166-568: Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially located in Manchester , England . The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co. . It moved to Glasgow , Scotland , in 1888, eventually amalgamating with two other Glaswegian locomotive manufacturers to form the North British Locomotive Company . Iron merchant Thomas Sharp and mechanical engineer Richard Roberts first formed
332-458: A 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (3.6 km) branch into the spa town. This opened on 3 June 1885 and the original Strathpeffer station was renamed Achterneed. On 10 October 1892 the Burghead branch was extended 2 miles (3.2 km) along the coast to Hopeman . Fochabers was served by two stations, both inconvenient. The Inverness & Aberdeen Railway had opened a Fochabers station in 1858, but this
498-650: A Scottish inventor, built a small-scale prototype of a steam road locomotive in Birmingham . A full-scale rail steam locomotive was proposed by William Reynolds around 1787. An early working model of a steam rail locomotive was designed and constructed by steamboat pioneer John Fitch in the US during 1794. Some sources claim Fitch's model was operable already by the 1780s and that he demonstrated his locomotive to George Washington . His steam locomotive used interior bladed wheels guided by rails or tracks. The model still exists at
664-635: 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, 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
830-632: A 1,052-foot (321 m) summit at Dava, then to Grantown and the River Spey to Kingussie , before another climb to a summit at the Pass of Druimuachdar , at 1,484 feet (452 m) the highest in Britain. The line then descended to Birnam , 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (24.9 km) from Perth and linked to Perth by the Perth & Dunkeld Railway since 1856. Although a similar route had been rejected in 1845 because of
996-553: A 24-mile (39 km) long line along the Great Glen from Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus, 30 miles (48 km) from Inverness. Three proposals, from the Highland, West Highland and Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway, to extend this railway to Inverness were presented to Parliament the following year, and all failed after costly litigation. After costly construction the line was complete in 1901, but with no money left to buy rolling stock,
1162-555: A British line, the "Jones Goods" of the Highland Railway . By the end of the century they were supplying railways at home and all over the world. Between 1898 and 1901, Sharp, Stewart and Company supplied no less than 16 4-6-0 and 4 4-8-0 locomotives to New Zealand Railways . The 4-8-0 B class locomotives survived till the end of steam either as-built, or as 4-6-4T engines of the We class. The 4-6-0 locomotives were dumped in rivers and on
1328-448: A balance has to be struck between obtaining sufficient draught for combustion whilst giving the exhaust gases and particles sufficient time to be consumed. In the past, a strong draught could lift the fire off the grate, or cause the ejection of unburnt particles of fuel, dirt and pollution for which steam locomotives had an unenviable reputation. Moreover, the pumping action of the exhaust has the counter-effect of exerting back pressure on
1494-483: A crankpin on the driving wheel ( Main driver in the US) or to a crank on a driving axle. The movement of the valves in the steam chest is controlled through a set of rods and linkages called the valve gear , actuated from the driving axle or from the crankpin; the valve gear includes devices that allow reversing the engine, adjusting valve travel and the timing of the admission and exhaust events. The cut-off point determines
1660-542: A daily Jellicoe Express passenger special, which ran between London and Thurso in about 22 hours. In 1923, the company passed on approximately 494 miles (795 km) of line as it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway . Although its shorter branches have closed, former Highland Railway lines remain open from Inverness to Wick and Thurso, Kyle of Lochalsh, Keith (as part of the Aberdeen to Inverness Line ), as well as
1826-606: A dark green with numbers on the buffer beam . The Inverness & Nairn opened in 1855 with two 2-2-2 locomotives with four wheeled tenders, built by Hawthorns of Leith , with a weather board to protect the engine men. Two more were bought by the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction in 1857 and another two were built in 1862, with cabs, by Hawthorns for the Inverness & Ross-shire Railway. These early locomotives had all been scrapped by 1901. Between 1862 and 1864 another eighteen were delivered, slightly larger and with six-wheel tenders;
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#17328693963261992-535: A day covered the 161 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (259.9 km) from Inverness to Wick in between 7 and 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours, by 1885 the fastest trains were taking 6 hours, and in 1914 the Further North Express took 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. Only certain routes are practicable in the Highlands due to the terrain, but from Dingwall it was possible to reach Kyle of Lochalsh on the west coast, opposite
2158-510: A day ran between Inverness and Nairn, horse-drawn coaches providing a link to Keith and thereby Aberdeen via the Great North of Scotland Railway. The Inverness & Nairn planned an extension as far as Elgin ; between Elgin and Keith the River Spey needed to be crossed. The GNoSR offered £40,000 towards a bridge and the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (IAJR) was given authority for
2324-454: A day were provided, either connecting with trains or providing through carriages at Dingwall. One train a day connected with steamers from Strome Ferry to Portree on Skye, and to Stornoway on Lewis . No Sunday services were provided, possibly because the traffic wasn't sufficient, but also it recorded that on a Sunday in 1883 villagers at Strome Ferry, determined to keep the Sabbath , prevented
2490-410: A deployable "water scoop" fitted under the tender or the rear water tank in the case of a large tank engine; the fireman remotely lowered the scoop into the trough, the speed of the engine forced the water up into the tank, and the scoop was raised again once it was full. Water is essential for the operation of a steam locomotive. As Swengel argued: Highland Railway The Highland Railway (HR)
2656-405: A doubled headed train with 37 carriages, including 12 horseboxes, from ten railway companies. This train was banked from Blair Atholl. The only train to run on Sundays was the mail train, except between 1878 and 1891 when the Inverness to Perth night train ran Sunday nights. Permission for a more direct route to Perth, south via Moy and Carrbridge before joining the existing line at Aviemore,
2822-489: A few miles out of Inverness and between Dalwhinnie and Blair Atholl . There are eleven services a day to Perth that continue onto either Glasgow or Edinburgh. The daily Highland Chieftain service from London King's Cross still runs, taking about eight hours for the journey and the Caledonian Sleeper operates between London Euston to Inverness on six nights a week. The Aberdeen to Inverness Line currently uses
2988-467: A frustrated Great North applied to Parliament in 1895 for running powers to Inverness, but withdrew after it was agreed that the Railway & Canal Commissioners would arbitrate in the matter. With no judgement by 1897, the Great North again prepared to apply again for running powers over the Highland to Inverness, this time agreeing to double track the line, but the commissioners published their finding before
3154-429: A gauge mounted in the cab. Steam pressure can be released manually by the driver or fireman. If the pressure reaches the boiler's design working limit, a safety valve opens automatically to reduce the pressure and avoid a catastrophic accident. The exhaust steam from the engine cylinders shoots out of a nozzle pointing up the chimney in the smokebox. The steam entrains or drags the smokebox gases with it which maintains
3320-438: A line between Inverness and Nairn , together with a 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (0.80 km) branch to Inverness Harbour, on 24 July 1854. The line opened ceremonially on 5 November 1855 when a train of thirty vehicles, mainly goods wagons fitted with seats, made a return journey. Intermediate stations opened at Culloden (later Allanfearn ), Dalcross , Fort George (later Gollanfield Junction ) and Cawdor . Initially three trains
3486-471: A line from Craigendoran to Fort William , which would have given a more direct route south. Permission for the extension to Kyle of Lochalsh was granted in 1893, and after heavy engineering works the extension to Kyle of Lochalsh opened on 2 November 1897. The West Highland opened a competitive port at Mallaig in 1901, but the Highland kept the mail contract and the traffic between Skye and mainland Scotland. Fort George station, between Inverness and Nairn,
