New Engine Designs

Important changes in the internal design of railway locomotives are likely to be effected as a result of research work which is now going forward. Faced with serious road rivalry and the necessity for combining speed with low running costs, railways are investigating the possibility of adapting engines to the use of oil fuel, or of such innovations as the Caprotti valve which, it is claimed, will reduce fuel consumption while maintaining existing standards of engine performance. Experiments along both these lines of development have been markedly successful, notably those devoted to an exploration of the principle of using steam power for starting an engine and oil for its normal running. The exterior of the engines will not be fundamentally altered as a result of these adaptations. The changes are being adopted as an alternative to the electrification of the main line systems as opposed to the purely suburban services.