were lost to the heat of the cutting torch, hundreds of preserved engines around the world run on heritage lines, keeping the history of the iron horses alive.

The Future of Steam

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