Journal of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers
Volume 49 (1959)

Journal No. 267

Scott, J S and J.K. Lord (Paper No. 592)
Maintenance and overhaul of electric locomotives and multiple-unit sets of the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification. 12-74. Disc.: 75-102.
General Meeting of the Institution was held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, on 10 December 1958 at 5.30 p.m. D.C. Brown, C.B.E. (Vice-President), was in the chair.
Suggestions for improvement and inIncreased availability
Interchangeability of removable wearing parts and blocks of spare equipment.
Improved brush holders and brushes.
Use roller bearings instead of whitemetal lined bronze bearings for motor suspension of axle-suspended traction motors.
Traction motors to be spring-borne instead of axle-hung nosesuspended.
Improved filters for air used in traction motor ventilation and provision of adequate air supply for pressurised high tension compartments and force ventilate resistance compartment.
Forced ventilation of resistance compartment would avoid the use of openings in the floor plates required for natural ventilation, and avoid intake of dust.
Spring and brake gears designed to work five years without main works' attention.
Provide positive fastenings for electrical equipment, and conductors of ample current carrying capacity.
To consider the extended use of rail lubrication in view of the apparent improvement in tyre mileage.
To improve pantograph lubrication to reduce wear.
That the appearance be improved by coach finish painting and varnishing to specification to withstand the frequent regular use of power cleaning appliances, and that adequate guttering be provided to keep rain water and copper sulphate from the overhead wires from fouling the body side panels.
The use of alloy corrosion-resisting panels is probably worth considering.
There is plenty of room for improvement in the locomotive cabs, such as heating, ventilating and noise insulating.
The deadman's treadle raises many points for discussion, as also do the position of the driving equipment and the driver's seat.
Would it not be an improvement if the driving were done from the middle and not from the side of the cab?
The method of lubricating the bogie centre pivot is not satisfactory, and means of positive lubrication should be provided.
Other points worth considering are:the fitting of lightning arrestors. ,
The use of cast steel one-piece bogies, and the body suspension, whether by steel or rubber springs.
D.C. Brown described the Paper as a practical approach to a highly important subject, it was written in clear and practical language. He said that although it was based on electric locomotives, much of it was of wider application-for instance, to diesel-electric locomotives. Paper had been read previously in Manchester and the Authors had received the Stewart-Dyer award.

Currey, J.H. (Paper No. 593)
Automatic train control — the British Railway system. 104-37. Disc.: 137-65.
General Meeting of the Institution held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on Wednesday, 14 January 1959, at 5.30 p.m. R. Arbuthnott in the Chair.
The President, in introducing the Author of the Paper, said that there could be no better testimonial to the safety of railway travel in this country than the immediate reaction of the Press to even a minor accident. In such accidents as did occur, however, the human element was very often an important factor and it was therefore prudent that full use should be made of automatic safety devices. The Author was Signal and Communications Development Engineer of the British Transport Commission and a member of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.

Journal No. 268

Tyler, K.D.S. and W. Allen (Paper No. 594)
Training in diesel traction at the British Railways Staff Training College, Derby. 182-214.
General Meeting of the Midlands Centre was held at the British Railways Staff Training College, Derby, on 20th March 1958, at 7.0 p.m., the Chair being taken by Mr. J. W. Caldwell, M.1.Loco.E.
The Minutes of the previous meeting having been approved and signed as correct, the Chairman introduced Mr. K. D. S. Tyler (Associate Mewher) and Mr. W. Allen, who read their Paper entitled “ Training in Diesel Traction at the British Railways Staff Training College, Derby.” This was followed by a discussion.
By kind invitation of the Principal of the College, Mr. J. Kirkby Thomas, M.A., Assoc.I.Loco.E., members and visitors were invited to visit the recently completed Diesel Demonstration Block and inspect the many and varied demonstration models of the diesel traction equipment used in the training courses organised for British Railways Staff.
Name of the College changed to British Railways School of Transport on 1 March 1959

Huffinley, A. (Paper No. 595)
Machining and assembly of wheels and axles. 215-33. Disc.: 233-5. diagr., 5 illus.
Fifth Ordinary General Meeting of the North-Eastern Centre was held at the Whitehall Road Power Station, Leeds, on Thursday, 22nd January 1959, at 6.45 p.m., the Chair being taken by Mr. H. Rowley, M.1.Loco.E.
Since the end of  WW2 wheel and axle manufacturers in the United Kingdom had faced two major challenges:
1. The installation of suitable plant to meet a rapidly expanding market occasioned by the re-equipment and development of railways worldwide.
2. To improve machining and assembly techniques to satisfy the Railways’ Modernisation Scheme. The changeover from steam to diesel and electric traction led to a demand for wheel and axle sets with higher standards of accuracy in design and production.

Hill. T.H. (Paper No. 596)
Overhead contact systems for railway electrification. 236-66. Disc.: 266-8. 13 illus., 13 diagrs.
General Meeting of the Manchester Centre was held at the Reynolds Hall, College of Technology, Manchester, on 6th May 1959, the Chair being taken by Mr. R. Metcalfe, hl.1.Loco.E.
Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification: 1500v DC: includes protection against lightning.

Journal No. 269

Schur, T. (Paper No. 597)
Some design considerations of main line diesel locomotives. 276-309. Disc.: 309-60. 20 diagrs.
Author worked for Sulzer. Favoured rigid mounting of engine and protecting sensitive equipment with resilient mountings. Considered that train heating boilers should not form part of the locomotive.

