11
The Development of Land Transport
◄
The Development of Land Transport
10
►
The Revolution of Steam:
the Rocket Steam Locomotive
Steam locomotives were the first mechanically propelled railway transport vehicles. This invention revolutionised public and freight transport. The first working locomotive was built by Richard Trevithick, but the real breakthrough was achieved by George Stephenson and his son, Robert, who introduced their construction in 1825. Their locomotive named Locomotion No. 1 (fuelled with coal and wheat) was able to haul a train of up to 38 wagons. Stephenson’s
most famous locomotive was called ‘Rocket’. It won an important competition organised by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company in 1829. When the company’s railway line was opened in 1830, the ‘Rocket’ locomotives hauled the first successful passenger trains of the world.
Firebox
The fuel necessary for the propulsion of the locomotive, mostly coal, was burned
in the firebox made of a heat resistant metal alloy.
The ‘Rocket’ was manufactured in Newcastle-upon-Tyne by Robert Stephenson
& Co. It ran on a 1435 mm gauge track.
It was 7.3 m long and 4.9 m wide, weighed
4.3 t and had a maximum speed of 47 km/h.
Transmission
The connecting rod attached the piston
to the crosshead, providing straight movement.
The crankshaft transmitted the driving force to the driven wheels.
The novelty of Stephenson’s locomotive lied in the shortness
of the connecting rods. This made it possible to apply a larger driving force
to the wheels and run the ‘Rocket’ at a previously unimaginable speed.
Steam cylinder
The heart of steam locomotives is the cylinder. In this part of the engine, a piston is moved by the high-pressure steam. The force generated by the piston propels the wheels.
How do steam locomotives work?
The burnt fuel heats
the water, and as a result it converts
into high-pressure steam. The steam is
then conveyed to a cylinder, where it makes a piston move, turning the wheels.
Blast pipe
The blast pipe was also
an important innovation.
It made steam production much more effective.
Boiler
The energy created by
the burning of fuel heated
the water in the cylindrical boiler through the fire tubes, producing steam.
Stephenson’s invention revolutionised the manufacture
of locomotives: principles and engineering solutions were
used in the construction of the majority of later locomotives.
Wheels
There is very little rolling resistance between the metal rail and the metal-covered wheels. Thanks to this,
the locomotive is able to haul huge loads.