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#17328693963263652-568: A line from Nairn and Keith in July 1856. A temporary station at Dalvey, west of the River Findhorn , opened on 22 December 1857, to close when the line extended to Elgin on 25 March 1858. Keith , and the GNoSR, was reached on 18 August 1858. Three services a day ran between Inverness and Aberdeen, Aberdeen being reached in between 5 hours 55 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes. The Spey Bridge was unfinished when
3818-481: A lower pressure in the smokebox than that under the firebox grate. This pressure difference causes air to flow up through the coal bed and keeps the fire burning. The search for thermal efficiency greater than that of a typical fire-tube boiler led engineers, such as Nigel Gresley , to consider the water-tube boiler . Although he tested the concept on the LNER Class W1 , the difficulties during development exceeded
3984-433: A lower reciprocating mass than three, four, five or six coupled axles. They were thus able to turn at very high speeds due to the lower reciprocating mass. A trailing axle was able to support a huge firebox, hence most locomotives with the wheel arrangement of 4-4-2 (American Type Atlantic) were called free steamers and were able to maintain steam pressure regardless of throttle setting. The chassis, or locomotive frame ,
4150-508: A new ship, named Ferret , was purchased to replace Jura . It was found that most of the work could be carried out with Carham , and Ferret was offered for charter. A three-month lease was agreed and paid for, but the ship went missing. It was discovered later in Melbourne , Australia, when offered for sale under an assumed name that the port authorities could not identify in the records. The company withdrew in favour of MacBrayne 's running
4316-630: A number of Swiss steam shunting locomotives were modified to use electrically heated boilers, consuming around 480 kW of power collected from an overhead line with a pantograph . These locomotives were significantly less efficient than electric ones ; they were used because Switzerland was suffering a coal shortage because of the War, but had access to plentiful hydroelectricity . A number of tourist lines and heritage locomotives in Switzerland, Argentina and Australia have used light diesel-type oil. Water
4482-456: 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
4648-566: A partnership, Sharp, Roberts & Co. (about which, see also company section in article on Roberts ), to manufacture textile machinery and machine tools. They opened the Atlas Works in Manchester in 1828. They had built a few stationary steam engines, and in 1833 built a locomotive, Experiment for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . It was a four-wheeled 2-2-0 with vertical cylinders over
4814-459: A rigid frame with a 30% weight reduction. Generally, the largest locomotives are permanently coupled to a tender that carries the water and fuel. Often, locomotives working shorter distances do not have a tender and carry the fuel in a bunker, with the water carried in tanks placed next to the boiler. The tanks can be in various configurations, including two tanks alongside ( side tanks or pannier tanks ), one on top ( saddle tank ) or one between
4980-401: A tank in the locomotive tender or wrapped around the boiler in the case of a tank locomotive . Periodic stops are required to refill the tanks; an alternative was a scoop installed under the tender that collected water as the train passed over a track pan located between the rails. While the locomotive is producing steam, the amount of water in the boiler is constantly monitored by looking at
5146-603: A through daytime service from Inverness to London via Perth started in 1974 with the Clansman , and this was replaced in 1984 by the Highland Chieftain with a schedule of about 8 + 3 ⁄ 4 hours. Currently , the Highland Railway's main lines out of Inverness are used by ScotRail services to Perth, Keith, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Wick and Thurso. The line south to Perth is single track, apart from double track for
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5312-475: Is crucial to the efficiency of any steam locomotive, and the internal profiles of the chimney (or, strictly speaking, the ejector ) require careful design and adjustment. This has been the object of intensive studies by a number of engineers (and often ignored by others, sometimes with catastrophic consequences). The fact that the draught depends on the exhaust pressure means that power delivery and power generation are automatically self-adjusting. Among other things,
5478-419: Is directed upwards out of the locomotive through the chimney, by way of a nozzle called a blastpipe , creating the familiar "chuffing" sound of the steam locomotive. The blastpipe is placed at a strategic point inside the smokebox that is at the same time traversed by the combustion gases drawn through the boiler and grate by the action of the steam blast. The combining of the two streams, steam and exhaust gases,
5644-423: Is served by four trains a day from Inverness to Wick, via Thurso, taking about 4 + 1 ⁄ 4 hours, supplemented by four services to Invergordon, Tain or Ardgay. The Kyle Line is served by four trains a day from Inverness that take about 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. The Heritage Strathspey Railway operates seasonal services over the former Highland Railway route from Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey via
5810-415: Is the principal structure onto which the boiler is mounted and which incorporates the various elements of the running gear. The boiler is rigidly mounted on a "saddle" beneath the smokebox and in front of the boiler barrel, but the firebox at the rear is allowed to slide forward and backwards, to allow for expansion when hot. European locomotives usually use "plate frames", where two vertical flat plates form
5976-479: The 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (25.3 km) to reach Rosemarkie , and the line to Fortrose was opened on 1 February 1894, and work did not start on the planned extension. Although it was possible for a ferry to Skye to pick up passengers at Strome Ferry, a port at the original terminus at Kyle of Lochalsh would have been more convenient. However, in 1889 the West Highland Railway was authorised to build
6142-432: The 7 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (11.7 km) of Scottish North Eastern Railway (SNER) line from Stanley Junction to Perth. Apart from this line and that between Inverness and Dalcross, this was all single track railway. Andrew Dougall, who had been founding General Manager of both railways, became its first General Manager. William Barclay had been locomotive supervisor for both constituent railways, resigned in 1865, and
6308-874: The Drache , was delivered in 1848. The first steam locomotives operating in Italy were the Bayard and the Vesuvio , running on the Napoli-Portici line, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The first railway line over Swiss territory was the Strasbourg – Basel line opened in 1844. Three years later, in 1847, the first fully Swiss railway line, the Spanisch Brötli Bahn , from Zürich to Baden
6474-696: The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) between Inverness and Aberdeen and so link up with the railways to the south; the Perth & Inverness Railway, proposing a direct route over the Grampian Mountains to Perth; and the Aberdeen, Banff & Elgin Railway, with a route that followed the coast to better serve the Banffshire and Morayshire fishing ports. The Aberdeen, Banff & Elgin failed to raise funds and
6640-647: The Isle of Skye . Permission was granted in 1865, but landowners in Strathpeffer opposed the railway and created difficulties buying the land. In 1868, permission was granted for a different route, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north of the spa town. The terminus was 10 miles (16 km) short to Strome Ferry , because of the cost of building a line around the coast to the Kyle of Lochalsh. The railway opened on 5 August 1870 for goods and passengers were carried from 19 August. Two trains
6806-579: The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in Cumbria. In 1862, the company began making larger engines, first some 4-6-0 saddle tank engines for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway . By 1865 they were building 0-8-0s , again for India . Since they were also dealing in general brass and ironmongery, and machine tools, it became necessary to move, which they did in 1888. They took over and moved to
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6972-574: The Ohio Historical Society Museum in Columbus, US. 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. The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive was the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) gauge Coalbrookdale Locomotive built by Trevithick in 1802. It
