A fireless locomotive was a type of locomotive designed for use under conditions restricted by either the presence of flammable material (such as in mines) or the need for cleanliness (such as at a food factory). Thus a traditional steam locomotive is ruled out because of its open fire and the possibility of hot embers ejected from its chimney. There are two types of fireless locomotive - fireless steam locomotives and compressed air locomotives.
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Types
Fireless steam locomotives
A fireless steam locomotive is similar to a conventional steam locomotive but has a reservoir (known as a steam accumulator) instead of a boiler. This reservoir is part-filled with water and charged with steam from a stationary boiler. The locomotive can then work on the stored steam until the pressure has dropped to a minimum level, after which it must be re-charged. European fireless steam locomotives usually have the cylinders at the back but American ones often have the cylinders at the front, as in a conventional locomotive. Major builders of fireless steam locomotives in the UK included Andrew Barclay and W.G. Bagnall. The last commercially operated steam locomotive in UK industry was a fireless steam locomotive; It operated at the Glaxo factory in Ulverston, Cumbria. A few fireless steam locomotives are still at work in Germany.
Compressed air locomotives
Compressed air locomotives are used mainly in mines but have also been used on tramways, see Mekarski system.
Hybrid locomotives
There have been several hybrid locomotives built that have either used a fire for part of the time (e.g. Fowler's Ghost of the Metropolitan Railway) or have used a fire to superheat stored steam, e.g. the Receiver Locomotives built by Sentinel Waggon Works. None has been a success.
Wheel arrangements
Most fireless locomotives have been of 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 wheel arrangement but there have been some 0-8-0 and even a few 0-10-0. Some 600 mm gauge 0-10-0 fireless locomotives from the German company Henschel were used in the construction of the Baghdad Railway, probably to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning during the boring of tunnels.[1] Another German company, Hohenzollern, built some articulated fireless steam locomotives with a cab at each end. Only one of the bogies was powered, making the wheel arrangement B-2.
Preservation
Although a large proportion of fireless locomotives have been preserved, very few (possibly only one) have been operated. This is due to the low power of the locomotives, the long time needed to charge a locomotive from cold and the low steam pressures available for charging.
The future
Fireless steam locomotives might, possibly, make a comeback because of their ability to use steam generated by rubbish incinerators or solar collectors. See "Solar Steam Train" link below. They could even use steam generated by nuclear reactors.
See also
References
- ^ Cilician Gates, accessed 2007-09-14
External links
- Fireless locomotives in the USA
- Fireless locomotives in Germany
- Kenavon Railway Group
- Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
- Solar Steam Train
- Researching The Ultimate Fireless Steam Locomotive
