The Legacy of Steam
The age of The Iron Horses
By Student
Railroading: A legacy
Railroading 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 Trams
Mining 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 Trevithick
Richard 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 (1820s1900s)
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 war
By 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 (1950s1970s)
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.
Scrapyards
As 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 beyond
Since 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 Locomotives
In 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.
GWR 5700 Class Pannier
Tank
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’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.
Union Pacific No. 4014 “Big
Boy”
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.
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.
Billington e2-class 0-6-0t
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!
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.
The Future of Steam
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.
Bibliography
"Penydarren Locomotive & Richard Trevithick." Penydarren Locomotive & Richard Trevithick. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Steam Trains and Railways." The History of Steam Trains and Railways in Britain. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
https://campus.fsu.edu/bbcswebdav/users/jcalhoun/Economic_Standards/Puffert%20%20The%20Standardization%20of%20Track%20Gauge.pdfhttp:/
"Penydarren Locomotive & Richard Trevithick." Penydarren Locomotive & Richard Trevithick. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Locos In Profile. N.p., n.d. Web.