7138-471: The Pass of Killiecrankie . The line was initially single track with passing loops at stations, the IAJR doubling the track for 6 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (10.9 km) between Inverness and Dalcross in 1864. Work started in 1861, and the 13 miles from Dunkeld to Pitlochry opened on 1 June 1863. To allow access to the new line from both Keith and Inverness a new triangular station was built at Forres south of
7304-587: The Pennsylvania Railroad class S1 achieved speeds upwards of 150 mph, though this was never officially proven. In the United States, larger loading gauges allowed the development of very large, heavy locomotives such as the Union Pacific Big Boy , which weighs 540 long tons (550 t ; 600 short tons ) and has a tractive effort of 135,375 pounds-force (602,180 newtons). Beginning in
7470-479: The West Highland Railway later applied for a line from Glasgow to Fort William and Spean Bridge , but permission was given in 1889 and the line opened in 1894. Lines from Spean Bridge to Inverness were proposed by both the Highland and West Highland Railways in 1893 but after negotiation, both companies agreed to withdraw their bills. In 1895 the West Highland proposed building a line from Fort William to Mallaig ,
7636-480: The railway mania bubble had burst and the necessary finances could not be raised. Construction eventually began in November 1852, albeit only 39 miles (63 km) to Huntly , and this line was officially opened on 19 September 1854. An extension to Keith , halfway between Aberdeen and Inverness, opened on 11 October 1856. Meanwhile the 15-mile (24 km) Inverness & Nairn Railway had been given permission for
7802-523: The 1860s and had the necessary authority in 1866, but had failed to raise the necessary funds. The Sutherland & Caithness was authorised to take over the route of the Thurso and Wick railway, and extend the line south to link up with the Duke of Sutherland's railway at Helmsdale. With the Duke of Sutherland subscribing £60,000 and the Highland railway £50,000, the railway opened on 28 July 1874. Initially two trains
7968-515: The 1969 timetable there were early morning trains between Aberdeen and Inverurie, and five services a day between Aberdeen to Inverness, supplemented by two Aberdeen to Elgin services that by the late 1970s were running through to Inverness. In 1962 the Elizabethan ' s six-hour schedule between London and Edinburgh meant a 9:30 am London departure gave a 9:30 pm arrival at Inverness, with 33 minutes allowed for changing trains at Edinburgh, and
8134-507: The 31 miles (50 km), and one train a day on Sundays, the mail train. A 26 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (42.6 km) extension to Bonar Bridge (later Ardgay ) was authorised as the Ross-shire Extension Act on 11 May 1863. The line opened as far as Meikle Ferry on 1 June 1864 and to Bonar Bridge on 1 October 1864. Initially connections to the ferry were provided from Meikle Ferry , but these began to serve Bonar Bridge soon after
8300-562: The Burghead and Fochabers branches in 1931. Sunday services were restored in 1929 with a train in each direction between Perth and Inverness via Forres. Third Class sleeping berths between London and Scotland were available from 1928, although the Glasgow to Inverness remained first class only until 1932. From 1936 it was possible to travel from London to Inverness by day, albeit with changes at Edinburgh and Perth. The railways were again placed under government control on 1 September 1939, and Britain
8466-553: The Dornoch Light Railway in 1960 as a result of competition from road transport. The former junction station at Stanley closed in 1956. In 1960 twenty stations closed on the line to Wick and Thurso, resulting in significant time savings. The line was diverted on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line in 1954 to allow the level of Loch Luichart to be raised for a hydro-electric project. In 1963 Dr Beeching published his report "The Reshaping of British Railways", which recommended closing
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#17328693963268632-417: The GNoSR had two lines to Elgin that, although longer than the Highland's direct line, served more populous areas. The coastal route between Keith and Elgin was 87 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (140.8 km) long but had easier gradients than the 80 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (130.0 km) via Craigellachie. The Highland's main line south from Inverness was via Forres and the GNoSR felt that the Highland treated
8798-562: The Grampians between 1901 and 1909. Snow could close the line for days during the winter, and snow fences were erected beside the railway. The Highland had three types of snow plough; a small one that was fitted to locomotives, now capable of hauling trains through 2 feet (0.61 m) drifts. If the snow was less than 5 feet (1.5 m) deep, a pilot engine with a larger plough would precede the train. An even larger plough could be used with three or four locomotives coupled together. Dava Moor and
8964-493: The Great Glen to Inverness. Backed by the North British Railway, this would have reduced the distance by rail between Glasgow and Inverness from 207 miles (333 km) to 160 miles (260 km). The Highland, concerned about competition from a shorter route, argued that there was insufficient traffic travelling south from Inverness for two lines, and the proposal was rejected by Parliament. The Highland opposed again when
9130-455: The Great North at Keith and Elgin, and a service connected at Elgin with an Aberdeen train that had divided en route to travel via the coast and Craigellachie. However, the Highland cancelled the traffic agreement and withdrew two connecting trains in 1893, complaining that they were not paying. One of the trains was re-instated after an appeal was made to the Railway & Canal Commissioners and
9296-422: The Great North for a line from Portsoy along the coast through Buckie to Elgin, and the Highland for a branch from Keith to Buckie and Cullen . Authority was granted, but in the case of the Highland Railway only for a 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (22.1 km) line as far as Portessie , with running rights over the Great North coast line between Buckie and Portsoy and the Great North obtaining reciprocal rights over
9462-474: The Great North of Scotland Railways was accepted by the Great North shareholders in early 1906, but the Highland board withdrew after opposition from a minority of their shareholders. The Aberdeen and Inverness trains were jointly worked after 1908 and locomotives were no longer exchanged at Keith or Elgin; between 1914 and 1916 the Highland paid the GNoSR to provide locomotives for all of the services through to Inverness. Sunday services were withdrawn in 1920 after
9628-449: The Highland Railway, services starting on 2 June 1902. Another Light Railway, approved in 1899, ran 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (22.1 km) south from Wick to Lybster , was supported by a Treasury grant of £25,000. This line opened on 1903, worked by the Highland at cost price, and Lybster harbour was improved by the Duke of Portland . Following negotiations, amalgamation of the Highland and
9794-465: The Highland objecting as it would compete with their line to Strome Ferry and its planned extension to Kyle of Lochalsh on journeys to Skye . Permission was given and the North British and West Highland Railways both agreed not to sponsor any line through the Great Glen for ten years. The Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway was a local company and despite opposition, received permission in 1896 for
9960-414: The Highland railway between Elgin and Forres. The Portessie branch opened on 1 August 1884 and the Highland did not exercise its running rights over the GNoSR, thus preventing the Great North running over its lines west of Elgin. The Dingwall & Skye had needed to avoid Strathpeffer, and their station on the main line was 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (2.4 km) away. The Highland obtained authority for
10126-453: The Highland re-timed the train and broke the connection at Elgin. The Great North applied to the Board of Trade for an order for two connections a day at Elgin. This was refused, but in 1886 the Great North and Highland railways came to an agreement to pool receipts from the stations between Grange and Elgin and refer any disputes to an arbiter. The midday Highland train was re-timed to connect with
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#173286939632610292-597: The Highland suggested that the three companies run a carriage two days a week; however the Caledonian protested as it would haul only two days a week, whereas the North British Railway would work the other four. For a while, sleeping cars were withdrawn north of Perth; a few years later the Midland Railway withdrew its winter sleeping carriages and the London terminus alternated between Euston and King's Cross. The line north of
10458-463: The IAJR in 1862. The IAJR also opened a 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (8.9 km) branch from Alves to Burghead on 22 December 1862. The Inverness & Ross-shire Railway was given permission on 3 July 1860 to build a railway the 31 miles (50 km) from Inverness to Invergordon . After the section to Dingwall was complete and given the necessary permission by the Board of Trade on 10 June 1862,
