Locomotive Railway & Carriage Review
Volume 58 (1952)
Due to corvid virus work on this page has paused
Number 713 (January)
Number 714 (February)
Brockhouse Engineering. Uniline train.?
Cited by Macnair Backtrack,
2020, 34, 580 with illuustration
British Railways class 4-6-2 locomotives. 20-1. 2
illustrations, diagram (side elevaion)
Clan class
Number 715 (March)
Major Sells on Rhodesian railway locomotives. Articles on German Federal Railways, Norwegian trains (item for sale in California).
Number 718 (June)
[Cafeteria car British Rzilways]. 91
Use of Formica in interior: cited from Volume
61, pp. 10-11
B.R. standard class "3" 2-6-2T. 93-4. illustration, diagram (side elevaion)
Number 719 (July)
John Poole. Locomotives of the Buenos Aires Western Railway, 1890-1947.
-97
[SECR Pullman cars]. J.T. Howard Turner
Letter cited by John Pelham Maitland
Number 721 (September)
Motive power. 135-6.
Mr. C.M. Cock, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E., M.I.Loco.E. A.M.I.E.(Aust.),
President of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers for the 1952/53 session,
chose "Motive Power for Railways" as the subject of his address, delivered
to the Institution in London on the 24 September. His remarks mainly concerned
some alternatives to the reciprocating steam locomotive and he ventured to
assume, in view of his long association with the alternatives, that members
would have been dis- appointed if he had not addressed them on that basis.
The President explained that a very careful assess- ment is necessary to
determine real values of traction in respect of cost, and efficient and reliable
movement of traffic. The assessment must also take into account the suitability
of the tractor to the particular territory. In the President's opinion there
is a good deal of misconception regarding railcars, probably arising from
a belief that they are mere 'buses on a railway. The fact is that important
developments have been made in diesel-powered units in recent years and they
have become firmly established in many countries. Multiple unit sets, in
a sense, are something between electrification and the ordinary steam hauled
passenger train and it was stated that there seemed to be great scope on
British Railways for this kind of development.
Although on equation the electric locomotive is easily the most powerful
and efficient of all types of locomotive, and the cheapest to maintain, the
cost and characteristics of the locomotive itself cannot be excepted in any
fair comparison with other forms of traction. Unlike steam and other locomotives
it does not contain a prime mover so that a high-priced fixed installation
is required to enable it continuously to receive electrical energy. This
equipment comprising a contact line, sub-stations and possibly a high-voltage
distribution system, is a charge against the running costs of the locomotive,
when compared with other forms of traction and the same, of course, applies
to multiple unit electric trains. Nevertheless electrification under favourable
conditions can be the cheapest and most efficient of all forms of .traction.
Reference was made to the three basic electrical systems applied to railway
traction, viz., direct current, alternating current single phase, alternating
current three phase. As to which of these is the best, no hard and fast dogmatic
principles can be laid down; it has been proved beyond any doubt whatever
that both the d.c. systems and the a.c single phase low frequency systems
can work with maximum reliability and efficiency. There is also promise in
the 50 cycle a.c. single phase system. The issue can be decided quite clearly
and logically on examination of facts. The justification for the electrification
of any railway, and the system to be adopted is primarily, but not entirely,
economic; the value of electrification as a capital investment is determined
by comparing the working expenses after electrification with those of steam
operation under similar conditions, and a reduction in working expenses must
be found more than sufficient to meet the additional fixed charges due to
electrification. This applies principally to such main line electrification
where no increase in traffic due to electrification may be expected. With
suburban electrification, however, the track capacity can always be increased.
More trains can be run to provide a faster and more frequent service than
that provided by the displaced steam service. Although this may result in
increased working expenses and so appear speculative, experience has shown,
both in this country and abroad, that the improved but more costly services
attract substantial increases in traffic with consequent increased nett revenue
despite' the greater working expenses due to the improved services.
Electrification has assisted in the development of cheap power in some countries;
a good example is South Africa where the primary traction electricity supply
system was designed to accommodate the general demand throughout the area
traversed by the electric railway. The growth of the traction load, which
may be considered the base load, resulted in a reduction of from 0.816d.
to 0.48d. in the average price per unit of electrical energy for all purposes
on this system between 1927 and 1949 in spite of rising costs of coal used
for generation.
