Invention of the Steam Locomotive

     In the first article, we saw how the steam engine was developed and two other applications of use.

     In this article, we will look at its first application in expanding into a steam locomotive.

     Prior to the invention of the steam locomotive, there were different types of motive forces behind pulling a load on a tramway. They were of a lower technological design. The pay load was pulled along by horsepower, manpower, or by using a stationary engine prior to having the locomotive.

     The word locomotive is an etymologies (not a definition, but explanations of what the word means and how they sounded 600 to 2,000 years ago). The two words are of the Latin word loco which means “from a place” and a Medieval Latin word motive “causing motion”.

      The word locomotive was first used in 1814 that distinguishs between a self-propelled and a stationary engine.

                                         Trevithick's Coalbrookdale locomotive                                                 

circa. 1829 author unknown,

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

     Richard Trevithick’s cousin, Andrew Vivian a mechanical engineer, who financed his first locomotive helped design this one. There was a problem with this locomotive though, it was too heavy. The brittle rails of the day could not withstand their weight.  

     He went on working on other inventions, but died in poverty and was buried in an unmarked grave.

     It was the first locomotive to run on the edged rail, the rack and pinion, Middleton Railway. It was considered a success and the first commercially successful locomotive.

    Hauling passengers was the next step in the locomotive's progression.

     He did not rest on his laurels; he invented the steam blast to improve his locomotives power. The steam blasts used exhaust steam, sending it the up the chimney and drawing fresh air in to create a draft.

     How the steam blast works and why it is beneficial is when it happens it shoots the gasses through the flu and into the smoke box. This causes fresh air to come in through the open spaces at the base of the firebox. Allowing a higher rate of combustion. This causes the expelled gasses to have a stronger flow across the heating surface. Thereby, increasing the boiler effiency. In layman's terms, it makes the steam boiler more efficient.⁷
     After his inventions were put to use and he built several highly successful locomotives, his fame spread
     In 1820, the elder Stephenson became aware of a railroad that was being built at Darlington. He contacted the promoter, Edward Pease and discussed the project. George left Pease with a good impression. He was so impressed that Pease had Stephenson build a locomotive for the railroad.

     With this single act, it was the birth of railroad transportation.

     George Stephenson built the steam locomotive, Number 1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It was a first steam railway in the world.

     On April 20, 1829, the board of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had passed a resolution to set up a competition. The competition was to prove their railway could be successfully operated by a steam locomotive.

Samuel Smiles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

     The celebrated engineers of the time did not believe any steamed locomotive could meet the requirements. The requirements were:

           1. Achieving an average speed of 10 miles per hour over a 70-mile trip.

           2. Hauling a train with 20 people up an incline at 15 miles per hour.

           3. The locomotive light loaded could reach a speed of 30 miles per hour.

    Stephenson’s locomotive crushed it's competition and passed with flying colors. None of the other locomotives even came close to meeting the requirements. 

     On September 27, 1825, Stephenson's locomotive a Active (which was later renamed Locomotion) pulled a public passenger train carrying 450 people from Darlington to Stockton, traveling at break next speed of 15 miles per hour.
    With this, the railroad had so much success, the Liverpool and Manchester hired him to build a forty mile railroad between the two cities.
     As a railroad was nearing its completion in 1829, a locomotive competition was held.
     George, along with his son Robert built the new locomotive, The Rocket.    

The Rocket

National Library of Ireland on The Commons,

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

     On another front, Stephenson saw where a problem lay. Railway tracks were needed to be set at a standard gauge. At the time, railway systems set their own gauge or width of tracks. This caused various problems, when a train would pull into the station where tracks did not match up, the passengers would have to switch trains. Also, freight would have to be unloaded and switched to the other cars to fit the outgoing trains track width causing intensive labor and waisting valuable time.
     He also fought for the tracks to be built with a minimal graduate (grade.) Today, the gradients are that a track rise no more than of 1 foot per 100 feet, or a one percent rise. On main lines, grades are generally 1% or less. The greater the rise, the more the train had to work, and the more wear and tear was placed upon the locomotives and tracks, causing expensive repairs. The English way of laying track was to have it lain as straight and flat as possible. This was the ideal way of laying tracks, but it is a very expensive way. Also, curves were important, because engines were extremely rigid, so the larger the radiant curve, the more likely the train would derail. The American invention of the froward truck would help the locomotive be less rigid. This would allow the train to take tighter curves without the fear of derailing. Due to George's civil engineering skills, the routes he surveyed and the infrastructure he designed would stand the test of time. One of his designs is still standing and in use today.

Stephenson’s Bridge

Koncorde, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

     The railroad industry was rapidly expanding. Track mileage in Britain and Europe grew exponentially and then crossing the pond, into the North America.

      As time passed, locomotive designs improved. By 1935, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and Northeastern Railway, Nigel Gresley designed a LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard Steam Locomotive, the Flying Scotsman. The Flying Scotsman reached a speed of 126 miles per hour, a record that still stands today for steam locomotives. It was designed using a wind tunnel so it was able to cut through the wind to have minimal resistance.