10624-454: The North British bought the line for £27,000 in 1914. The line became part of the London and North Eastern Railway after the grouping. Passenger services were withdrawn on 1 December 1933, after which a coal train ran on Saturdays until the line closed completely on 1 January 1947. To serve the county town of Dornoch a 7 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (12.5 km) Light Railway was built from The Mound by an independent company and operated by
10790-406: The Perth & Inverness Railway was rejected by Parliament because the railway would be at altitudes that approached 1,500 feet (460 m) and needed steep gradients. The Great North of Scotland Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ciii) received royal assent on 26 June 1846, authorizing a 108 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (174.2 km) route needing few major engineering works. Two years later
10956-457: The Post Office van had arrived and the mail was on board, but the station locked at the advertised departure time to prevent connecting passengers further delaying the train. A more direct 111 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (179.8 km) long route south to Perth, bypassing Aberdeen, was planned. This left the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction at Forres on a steeply graded line, before heading south to
11122-654: The Postmaster General withdrew deliveries of letters on a Sunday. Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 and the government took control of the railways under the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 . Day-to-day operations were left in the control of local management, but movements necessary for the war were coordinated by a committee of general managers. The Navy established a base at Scapa Flow, in Orkney, and this
11288-564: The Saar (today part of Völklingen ), but neither could be returned to working order after being dismantled, moved and reassembled. On 7 December 1835, the Adler ran for the first time between Nuremberg and Fürth on the Bavarian Ludwig Railway . It was the 118th engine from the locomotive works of Robert Stephenson and stood under patent protection. In Russia , the first steam locomotive
11454-423: The US), or screw-reverser (if so equipped), that controls the cut-off, therefore, performs a similar function to a gearshift in an automobile – maximum cut-off, providing maximum tractive effort at the expense of efficiency, is used to pull away from a standing start, whilst a cut-off as low as 10% is used when cruising, providing reduced tractive effort, and therefore lower fuel/water consumption. Exhaust steam
11620-599: The United States, including John Fitch's miniature prototype. A prominent full sized example was Col. John Steven's "steam wagon" which was demonstrated on a loop of track in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1825. Many of the earliest locomotives for commercial use on American railroads were imported from Great Britain, including first the Stourbridge Lion and later the John Bull . However, a domestic locomotive-manufacturing industry
11786-495: The adhesive weight. Equalising beams connecting the ends of leaf springs have often been deemed a complication in Britain, however, locomotives fitted with the beams have usually been less prone to loss of traction due to wheel-slip. Suspension using equalizing levers between driving axles, and between driving axles and trucks, was standard practice on North American locomotives to maintain even wheel loads when operating on uneven track. Locomotives with total adhesion, where all of
11952-581: The bill was submitted to Parliament. Traffic was to be exchanged at both Elgin and Keith, the services exchanged at Elgin needed to include through carriages from both the Craigellachie and the coast routes, and the timetable had to be approved by the commissioners. The resulting 'Commissioners' Service' started in 1897 with eight though services, four via the Highland to Keith taking between 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 and 5 hours, and four with carriages exchanged at Elgin with portions that travelled via Craigellachie and
12118-402: The boiler materials to the point where it needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Start-up on a large engine may take hours of preliminary heating of the boiler water before sufficient steam is available. Although the boiler is typically placed horizontally, for locomotives designed to work in locations with steep slopes it may be more appropriate to consider a vertical boiler or one mounted such that
12284-404: The boiler remains horizontal but the wheels are inclined to suit the slope of the rails. The steam generated in the boiler fills the space above the water in the partially filled boiler. Its maximum working pressure is limited by spring-loaded safety valves. It is then collected either in a perforated tube fitted above the water level or by a dome that often houses the regulator valve, or throttle,
12450-399: The boiler. Boiler water surrounds the firebox to stop the metal from becoming too hot. This is another area where the gas transfers heat to the water and is called the firebox heating surface. Ash and char collect in the smokebox as the gas gets drawn up the chimney ( stack or smokestack in the US) by the exhaust steam from the cylinders. The pressure in the boiler has to be monitored using
12616-457: The class became known as the Terriers . Stroundley painted passenger locomotives yellow with crimson framing and goods locomotives a dark green, and number plates were introduced. David Jones had worked at Lochgorm since 1855, where he had moved at the age of 21 after serving his apprenticeship with the London & North Western Railway . He became locomotive supervisor in 1870. His first design
12782-409: The coast as erosion protection when their time was up. 3 have since been salvaged for preservation. In 1903, having built over 5000 engines, the company amalgamated with Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company to form the North British Locomotive Company . Steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of
12948-493: The coast, two of these taking 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. The 3 pm from Inverness to Aberdeen via Keith took 3 hours 5 minutes. From 1866 a mixed goods and passenger service left Perth at 1 am, after connecting with the 10 am train from London, and arrived in Inverness at 9 am. A night train service in the return direction started in 1872, leaving Inverness at 7:30 pm to arrive in Perth at 5:05 am. After sleeping carriages were made available from 1878,
13114-457: The company offered the line to the North British, who was running services through Spean Bridge station . The company proposed running services at cost, but a request for guarantees was refused and the line offered to the Highland Railway. After fresh battles in Parliament, and both the Highland and North British Railways guaranteeing that they would not seek to extend the line, the Highland Railway
13280-722: The counties of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness, Perth, Nairn, Moray and Banff. Southward it connected with the Caledonian Railway at Stanley Junction, north of Perth, and eastward with the Great North of Scotland Railway at Boat of Garten, Elgin, Keith and Portessie. During the First World War the British Navy 's base at Scapa Flow , in the Orkney Islands, was serviced from Scrabster Harbour near Thurso. The Highland Railway provided transport, including
13446-590: The cuttings near Druimuachdar summit were troublesome, although the line over the summit improved after it had been doubled. The Great Glen is a natural route that runs south west from Inverness to Fort William and is used by the Caledonian Canal , and more recently the A82 road . In 1884, the Glasgow & North Western Railway proposed a line from the North British Railway's station at Maryhill , in Glasgow's northern suburbs, to Fort William, and extending this through
13612-400: The direct main line south to Perth. The Highland Railway was formed in 1865 by a merger of three companies centred on Inverness: the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway extending to the east; the Inverness & Ross-shire Railway to the north; and the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway to the south. The first proposals for rail links to Inverness were made in 1845. These were
13778-675: The dominant fuel worldwide in steam locomotives. Railways serving sugar cane farming operations burned bagasse , a byproduct of sugar refining. In the US, the ready availability and low price of oil made it a popular steam locomotive fuel after 1900 for the southwestern railroads, particularly the Southern Pacific. In the Australian state of Victoria, many steam locomotives were converted to heavy oil firing after World War II. German, Russian, Australian and British railways experimented with using coal dust to fire locomotives. During World War 2,
