The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 4 (August 1, 1930)
Our London Letter
Our London Letter
In his current Letter, our Special London Correspondent discusses the new and powerful types of high-pressure steam locomotives recently introduced in Britain and Germany, and gives some interesting particulars of the dining car service now provided for travellers on the Home railways.
Modern High-pressure Steam Locomotives.
Steam locomotive development nowadays proceeds apace. Quite recently there was recorded in these Letters the putting into traffic of new high-pressure locomotive giants on the two largest Home railway groups. Now Germany comes to the front with another type of high-pressure steam locomotive, claiming to be Europe's most powerful railway engine; while on the Southern Railway of England a most interesting new class of steam locomotive has been brought into passenger service.
Many noteworthy locomotives have been turned out at various times from the Eastleigh shops of the Southern Railway. The “Lord Nelson” and “King Arthur” engines had their birth at Eastleigh, and now these well-known locomotive shops have produced a batch of interesting 4-4-0 three-cylinder passenger engines styled the “Schools” class, each locomotive bearing the name of a famous public school situated in Southern territory. The locomotives have cylinders, motion, bogie. etc., practically identical with those of the “Lord Nelson” four-cylinder machine, While the boiler corresponds to that of the “King Arthur,” but has a shorter barrel and a working pressure of 220lb. persquare inch. The new locomotives are actually the most powerful 4—4—0 type engines on the Home-railways, and in order to enable them to run over sections of the Southern Railway, where the loading gauge is somewhat restricted, the sides of the cab and the top of the tender have been set in somewhat. The “Schools” class of locomotives each have a built-up single-throw crank axle, and the 8in. piston valves are driven by three sets of Walschaert gear.
The principal dimensions of the new Southern locomotives are as follows, viz:–Cylinders, 16½ in. diameter, 26in. stroke: bogie wheels. 3ft. 1in. diameter; coupled wheels, 6ft. 7in. diameter; total wheel-base, 25ft. 6in.; boiler, diameter .5ft. 6in., length of barrel 11ft. 9in.; heating surface, 2,049 sq. ft. (including 283 sq. ft. superheater); grate area, 28.3 sq. ft.; boiler pressure, 220lb. per sq. in.; tractive effort, 25,130lb.; water capacityof tender. 4,000 gallons, coal capacity 5 tons; total weight of engine and tender in working order, 109½ tons. These locomotives are intended for fast passenger haulage between London and the various seaside resorts situated on the English South Coast.
Europe's Most Powerful Engine.
On the Continent of Europe an especially interesting steam locomotive recently produced is a high-pressure engine built for the German Railways by the Berlin Maschinenbau A.G. In general outline this locomotive resembles the standard 4—6—2 express passenger locomotives of the German Railways, the principal variations being the introduction of three cylinders and the modification of these and of their valves so as to render them adapted for ultra-high steam pressures. The boiler, however, embodies the principles evolved by the late Professor S. Loffter, and is an entire departure from previous practice. Two of the three cylinders take the form of high-pressure cylinders outside the frames, the other being an inside low-pressure cylinder driving the leading axle. The high-pressure cylinders are of eight and three-quarter inches diameter, and the low pressure cylinder has a diameter, of twenty-four inches. All the cylinders have a twenty-six inch stroke. The diameter of the driving wheels is 6ft. 6¾ in., diameter of the bogie wheels 2ft. 9½ in., and the diameter of the trailing wheels 4ft. 0½ in. The weight of the engine, empty, is 111½ tons.
The Loffter system claims to provide all the thermal advantages of high pressure superheated steam without danger and excessive cost of construction. It is said to retain the many valuable mechanical properties of the conventional locomotive, inasmuch as the motive mechanism is of the reciprocating type. Also, it claims to solve the problem of boiler scale, the water being vaporised and steam generated in a high-pressure boiler and drum. wherein there are found no flue gases or products of combustion. Steam pressures employed vary from 215lb. per sq. in. in the low-pressure boiler to as high as 1,700lb. per sq. in. in the high-pressure boiler. The machine is of a somewhat complicated nature, but already it is understood that trial runs have shown the locomotive to be capable of high speeds, running on 50 per cent. less coal fuel than the conventional type of express passenger engine.
Home Railways Electrification Plans.
Last month mention was made in these pages of the possible early electrification of the King's Cross suburban tracks of the L. and N.E. Railway, London. Details of this important electrification plan reveal a most ambitious scheme for the betterment of communications northwards out of King's Cross. The work includes the electrification of the main lines of the old Great Northern system leading out of London, via Hatfield and Enfield, as far as Welwyn Garden City and Hartford, twenty miles from King's Cross. The suburban branches leading from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace, High Barnet and Edgware will also be electrified. The total length of line covered in the electrification is sixty route miles, equal to 173 miles of single track, and the cost of conversion is about £3,700,000, to which must be added a further £650,000 for tunnel widenings.
Dining Car Service in Britain.
In the good old days, half a century back, when top hats and side whiskers were in favour, most railway passengers carried in addition to voluminous luggage, a packet of sandwiches and a flask. It was then the first dining-car made its appearance in Britain. An experimental car was brought over from America in sections. It had seating accommodation for nineteen persons, ten in the saloon and nine in a smaller smoking section, and there was a kitchen fitted with a coke stove and a tiny pantry. Oil lamps were employed for lighting. Since then every development has been for the greater comfort and convenience of passengers. New dining-cars recently put into traffic on the Home railways include every modern device for the betterment of rail travel and rail catering, all-electric cooking being the latest move in catering for the pampered Marco Polo of 1930.
The cost of the modern Home railway dining car is approximately £5,000. page 23 Every car is furnished with a well-stocked cellar, with a wide range of wines, liqueurs, spirits, beers, and mineral waters. In the 700 restaurant cars of the Home lines some 30,000 meals are served daily, and, on one railway, arrangements have been made that when previous notice is given special menus are served in the restaurant and Pullman cars. Under this scheme, which affords an example of really thoughtful action on the traveller's behalf, parties may suggest their own menus, and invalids, vegetarians and passengers on special diet may order their own favoured dishes.
London Docks Facilities.
The Port of London Authority, the independent body entrusted with the operation of the docks of Britain's metropolis, has just celebrated its twenty-first anniversary. In 1909 the Authority took over from the various private dock companies the shipping facilities of London, and since its inauguration has performed very notable work in the interests of Thamesside shipping.