The Weir Committee (1931) estimated that complete electrification of British
Railways would require some 5,700M units of electrical energy per annum and
a recent check confirms that this figure still holds good.
The main items making up first costs of electrification were outlined; in
general, the higher the operating voltage the lower are the first costs and
the resultant capital charges of the fixed installation. On the other hand,
with an increase in operating voltage there is an increase in the cost of
the electric locomotives and electrical equipment of coaches; so that to
determine the economic effect of the variables on any proposed system of
electrification for any particular line or territory the actual case must
be worked out, and estimates of costs must be calculated for various voltages.
High traffic density tends to favour the adoption of low voltage, and conversely,
low traffic density favours a high voltage, but the balance can only be assessed
by taking into account the actual conditions of a particular scheme. . The
use of single phase SO cycle current was con- sidered and reference given
to the progress made. In Britain trials with multiple unit coaches operating
on 50 cycles are about to commence on the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham line;
in this case the d.c. traction motors are fed from rectifiers.
While the 50 cycles system may be attractive insofar as the cost of the fixed
installation is concerned, there are on the other harrd disadvantages with
the electrical equipment of the vehicles, and the effect of unbalance on
the main three phase power network of the single phase traction supply. For
various reasons, including economic considerations, the British Transport
Commission has accepted the 1,500v. d.c. system as standard for British Railways
but the 50 cycles system has not been ruled out for electrification of
secondarylines with light traffic.' Considering the diesel electric 'locomotive
the President pointed out that the diesel is the most efficient heat engine
available at present for practical application in a locomotive but the overall
cost of translating efficiency into useful work at the wheel rim must be
weighed when determining whether this type of locomotive is indeed more
economical than the steam locomotive. There has been a phenomenal growth
of diesel traction on the main line railways of North America. During the
first six months of 1951 the builders produced an average of 330 units a
month of all types above 100 tons and 600 h.p. Reference was made to fuel
costs and it was stated that the differential in cost per B. T. U. as between
oil and coal is rather more in the U.S.A. than it is in Britain. The average
cost per horse power for diesel locomotives in Britain is rather more than
double that for steam locomotives whereas in the U.S.A. the contrast is more
favourable to diesel locomotives. Of all the factors contributing to the
economy of diesel traction in the U.S.A., it would seem that chiefly those
concerning capital costs and utilisation might be unfavourable perhaps in
Britain.
Taking into account the reiative costs and calorific values of diesel fuel
and coal in Britain, a theoretical evaluation indicates that for equivalent
work the cost of fuel for the diesel electric locomotive is less than the
steam locomotive by about only 10% and this is supported by actual tests.
When the respective capital charges are added to the account the higher first
cost of the diesel locomotive swings the balance in favour of the steam
locomotive to the order of 25% But such conclusions when drawn from particular
and individual comparisons are unrealistic. The real general and total costs
must take into account the many contributing auxiliary factors when a large
number of diesel locomotives displace a larger number of steam engines for
equivalent work. So far as steam turbine locomotives are concerned some of
the experiments have been costly, but in spite of persistent and patient
endeavour nothing so far has emerged as a permanently better substitute for
the reciprocating steam locomotive. Attention has been turned to the gas
turbine which shows greater promise for locomotive applications, the ultimate
hope being that it will enable smaller, cheaper and more powerful locomotives
to be built within the limits of existing axle weights and load gauges. The
thermal efficiency of gas turbines is limited in practice, at the present
stage the best figure yet achieved for the restricted space in a locomotive
is 19% at the turbine shaft. The full power efficiency is reduced with electrical
transmission to 15.5% at the rail. The French 1,000 h.p. locomotive is claimed
to have a thermal efficiency at the turbine shaft, of 33-35% using non-distillate
fuel, but the free piston compressor system has not yet been proved in rail
service nor are any overall efficiency figures yet available. At the present
stage of development the gas turbine locomotive holds some promise of economy
in capital and maintenance charges as compared with the diesel locomotive,
but until the all day thermal efficiency at the rail can be improved
considerably, the margin of overall economy is unlikely to give the gas turbine
locomotive superiority over the diesel locomotive. Torque conversion received
consideration and the President then dealt with the important subject of
energy for traction. The Federation of British Industries estimate that the
true shortage of coal in Britain is now between 10M and 20M tons per year
and on the present trend will grow to about 50M tons by 1960-65. Apart from
conservation, the cost of coal must be a factor of some influence in regard
to extravagance in its use and ability to compete with other forms of energy.