13944-440: 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. The earliest railways employed horses to draw carts along rail tracks . In 1784, William Murdoch ,
14110-464: The excessive demands and many of the engine fitters had been called up for war service. Twenty locomotives were loaned from other railways; efforts to get engine fitters failed. 756 of the 3,000 Highland Railway staff served active service and a memorial to 87 that died was placed in Station Square at Inverness. The railways were in a poor state after the war, costs having increased, with higher wages,
14276-431: The exhaust gas volume was vented through a cooling tower, allowing the steam exhaust to draw more air past the radiator. Running gear includes the brake gear, wheel sets , axleboxes , springing and the motion that includes connecting rods and valve gear. The transmission of the power from the pistons to the rails and the behaviour of the locomotive as a vehicle, being able to negotiate curves, points and irregularities in
14442-421: The expansion of steam . It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal , oil or, rarely, wood ) to heat water in the locomotive's boiler to the point where it becomes gaseous and its volume increases 1,700 times. Functionally, it is a steam engine on wheels. In most locomotives, the steam is admitted alternately to each end of its cylinders in which pistons are mechanically connected to
14608-448: The firebox becomes exposed. Without water on top of the sheet to transfer away the heat of combustion , it softens and fails, letting high-pressure steam into the firebox and the cab. The development of the fusible plug , a temperature-sensitive device, ensured a controlled venting of steam into the firebox to warn the fireman to add water. Scale builds up in the boiler and prevents adequate heat transfer, and corrosion eventually degrades
14774-468: The firm became Sharp Brothers and Company. Between 1846 and 1848 the company provided eight 2-2-2 passenger and two 0-4-2 goods locomotives to the Lynn and Dereham Railway . From 1851 to 1853 twenty engines were built for the London and North Western Railway to the design of James Edward McConnell , the so-called " Bloomers ", subcontracted from Wolverton . In 1852, the senior partner, John Sharp, retired and
14940-617: The first Highland Railway locomotive supervisor was William Stroudley . The Sutherland Railway received permission in 1865 for a 32 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (52.7 km) extension of the Highland Railway from Bonar Bridge to Brora . The route followed the Kyle of Sutherland inland for 3 miles, before crossing over to the north shore with the five masonry arches and 230 feet (70 m) girder span of Invershin Viaduct . The Highland contributed £15,000, but only 26 miles (42 km) of line were built,
15106-475: The first locomotive supervisor of the new company. The Inverness & Nairn had built a locomotive works at Lochgorm in 1855, just outside Inverness station, and that became the site of the Highland's works. Later, carriage shops were built alongside. Stroudley designed a 0-6-0 saddle tank and three were built at these works between 1869 and 1874. In 1869 he left to join the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway , where more of these locomotives were built, and
15272-504: The frames ( well tank ). The fuel used depended on what was economically available to the railway. In the UK and other parts of Europe, plentiful supplies of coal made this the obvious choice from the earliest days of the steam engine. Until 1870, the majority of locomotives in the United States burned wood, but as the Eastern forests were cleared, coal gradually became more widely used until it became
15438-418: The grate into an ashpan. If oil is used as the fuel, a door is needed for adjusting the air flow, maintaining the firebox, and cleaning the oil jets. The fire-tube boiler has internal tubes connecting the firebox to the smokebox through which the combustion gases flow transferring heat to the water. All the tubes together provide a large contact area, called the tube heating surface, between the gas and water in
15604-545: The high altitudes and speed gradients, there had been sufficient advance in locomotive design to satisfy the fears of the parliamentary committee, and authority was given in 1861. A 515-foot (157 m) long girder bridge crossed the River Tay near Dalguise and a 477-foot (145 m) viaduct crossed the River Divie near Dunphail . North of Dunkeld was a 350 yards (320 m) long tunnel and with 128 yards (117 m) through
15770-577: The highly mineralised water was available, and locomotive boilers were lasting less than a quarter of the time normally expected. In the days of steam locomotion, about half the total train load was water for the engine. The line's operator, Commonwealth Railways , was an early adopter of the diesel-electric locomotive . The fire-tube boiler was standard practice for steam locomotive. Although other types of boiler were evaluated they were not widely used, except for some 1,000 locomotives in Hungary which used
15936-565: The introduction of an eight-hour day and the price of coal having risen. A scheme was devised whereby the railways would be grouped into four large companies; this was approved by Parliament as the Railways Act 1921 . On 1 January 1923 the Highland Railway became a part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), passing on 494 miles (795 km) of line. Refreshment carriages were introduced on services from summer 1923, but competition from bus services meant services were withdrawn from
16102-418: The joint Highland and GNoSR Boat of Garten station. The Dava Way is a long-distance path that mostly follows the route of the former Highland railway line between Grantown and Forres. When the Highland Railway was created in 1865 it acquired the locomotives of its constituent companies, nearly all of which had been built under the supervision of William Barclay. In these early years locomotives were painted
16268-403: The junction at Stanley was single track, resulting in delays, especially after trains had waited for connections at Perth. From 1890, the signalling system using telegraph orders was replaced by electric tablets, later automatic tablet exchange systems were used. The 11-mile (18 km) climb out of Inverness was doubled in 1898, and 23 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (37.4 km) of line widened over
16434-462: The last sixteen built by Neilson & Co. The majority of these were converted into 2-4-0s between 1869 and 1892 and one, No. 35, lasted until 1923. Seven goods locomotives, 2-4-0 with four-wheeled tenders, had been built in 1858–59 by Hawthorns, and these were followed in 1862 by two more, slightly larger and with cabs. Two batches of ten 2-4-0 goods locomotives were built in 1863–64 by Sharp, Stewart & Co. These were slightly larger than
16600-594: The leading axle. After two of the earlier 2-4-0 locomotives had been successfully converted into 4-4-0 for the Dingwall & Skye Railway, nine of the 4-4-0 'Skye Bogie' Class were built between 1882 and 1901. Eight 4-4-0 tender locomotives for main line services were built in 1886 by Clyde Locomotive Co. , and a small 0-4-4 saddletank was built at Lochgorm for the Strathpeffer branch in 1890. The 'Strath' Class followed, twelve 4-4-0 locomotives built by Neilson in 1892 for
16766-478: The leading wheels. After a number of modifications, three similar locomotives (Britannia, Manchester, and Hibernia ) were built in 1834 for the Dublin and Kingstown Railway . Although they were relatively fast, the vertical cylinders meant they were too hard on the track at speed. However, in 1834 Charles Beyer also joined the firm and contributed to its success in locomotive building as Roberts soon delegated most of
16932-463: The line crossing the Ferry Road at Findon. The original plans were for a level crossing , but following protests a bridge was built. Within a month of opening, on 30 June 1862, the Inverness & Ross-shire Railway was absorbed by the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway. Initially there were four services a day, connecting with trains from Keith at Inverness, and averaging 1 hour 40 minutes for
17098-472: The line opened to traffic the following day. The terminus at Inverness was not situated to allow through traffic, so additional platforms were built on the west side and the layout arranged as a Y. The Rose Street curve joined the two lines, and most arriving trains would take this curve past the station and then reverse into the platforms, allowing easy interchange and through carriages. The line to Invergordon opened on 25 March 1863, delayed due to conflict over
17264-413: The line opened, so initially passengers walked across the adjacent road bridge as the locomotive was detached and crossed before the carriages were hauled over by ropes. The Inverness and Aberdeen Junction absorbed the Inverness & Nairn in 1861. The Morayshire Railway had opened a 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (8.9 km) line between Lossiemouth and Elgin on 10 August 1852, public services starting
