Steam locomotive

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41 018 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn climbing the famous Schiefe Ebene, 2016.

The LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard built in Doncaster is the fastest steam locomotive, reaching 126 mph
(203 km/h) on 3 July 1938.

The LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to officially reach 100 mph
(160 km/h) on 30 November 1934

41 018 climbing the Schiefe Ebene with 01 1066 as pusher locomotive (video 34.4 MB).

A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through
a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material – usually coal,
wood, or oil – to produce steam in a boiler. The steam moves reciprocating pistons which are
mechanically connected to the locomotive's main wheels (drivers). Both fuel and water supplies
are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled
behind.
 Steam locomotives were first developed in the United Kingdom during the early 19th century and
used for railway transport until the middle of the 20th century. Richard Trevithick built the first
steam locomotive in 1802. The first commercially successful steam locomotive was built in 1812–
13 by John Blenkinsop.[1] Locomotion No. 1, built by George Stephenson and his son Robert's
company Robert Stephenson and Company, was the first steam locomotive to haul passengers
on a public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. In 1830, George Stephenson
opened the first public inter-city railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Robert
Stephenson and Company was the pre-eminent builder of steam locomotives for railways in the
United Kingdom, the United States, and much of Europe in the first decades of steam.[2]
In the 20th century, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern
Railway (LNER) Nigel Gresley designed some of the most famous locomotives, including
the Flying Scotsman, the first steam locomotive officially recorded over 100 mph in passenger
service, and a LNER Class A4, 4468 Mallard, which still holds the record for being the fastest
steam locomotive in the world (126 mph).[3]
From the early 1900s, steam locomotives were gradually superseded by electric and diesel
locomotives, with railways fully converting to electric and diesel power beginning in the late
1930s. The majority of steam locomotives were retired from regular service by the 1980s,
although several continue to run on tourist and heritage lines.

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Britain
 1.1.1George Stephenson
o 1.2United States
o 1.3Continental Europe
 2Basic form
o 2.1Boiler
o 2.2Steam circuit
o 2.3Running gear
o 2.4Chassis
o 2.5Fuel and water
o 2.6Crew
 3Fittings and appliances
o 3.1Steam pumps and injectors
o 3.2Boiler insulation
o 3.3Safety valves
o 3.4Pressure gauge
o 3.5Spark arrestors and smokeboxes
o 3.6Stokers
o 3.7Feedwater heating
o 3.8Condensers and water re-supply
o 3.9Braking
o 3.10Lubrication
o 3.11Blower
o 3.12Buffers
o 3.13Pilots
o 3.14Headlights
o 3.15Bells and whistles
o 3.16Automatic control
o 3.17Booster engines
o 3.18Firedoor
 4Variations
 o 4.1Cylinders
o 4.2Valve gear
o 4.3Compounding
o 4.4Articulated locomotives
o 4.5Duplex types
o 4.6Geared locomotives
o 4.7Cab forward
o 4.8Steam turbines
o 4.9Fireless locomotive
o 4.10Mixed power
 5Categorisation
 6Performance
o 6.1Measurement
o 6.2Relation to wheel arrangement
 7Manufacture
o 7.1Most manufactured classes
o 7.2United Kingdom
o 7.3Sweden
o 7.4United States
o 7.5Australia
 8The end of steam in general use
o 8.1United States
o 8.2Britain
o 8.3Germany
o 8.4Russia
o 8.5China
o 8.6Japan
o 8.7South Korea
o 8.8India
o 8.9South Africa
o 8.10Other countries
 9Revival
 10Climate change
 11Steam locomotives in popular culture
 12See also
o 12.1General
o 12.2Types of steam locomotives
o 12.3Historic locomotives
 13References
 14Bibliography
 15Further reading
 16External links

History[edit]
See also: History of rail transport and Category:Early steam locomotives
Britain[edit]
The earliest railways employed horses to draw carts along rail tracks.[4] In 1784, William
Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, built a small-scale prototype of a steam road locomotive
in Birmingham.[5] A full-scale rail steam locomotive was proposed by William Reynolds around
1787.[6] An early working model of a steam rail locomotive was designed and constructed by
steamboat pioneer John Fitch in the US during 1794.[7] His steam locomotive used interior bladed
wheels guided by rails or tracks. The model still exists at the Ohio Historical Society Museum in
Columbus.[8] The authenticity and date of this locomotive is disputed by some experts and a
workable steam train would have to await the invention of the high-pressure steam
engine by Richard Trevithick, who pioneered the use of steam locomotives.[9]

Trevithick's 1802 Coalbrookdale locomotive

The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive, was the 3 ft (914 mm)
gauge Coalbrookdale Locomotive, built by Trevithick in 1802. It was constructed for
the Coalbrookdale ironworks in Shropshire in the United Kingdom though no record of it working
there has survived.[10] On 21 February 1804, the first recorded steam-hauled railway journey took
place as another of Trevithick's locomotives hauled a train along
the 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) tramway from the Pen-y-darren ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil,
to Abercynon in South Wales.[11][12] Accompanied by Andrew Vivian, it ran with mixed
success.[13] The design incorporated a number of important innovations that included using high-
pressure steam which reduced the weight of the engine and increased its efficiency.
Trevithick visited the Newcastle area in 1804 and had a ready audience of colliery (coal mine)
owners and engineers. The visit was so successful that the colliery railways in north-east
England became the leading centre for experimentation and development of the steam
locomotive.[14] Trevithick continued his own steam propulsion experiments through another trio of
locomotives, concluding with the Catch Me Who Can in 1808.

The Salamanca locomotive

The Locomotion at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum

In 1812, Matthew Murray's successful twin-cylinder rack locomotive Salamanca first ran on
the edge-railed rack-and-pinion Middleton Railway.[15] Another well-known early locomotive
was Puffing Billy, built 1813–14 by engineer William Hedley. It was intended to work on the
Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne. This locomotive is the oldest preserved, and is on
static display in the Science Museum, London.
George Stephenson[edit]
George Stephenson, a former miner working as an engine-wright at Killingworth Colliery,
developed up to sixteen Killingworth locomotives, including Blücher in 1814, another in 1815, and
a (newly-identified) Killingworth Billy in 1816. He also constructed The Duke in 1817 for
the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway, which was the first steam locomotive to work in Scotland.
In 1825, George Stephenson built Locomotion No. 1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway,
north-east England, which was the first public steam railway in the world. In 1829, his son Robert
built in Newcastle The Rocket which was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. This success led
to the company emerging as the pre-eminent builder of steam locomotives used on railways in
the UK, US and much of Europe.[16] The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened a year later
making exclusive use of steam power for passenger and goods trains.