In 1951 the cost of fuel (exclusive of carriage charges) for operating British
Railways was nearly £38M, i.e., 11.2% of the total working expenses.
In conclusion the President stated that he had tried, objectively, to set
out the facts as he found them and to clarify some matters of controversy
or doubt. concerning the forms of motive power which can be applied to railways
today. The steam locomotive has survived for so long, not by any claim to
technical superiority but because it is cheap, sturdy, and simple. For these
reasons, and for some time ahead, it will remain on many railways in accordance
with the concept of George Stephenson. Our coal must be conserved. Unless
the Coal Board magically cap. produce more coal of satisfactory quality from
yet unknown fields, the position will degenerate from one of gravity to .utmost
gravity. Electrification at least will assist in easing the position; complete
electrification in this country would save at least 8½M tons. of coal
per annum, which is 4% of the present national production. Should nuclear
energy become available, electric traction would appear to be [he most convenient
way to use it.
This is, of necessity, a considerably abbreviated report on this very interesting
address which covered a subject of great importance today.
255 ton British-built locomotives for New South
Wales. 137-9. 3 illustrations, diagram (side elevation).
2-8-4+4-8-2 Beyer Garratt supplied by Beyer Peacock for New
South Wales Government Railways. Built with cast steel beds supplied by General
Steel Castings of America: these weighed 13 tons. The boilers operated at
200 psi, had 63.4ft2 grate area and the second batch of 25 were
scheduled to incoporate thermic syphons. The total heating surface was
2799ft2 with 748ft2 of superheat. The locomotives were
fitted with mechanical stokers. The four cylinders were 19¼ x 26 in.
They were constructed under the authority of the foremer CME Harold Young
and his successor W.H. Armstrong.
O.S. Nock, Locomotives of R.E.L. Maunsell, 1912-1947. Part 8. 139-40.
illustration
Approximates to Chapter 7 of
The Locomotives of R.E.L.
Maunsell, 1911-1937
J.M. Doherty. Diesel locomotives for light railways.
141-4. 3 diagrams, 2 tables
Double bogie design with R. Hornsby & Sons engine and Self Changing
Gear Co. transmission
Institution of Locomotive Engineers. 144
Papers announced to be presented at general meetings during the
1952-53 session: 22 October The Development of the Oil Fired Locomotive,
W.C. Ikeson, 19 November Stresses in Locomotive Coupling and Connecting Rods,
H.I. Andrews, 17 December Recent Developments in the Use of Rubber in Railway
Engineering, S.W. Marsh. 1953: 14 January Limitations on Train Performance
with Electric Traction, A.S. Robertson. 18 February Operating Experiences
with Two Gas Turbine Locomotives, A.W.J. Dymond. 18 March AnnuaI Generall
Meeting) Locomotive Maintenance, R.C. Bond. 15 April Running Tests of a 500
H.P. Diesel Mechanical Locomotive, B. Reed . The Sir Seymour Biscoe Tritton
Lecture will be delivered by Mr. F.Q. den Hollander, President, The Netherlands
Railway Co.
Kings Cross 1852-1952. 144
To commemorate the centeriarv of the opening of Kings Cross Station
an Exhibition relating primarily to the Great Northern main line-and to a
lesser extent to the East Coast route generally-will be held at the station
from October 13-18 inclusive. This will be divided into two sections, one
of which will, it is hoped, include examples of rolling stock, while the
other will be devoted to models, documents, photographs and small exhibits.
It is believed that a number of items which would be of great interest are
in private ownership and anyone possessing relics, etc., which they would
be prepared to lend is asked to offer these, before 30 September . M. B.
Thomas, Public Relations and Publicitv Officer, Room 30, Marylebone Station,
London, N.W.1. Every care will be taken of loan exhibits.