17430-407: The line to Elgin as a branch. In 1883 a shorter route south from Inverness was prompted by an independent company and the bill was defeated in Parliament only after the Highland promised to request authority for a shorter line. The following year, as well as the Highland's more direct line from Aviemore, the Great North proposed a branch from its Speyside Section to Inverness. The Highland Railway route
17596-477: The line to Keith with stations at Nairn, Forres and Elgin. Eleven trains a day run between Aberdeen and Inverness, taking about 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 hours, supplemented by a couple of early morning trains from Elgin to Inverness. There are plans for a regular hourly Aberdeen to Inverness service with additional hourly trains between Inverness and Elgin and a new station at Dalcross, and Network Rail are evaluating what line upgrades are necessary. The Far North Line
17762-464: The line was complete to Inverness on 1 November 1898. The direct line was 118 miles (190 km), 28 miles (45 km) shorter than via Forres, reducing the journey time by about an hour. Sleeping carriages for Inverness from London arrived at Perth via the East Coast, West Coast and Midland routes. These carriages were busy in the summer, but winter traffic could be met with only one carriage. In 1903
17928-563: The loading of a special fish goods train until midnight had passed. The Dingwall & Skye Railway purchased two steamers, Jura and Oscar , to operate the services to Portree and Stornoway. Initially a daily service was provided to Portree, and a weekly service to Stornoway, but the first winter the frequency of the Portree service was reduced and the Stornoway service suspended. Oscar ran aground in November 1870, to be replaced with Carham and
18094-483: The locomotive design work to him. A new 2-2-2 design was soon produced with horizontal inside cylinders under the smokebox and additional bearings to support the crank axle. Around 600 of these Sharp Single locomotives were built between 1837 and 1857. Ten of the first were sold to the Grand Junction Railway , with the "Sharpies" becoming a standard to compare with the "Bury" engines. In 1843, Roberts left and
18260-657: The locomotive ran on a circular track in the factory yard. It was the first locomotive to be built on the European mainland and the first steam-powered passenger service; curious onlookers could ride in the attached coaches for a fee. It is portrayed on a New Year's badge for the Royal Foundry dated 1816. Another locomotive was built using the same system in 1817. They were to be used on pit railways in Königshütte and in Luisenthal on
18426-489: The locomotive's main wheels. Fuel and water supplies are usually carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in a tender coupled to it. Variations in this general design include electrically powered boilers, turbines in place of pistons, and using steam generated externally. Steam locomotives were first developed in the United Kingdom during the early 19th century and used for railway transport until
18592-476: The mail train ran on Sundays. A 9-mile (14 km) branch from Ballinluig to Aberfeldy was also authorised, and this opened on 3 July 1865. The Inverness & Perth Junction Railway absorbed the Perth & Dunkeld in 1864. The Inverness & Aberdeen Junction and Inverness & Perth Junction Railway were merged on 1 February 1865, and became known as the Highland Railway on 29 June 1865. The railway owned 242 miles (389 km) of line and operated over
18758-403: The main chassis, with a variety of spacers and a buffer beam at each end to form a rigid structure. When inside cylinders are mounted between the frames, the plate frames are a single large casting that forms a major support element. The axleboxes slide up and down to give some sprung suspension, against thickened webs attached to the frame, called "hornblocks". American practice for many years
18924-509: The mainframes. Locomotives with multiple coupled-wheels on a rigid chassis would have unacceptable flange forces on tight curves giving excessive flange and rail wear, track spreading and wheel climb derailments. One solution was to remove or thin the flanges on an axle. More common was to give axles end-play and use lateral motion control with spring or inclined-plane gravity devices. Railroads generally preferred locomotives with fewer axles, to reduce maintenance costs. The number of axles required
19090-548: The middle of the 20th century. Richard Trevithick built the first steam locomotive known to have hauled a load over a distance at Pen-y-darren in 1804, although he produced an earlier locomotive for trial at Coalbrookdale in 1802. Salamanca , built in 1812 by Matthew Murray for the Middleton Railway , was the first commercially successful steam locomotive. Locomotion No. 1 , built by George Stephenson and his son Robert's company Robert Stephenson and Company ,
19256-470: The moment when the valve blocks a steam port, "cutting off" admission steam and thus determining the proportion of the stroke during which steam is admitted into the cylinder; for example a 50% cut-off admits steam for half the stroke of the piston. The remainder of the stroke is driven by the expansive force of the steam. Careful use of cut-off provides economical use of steam and in turn, reduces fuel and water consumption. The reversing lever ( Johnson bar in
19422-455: The network's least used stations and lines. This recommended closing all the former lines except those to Perth and Keith. Local trains were withdrawn between Elgin and Keith in 1964, the Aberfeldy branch and the line between Aviemore and Forres closed in 1965 but the lines to the north of Inverness remain. The goods service at individual stations was also withdrawn after Beeching's report. In
19588-499: The new line and offered to provide services after the lines had been physically connected. Permission was granted on 3 July 1860, goods were carried from 30 December 1861 and passengers from 1 January 1862. The Morayshire was operated by the Great North of Scotland from 1866 and was absorbed in 1881. Between Forres and Elgin two branches opened, the first being from Kinloss to Findhorn ; 3 miles (4.8 km) long this operated independently from 18 April 1860 before being taken over by
19754-469: The next day. Permission was granted to the Morayshire to run over the IAJR to Orton and to build a branch to Rothes. The IAJR opened the line on 18 August 1858 and the Morayshire started running services on 23 August. Conflict soon arose between the IAJR and Morayshire Railway, and the directors of the Morayshire responded with plans to build their own line between the two stations. The Great North sponsored
19920-418: The old line, which was retained for goods traffic. The line from this new station to Aviemore opened on 3 August, the complete line opening on 9 September 1863. Initially two through trains a day ran between Perth and Inverness, taking about six hours. These were supplemented by additional mixed slow services from Perth to Blair Atholl and from Inverness to Aviemore . Additional services ran after 1866; only
20086-826: The original John Bull was on static display in the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The replica is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania . The first railway service outside the United Kingdom and North America was opened in 1829 in France between Saint-Etienne and Lyon ; it was initially limited to animal traction and converted to steam traction early 1831, using Seguin locomotives . The first steam locomotive in service in Europe outside of France
20252-468: The piston in turn. In a two-cylinder locomotive, one cylinder is located on each side of the vehicle. The cranks are set 90° out of phase. During a full rotation of the driving wheel, steam provides four power strokes; each cylinder receives two injections of steam per revolution. The first stroke is to the front of the piston and the second stroke to the rear of the piston; hence two working strokes. Consequently, two deliveries of steam onto each piston face in
20418-541: The previous locomotives; the later ten of them had a longer wheelbase than the previous ten. Three locomotives survived until 1923. The Highland also took over the Findhorn Railway's small 0-4-0 tank engine that had been built by Neilson and the 0-4-0 tank engine that had been bought for the Hopeman branch from Hawthorns. Barclay resigned in 1865, the year in which Highland Railway was formed, and William Stroudley became
20584-411: The purpose of which is to control the amount of steam leaving the boiler. The steam then either travels directly along and down a steam pipe to the engine unit or may first pass into the wet header of a superheater , the role of the latter being to improve thermal efficiency and eliminate water droplets suspended in the "saturated steam", the state in which it leaves the boiler. On leaving the superheater,