Mahy, G.R. and Mear, H.W. (Paper No. 598)
The design and construction of the two Derby diesel electric locomotives. 361-84. Disc: 384-8.
Part 1 Design was written by first author (pp. 361-73). Part 2 Construction was written by second author (pp. 373-84). Types 2 and 4 examined.

Journal No. 270

Green, T.E. and Gessler, J.K. (Paper No. 599)
The Electrogyro locomotive. 396-434. Disc.: 434-55. 24 diagrs. 5 table. Bibliog.
Ordinary General Meeting held at Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, on 18 March 1959, immediately following the termination of the Annual General Meeting. R. Arbuthnott (President) was in the Chair.
Mr. Green was Chief Traction Engineer and Mr. Gessler Traction Engineer of the National Coal Board, which had a large traction commitment and a fleet of some 2,500 locomotives, so that the Authors could speak from extensive experience.
The Paper described a novel type of locomotive and one which, though not suitable for all classes of service, had an availability characteristic which appeared to suit the haulage cycle in certain mines. The National Coal Board had done a useful service in providing an opportunity for the extensive testing of this locomotive, and the careful and systematic analysis of the results made by the Authors was most useful.

Hancock, R.M. (Paper No. 600)
Vehicle suspension and bogie design in relation to track conditions. 457-565.
General Meeting of the Institution was held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on Wednesday, 15 April 1959, at 5.30 p.m. R. Arbuthnott was in the Chair.

The LAST steam locomotive built by British Railways: naming ceremony of class "9" 2-10-0 locomotive No. 92220 'Evening Star" at Swindon, 18th March, 1960.  597-9. illus.
R.F. Hanks made some very interesting comments about those locomotive engineers (including Riddles, Stanier and Ivatt) who were present at the ceremony.

Smeddle, R.A. (Presidential Address)
The North Eastern Railway and recent railway developments. 605-21. 7 illus., 4 diagrs., table. .
Part of the address criticises the NER Raven Pacific design. Highlights the Stumpf uniflow engine; Raven's Pacific; electrification; the Centenary of Srockton &. Darlington Railway; railcars both Sentinel; diesel electric cars, coach design; new

Jounal No. 271

Sethi, R.K. (Paper No. 601)
Introduction of diesel locomotives on the Indian Railways. 622-56. Disc.: 656-61
Presnted after the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Centre was held in Calcutta on 7 April 1959.

Journal No. 272

Brockway, K.P. (Paper No. 602)
Aluminium technology and railway rolling stock. 665-713. Disc.: 713-69.
General Meeting of the Institution was held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1 Birdcage Walk, London, S.W.l, on 20th October 1959, at 5.30 p.m. Mr. A. W. Manser, Vice-President, was in the Chair.
Weight-saving and resistance to corrosion are the main advantages attained from the usc of aluminium and its alloys, the principal subject was rolling stock (both freight and passenger) structures where these properties are most emphatic, although examples of other aluminium components were also given. Discussion opened by A.W. Manser (713-14)

Topham, W.L. (Paper No. 603)
Methods of reducing flangewear on diesel and electric bogie locomotives. 771-95. Disc.: 795-825.
General Meeting of the Institution was held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, on 15 December 1959 at 5.30 p.m. Mr. R. A. Smeddle (The President) was in the Chair.
Author worked for Vulcan Foundry Ltd. Flangewear, particularly on locomotives, and the corresponding railwear, is a phenomenon that must have occurred since the inception of railways, but except in exceptional circumstances, flangewear on steam locomotives was not a critical factor. Steam locomotives would often run from general repair to general repair, or at least until intermediate repair, without tyre turning, although the steel used for the purpose was normally Class D. The vast majority of steam locomotives have a simple pair or quartet of wheels in the shape of a leading pony or bogie, and in the case of a bogie the wheelbase is relatively short, say 6 ft. 6 in., with an axleload of about 10 tons, the bogie itself weighing some five tons. Such " trucks " are without any other heavy moving adjuncts, are free moving, except for side control, and run virtually radially round a curve in similar fashion to a common coach or wagon bogie, and although they bear the brunt of guiding the locomotive, wear is not usually excessive.
On electric and diesel locomotives the follwing factors emerged:
Heavy weight of the bogie with its two or three traction motors.
Considerable unsprung weight with nose-suspended traction motors
Traction motors are not along the centre line
Different relative specds of the axles, gear wheels and traction
Low centre of gravity of the bogie as a whole.
Relatively long bogie wheelbase, particularly with a Co-Co.
Weight transfer.
Conclusions:
Correct axlebox sideplay is important, but beyond a given figure has little effect. It is, however, desirable to give sufficient sideplay to the middle axleboxes on a 6-axled bogie to allow this flange to be self-guicling.
70-ton tensile tyres have 2: to 3 times as long a flange life as D steel.
Flange or rail lubrication lengthens flange life from six to nine times according to the tyre steel. It is most important to match the viscosity of the lubricant to the ambient climatic conditions.
In conjunction with above a centraliser improves life by 12 to 15 times at the very least and drastically reduce flange forces.
That for a rail edge of 2 in., existing radii of flange roots are perhaps conservative. Should this radius not be reduced as much as possible consistent with safety, or, conversely, should not the radius of rail edges be increased?
It is important to maintain a correct flangeway where checkrails are provided at the inner rails of curves. Relaxation can produce heavy additional flangewear in addition to railwear.
Where checkrails are provided on curves it can be quite important for the inner face of the tyrc to have a minimum of run off, it . for it to be perpendicular to a point as close to the tip as possible. Otherwise there may only be line bearing an the checkrail.
It might prove interesting for further examination to be given to the pattern of positioning traction motors, in view of the positions adopted by bogies on curves.