![]() ![]() For example the development of the 'combustion chamber' lengthens the distance to that 'rear tubesheet' to give increased radiant uptake the precise motion of the piston valves involves longer travel than 'necessary' as well as long lap for good reasons the behavior of the boiling water is very different from what is pictured, in significant ways the plates and screens in a Master Mechanic front end are arranged differently from the illustration in important respects. ![]() Periodically as you learn more about steam technology you can come back to this illustration to clarify it. Regrettably this was the 'silent film' era and the accompanying discussion, which would have contained additional important details such as why 2-cylinder double-acting locomotives need two cylinders in quarter, and why the 'compression' noted is important in operation, has apparently been lost. Fortunately at least some of this was preserved by Herron Rail Videos and a portion of it can be seen here: I have not yet found a better 'on video' explanation than the one ATSF prepared, as I recall circa 1922, using the then relatively new technique of animation to show with technical correctness some of what was going on. To these you need to add some backtranslated wisdom not found in books (like why air horns with proportional valves are better than whistles on big power using water treatment, and why air preheat and better water-leg circulation could pay outsize dividends) and make your own notebook of best design practice in things like low-water alarms - where the 'mere function' of the device is not as important practically as some of the proprietary features of a given 'patented' type.) ![]() On the other hand, the actual listing of auxiliaries in the 'encyclopedia' part is wildly incomplete in many respects, while colossally overdetailed in others (British injectors in particular)įor what is actually involved in designing a working steam locomotive, I could point you to Ralph Johnson's book from the '40s (my copy came directly from Simmons-Boardman and was the 1983 edition!) but the better one now is Wardale's detailed FDCs (fundamental design calculations) done for the 5AT project but adaptable to other situations. That was published right at the effective end of big steam, at a time when I think most of the 'powers that be' expected steam in Britain to persist decades longer. The closest thing I can think of to a list of auxiliaries in one place is the Ransome-Wallis Encyclopedia of World Railway Locomotives. Then find some of the labeled backhead photos and keep them as reference on what to start looking up - and unlabeled ones to compare. Offhand I remember seeing good ones for a NYC Hudson and a German locomotive as the later types, and one for a 'typical' American type from the late 19th Century (when what was 'good practice' could be wildly different from later developments!). In my personal opinion you should start with a piece of overkill: get as many of the carefully labeled drawings that show 'parts of the steam locomotive' as you can. Much of this is imperfectly told and has to be put together from the literature rather than found in one or a couple of definitive books. This being separate from the history, and the design, and sometimes the corporate shenanigans, of the various 'doohickeys' (often patent, specialized, and 'invented here') over the years. Keep in mind that there are at least two stages to this: initially learning the history of steam power, and then learning the 'fine points' of detail design.īoth of these are separate from learning the actual thermodynamics of how steam works, and then why thermodynamics alone can be a lousy guide for practical locomotive design, and then why the 'most efficient' locomotive designs might not be the ones practically best for actual railroad service.
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