20750-546: The railway opening as far as Golspie on 13 April 1868. Either side of the viaduct across the Kyle are Culrain and Invershin stations, 36 chains (790 yd; 720 m) apart. The Highland provided two services a day north of Tain , with through carriages to Perth on the mail train. The 3rd Duke of Sutherland planned an extension of the line 17 miles (27 km) from Golspie to Helmsdale , passing Dunrobin Castle , his family seat . Work had already started when authority
20916-559: The service in 1880. The Dingwall & Skye was absorbed by the Highland in 1880, and the Sutherland, Duke of Sutherland's and Sutherland & Caithness Railways were absorbed in 1884. In 1881 the GNoSR applied to Parliament to extend the line from Portsoy along the Moray Firth to Buckie , but this was rejected after the Highland opposed. The following year, both the Great North and Highland railways applied to Parliament for permission,
21082-418: The side of the piston receiving steam, thus slightly reducing cylinder power. Designing the exhaust ejector became a specific science, with engineers such as Chapelon , Giesl and Porta making large improvements in thermal efficiency and a significant reduction in maintenance time and pollution. A similar system was used by some early gasoline/kerosene tractor manufacturers ( Advance-Rumely / Hart-Parr ) –
21248-529: The station had opened, and Meikle Ferry station closed in 1869. Although in 1860 Inverness had a rail link to the south, the route via Aberdeen was circuitous and involved a change between two railway stations over 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (0.80 km) apart. Passengers were conveyed between the termini by omnibus, paid for in the through fare and with forty five minutes being allowed for the transfer. The GNoSR refused to hold its trains to connect with trains arriving at Guild Street. The mail train would be held until
21414-504: The steam exits the dry header of the superheater and passes down a steam pipe, entering the steam chests adjacent to the cylinders of a reciprocating engine. Inside each steam chest is a sliding valve that distributes the steam via ports that connect the steam chest to the ends of the cylinder space. The role of the valves is twofold: admission of each fresh dose of steam, and exhaust of the used steam once it has done its work. The cylinders are double-acting, with steam admitted to each side of
21580-469: The steam locomotive. Trevithick continued his own steam propulsion experiments through another trio of locomotives, concluding with the Catch Me Who Can in 1808, first in the world to haul fare-paying passengers. In 1812, Matthew Murray 's successful twin-cylinder rack locomotive Salamanca first ran on the edge-railed rack-and-pinion Middleton Railway . Another well-known early locomotive
21746-482: The steam trains were replaced with electric and diesel traction. Diesel locomotives replaced steam locomotives from 1958. Diesel multiple units were used on local services between Perth and Blair Atholl and from 1960 cross-country units were used on an accelerated Aberdeen to Inverness service that allowed 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours for four stops. Most of the steam locomotives had been withdrawn by June 1961. The branches from Muir of Ord to Fortrose closed in 1951 and
21912-434: The track, is of paramount importance. Because reciprocating power has to be directly applied to the rail from 0 rpm upwards, this creates the problem of adhesion of the driving wheels to the smooth rail surface. Adhesive weight is the portion of the locomotive's weight bearing on the driving wheels. This is made more effective if a pair of driving wheels is able to make the most of its axle load, i.e. its individual share of
22078-515: The train was re-timed to depart at 10 pm and to arrive at 7 am; London could be reached at 9:40 pm. By 1883, there were four services each way between Inverness and Perth, taking between 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 and 7 hours; two years later the mail trains were rescheduled to take 4 hours with five stops. The loadings on these trains were light in winter, but heavy in July and August with through carriages from other railways being attached. In Express Trains English and Foreign Foxwell reports
22244-433: The two cylinders generates a full revolution of the driving wheel. Each piston is attached to the driving axle on each side by a connecting rod, and the driving wheels are connected together by coupling rods to transmit power from the main driver to the other wheels. Note that at the two " dead centres ", when the connecting rod is on the same axis as the crankpin on the driving wheel, the connecting rod applies no torque to
22410-477: The war. Coal, which before the war was carried by coastal steamers, now had to be shipped by rail. To cope with the irregular flow of officers and men to and from London a special train was arranged between London and Thurso. This ran between 1917 and 1919, leaving London Euston at 6 pm (3 pm in the winter) to arrive in Thurso 21 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours later; the return journey left at 11:45 am and took 22 + 1 ⁄ 3 hours. The train
22576-419: The water level in a transparent tube, or sight glass. Efficient and safe operation of the boiler requires keeping the level in between lines marked on the sight glass. If the water level is too high, steam production falls, efficiency is lost and water is carried out with the steam into the cylinders, possibly causing mechanical damage. More seriously, if the water level gets too low, the crown sheet (top sheet) of
22742-401: The water-tube Brotan boiler . A boiler consists of a firebox where the fuel is burned, a barrel where water is turned into steam, and a smokebox which is kept at a slightly lower pressure than outside the firebox. Solid fuel, such as wood, coal or coke, is thrown into the firebox through a door by a fireman , onto a set of grates which hold the fuel in a bed as it burns. Ash falls through
22908-408: The wheel. Therefore, if both cranksets could be at "dead centre" at the same time, and the wheels should happen to stop in this position, the locomotive could not start moving. Therefore, the crankpins are attached to the wheels at a 90° angle to each other, so only one side can be at dead centre at a time. Each piston transmits power through a crosshead , connecting rod ( Main rod in the US) and
23074-411: The wheels are coupled together, generally lack stability at speed. To counter this, locomotives often fit unpowered carrying wheels mounted on two-wheeled trucks or four-wheeled bogies centred by springs/inverted rockers/geared rollers that help to guide the locomotive through curves. These usually take on weight – of the cylinders at the front or the firebox at the rear – when the width exceeds that of
23240-406: The will to increase efficiency by that route. The steam generated in the boiler not only moves the locomotive, but is also used to operate other devices such as the whistle, the air compressor for the brakes, the pump for replenishing the water in the boiler and the passenger car heating system. The constant demand for steam requires a periodic replacement of water in the boiler. The water is kept in
23406-610: The works of the Clyde Locomotive Company in Springburn , Glasgow , renaming it Atlas Works. A number of compounds were built for the Argentine Central Railway in 1889, some 4-4-0 and some 2-8-0 . In 1892 they received an order for seventy five 4-4-0s and 0-6-0s from the Midland Railway . By now they had built a number of 4-6-0 engines for overseas railways, but in 1894 came their first Glasgow order for
23572-844: The world also runs in Austria: the GKB 671 built in 1860, has never been taken out of service, and is still used for special excursions. In 1838, the third steam locomotive to be built in Germany, the Saxonia , was manufactured by the Maschinenbaufirma Übigau near Dresden , built by Prof. Johann Andreas Schubert . The first independently designed locomotive in Germany was the Beuth , built by August Borsig in 1841. The first locomotive produced by Henschel-Werke in Kassel ,
23738-425: Was 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (5.6 km) away from the military post it served. A 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (2.4 km) branch to the village Ardersier was opened on 1 July 1899, and the junction station renamed Gollanfield Junction and the new terminus became Fort George station. The Great North and Highland had agreed in 1865 that traffic between the two railways would be exchanged at Keith, but in 1886
23904-548: 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 at the Science Museum, London . 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
24070-484: Was 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town. In 1886 the GNoSR opened a station called Fochabers-on-Spey, also about 4 miles (6.4 km) away on their Coast Line. The Highland built a 3-mile (4.8 km) branch from their line to new Fochabers Town station ; the line and station opened 1 June 1894. A branch from Muir of Ord was built to serve rich farmland and Fortrose on the Black Isle . Permission had been granted for
24236-581: Was a 4-4-0 passenger locomotive, with the double chimney that became standard on his Highland Railway locomotives. Ten were built by Dübs & Co. in 1874, and between 1878 and 1888 another seven were built by the Highland at Lochgorm. The tenders had six wheels, but considered small. All were still in service in 1907, but in 1923 only five had survived. Two 2-4-0 passenger locomotives were built at Lochgram in 1877, followed by three 2-4-0 tank engines in 1878/9 for shunting and branch line duties. The tank engines were rapidly converted to 4-4-0s after problems with
24402-567: Was at war two days later. Britain's railways were nationalised on 1 January 1948 and the former Highland Railway lines were placed under the control of the Scottish Region of British Railways . The 1955 Modernisation Plan , known formally as the "Modernisation and Re-Equipment of the British Railways", was published in December 1954, and with the aim of increasing speed and reliability
24568-625: Was built in 1834 by Cherepanovs , however, it suffered from the lack of coal in the area and was replaced with horse traction after all the woods nearby had been cut down. The first Russian Tsarskoye Selo steam railway started in 1837 with locomotives purchased from Robert Stephenson and Company . In 1837, the first steam railway started in Austria on the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway between Vienna-Floridsdorf and Deutsch-Wagram . The oldest continually working steam engine in
24734-424: Was chosen, but the Great North won a concession that goods and passengers that could be exchanged at any junction with through bookings and with services conveniently arranged. In 1885 the Great North re-timed the 10:10 am Aberdeen service to reach Keith at 11:50 am with through carriages that reached Elgin via Craigellachie at 1 pm. This connected with a Highland service at both Keith and Elgin, until
24900-450: Was composed of 14 carriages of corridor stock, policed by a travelling master-at-arms ; officers were given sleeping accommodation. The train stopped for 30 minutes at Inverness so a meal could be provided by the station hotel; some days nearly 1,000 meals were provided. The line between Keith to Highland's Buckie station closed in 1915 and only goods traffic used the line from Buckie to Portessie. Locomotive repairs fell behind because of
25066-735: Was constructed for the Coalbrookdale ironworks in Shropshire in the United Kingdom though no record of it working there has survived. 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 )-wide tramway from the Pen-y-darren ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil , to Abercynon in South Wales. Accompanied by Andrew Vivian , it ran with mixed success. The design incorporated
25232-411: Was dictated by the maximum axle loading of the railroad in question. A builder would typically add axles until the maximum weight on any one axle was acceptable to the railroad's maximum axle loading. A locomotive with a wheel arrangement of two lead axles, two drive axles, and one trailing axle was a high-speed machine. Two lead axles were necessary to have good tracking at high speeds. Two drive axles had
25398-480: 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. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened a year later making exclusive use of steam power for passenger and goods trains . Before the arrival of British imports, some domestic steam locomotive prototypes were built and tested in
25564-401: Was given permission to operate services on the line for a payment of £4,000 a year. Services started on 22 July 1903. During the summer some services ran beyond Fort Augustus to a pier on Loch Ness to connect with a steamer, but this was withdrawn in 1906. In 1907 the Highland withdrew and the North British took over until services were suspended between 31 October 1911 and 1 August 1913, and
25730-679: Was named The Elephant , which on 5 May 1835 hauled a train on the first line in Belgium, linking Mechelen and Brussels. In Germany, the first working steam locomotive was a rack-and-pinion engine, similar to the Salamanca , designed by the British locomotive pioneer John Blenkinsop . Built in June 1816 by Johann Friedrich Krigar in the Royal Berlin Iron Foundry ( Königliche Eisengießerei zu Berlin),
25896-552: Was obtained in 1870, and the section from Dunrobin to about 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (1.2 km) short of Helmsdale was complete that autumn. The Duke purchased a locomotive and some carriages, and the line was opened by Princess Christian on 1 November 1870. Two trains a day ran until 19 June 1871, when the line was connected up with the Sutherland Railway at Golspie and the Highland extended its services to Helmsdale . A railway linking Thurso and Wick had been proposed in
26062-487: Was obtained in 1884. Permission for the route to be changed was given in 1887 and again in 1892. Trains heading south had to climb several miles of 1 in 60 gradient, before crossing the 600 yards (550 m) long Nairn Viaduct constructed from 28 arches of red sandstone and the 445-yard (407 m) steel viaduct built over the Findhorn. The line opened from the south, Aviemore to Carr Bridge opening in 1892, to Daviot in 1897 and
26228-456: Was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921 , operating north of Perth railway station in Scotland and serving the farthest north of Britain. Based in Inverness , the company was formed by merger in 1865, absorbing over 249 miles (401 km) of line. It continued to expand, reaching Wick and Thurso in the north and Kyle of Lochalsh in the west, eventually serving
26394-524: Was opened. The arid nature of south Australia posed distinctive challenges to their early steam locomotion network. The high concentration of magnesium chloride in the well water ( bore water ) used in locomotive boilers on the Trans-Australian Railway caused serious and expensive maintenance problems. At no point along its route does the line cross a permanent freshwater watercourse, so bore water had to be relied on. No inexpensive treatment for
26560-503: Was replaced by Charles Patrick Stewart, the name of the company changing to Sharp, Stewart and Company. Thomas Sharp also retired and was succeeded by Stephen Robinson. In 1860 sole rights were obtained for Giffard's patent injector . The company acquired limited liability in 1864. The company provided a number of 0-4-0 tender engines for the Furness Railway of which Number 20, built in 1863 has been restored to working order by
26726-423: Was serviced from Scrabster Harbour , 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Highland station at Thurso. A repair base for shipping was built at Invergordon, including housing for 4000 workers. Defence works at Scapa Flow and Invergordon required large amounts of timber at the same time the demand from the south for pit-timber increased; by 1918 the Highland was transporting ten times the amount of timber it had shipped before
26892-563: Was soon established. In 1830, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 's Tom Thumb , designed by Peter Cooper , was the first commercial US-built locomotive to run in America; it was intended as a demonstration of the potential of steam traction rather than as a revenue-earning locomotive. The DeWitt Clinton , built in 1831 for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad , was a notable early locomotive. As of 2021 ,
27058-403: Was supplied at stopping places and locomotive depots from a dedicated water tower connected to water cranes or gantries. In the UK, the US and France, water troughs ( track pans in the US) were provided on some main lines to allow locomotives to replenish their water supply without stopping, from rainwater or snowmelt that filled the trough due to inclement weather. This was achieved by using
27224-405: Was the first steam locomotive to haul passengers on a public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway , in 1825. Rapid development ensued; in 1830 George Stephenson opened the first public inter-city railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , after the success of Rocket at the 1829 Rainhill Trials had proved that steam locomotives could perform such duties. Robert Stephenson and Company
27390-399: Was the pre-eminent builder of steam locomotives in the first decades of steam for railways in the United Kingdom, the United States, and much of Europe. Towards the end of the steam era, a longstanding British emphasis on speed culminated in a record, still unbroken, of 126 miles per hour (203 kilometres per hour) by LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard , however there are long-standing claims that
27556-404: Was to use built-up bar frames, with the smokebox saddle/cylinder structure and drag beam integrated therein. In the 1920s, with the introduction of "superpower", the cast-steel locomotive bed became the norm, incorporating frames, spring hangers, motion brackets, smokebox saddle and cylinder blocks into a single complex, sturdy but heavy casting. A SNCF design study using welded tubular frames gave
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