Exhibition of Railroadiana. 144
The National Book League is staging an exhibition of railway books,
prints and relics at 7, Albernarle Street, London, W1, from 10 September
to 5 November, In conjunction with this a series of lectures is being given
each Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. from September 16th to October 14th; the
speakers are all well known in the realm of railway history. The exhibition
is open 11.0 a.m. to 5.0 p.m. on weekdays except Tuesdays and Thursdays when
it will close at 8.0 p.m. The lectures will commence at 7.30 p.m. [Ottley
7827]
Sells. Sierra Leone Government Rly. 145-7. 4
illustrations, diagram (side elevation)
There were eight 2-6-2+2-6-2 Beyer Garratt locomotives in service
plus five 2-8-0+0-8-2 locomotives which had been converted from the former
in 1943-5 to enable heavier trains to be hauled, but at the loss of ease
of working over sharp curvature. Photographs include Banya Junction.
Austerity 0-6-0 saddle tank, B.R. 147.
illustration.
Describes them as J94 class which is not strictly true as built for
National Coal Board by Hunslet Engine Co. to same dimensions, but with better
quality fittings. Order for twelve locomotives in hand and order for further
37 placed by NCB at cost of £350,000. Illustration shows J94 in York
Yard with a large "A" on the bunker. See also
feature in Locomotive October 1950.
John Poole. Locomotives of the Buenos Aires Western Railway, 1890-1947.
148-9. diagram (side elevation)
Continued from page 97. Class 15 4-8-0 was supplied by Sir W.G. Armstrong
Whitworth in 1931. Originally cast steel beds had been specified, but the
manufacturer could not supply them and the specification had to be modified.
The design was described in the 15 May 1931 Issue p. 147. The locomotives
were later fitted with double chimneys and "blinkers" (smoke deflectors).
They had 20½ x 28 in. cylinders. There were problems with the piston
valves and the tail-rods were removed. The railway was sold to the Argentine
Government on 1 March 1948.
British Railways. Western Region. 149
0-6-0T (0-6-0PT) Nos. 8487-90 and 9477-9 had been completed by Robert
Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd.
British Railways. Southern Region. 149
2-6-2T Nos. 82011-13 (built at Swindon) had entered service.
British Railways. Eastern Region. 149
Class 4 2-6-0 Nos. 42155-60; diesel mechanical Class DM1 No. 11103
and 0-4-4-0 EM1 Nos. 26045-6 had entered service
Franco-Crosti type boiler. 149.
To be fitted to some 9F Class 2-10-0
Fibreglass insulation. 149-51. 3 illustrations.
Boiler insulation, insulation for dining and sleeping cars and tank
wagons. Use in resin glass plastic laminates. Refers to a convention held
at Leamington.
M. Han. Repair of wheels by welding. 151-2. diagram.
Obituary. 152
We regret we have to record the passing, on August 23, at the age
of 81, of Mr. C. B. Collett, O.B.E., C.M.E. of the Great Western Railway
from 1922 to 1941. Not only did he perpetuate the tradition associated with
Swindon but himself made considerable contributions to the cause of
standardisation. During his tenure of office considerable improvements were
made in rolling stock generally but his" Castle" and " King" class locomotives
will ensure him a foremost place among locomotive designers.
L.M.R. rebuilt turbomotive No. 46202 Princess
Anne. 152
Known familiarly as the Turbomotive former L.M.S. No. 6202 was a
remarkable and in many ways a successful locomotive. The engine and its operation
were comprehensively dealt with in the paper presented in 1946 to the Institution
of Locomotive Engineers by Mr. R. C. Bond. British Railways have recently
rebuilt this engine as a " Princess" class 4-cylinder reciprocating one and
it has now been named Princess Anne.
Correspondence. 152
[SECR Pullman cars]. J. Pelham Maitland.
Referring to the letter from J.T. Howard Turner in
the issue of Locomotive Mag for July 15, relative to the S.E.R.
Car Trains, it is of interest to point out that the car Carmen involved
in the Sevenoaks accident, stood up to the shock in a remarkable manner,
despite the fact that it hit the intermediate pier of Shoreham Lane bridge
broadside. Its behaviour was in vivid contrast to the ordinary coach (5518)
immediately preceding, which broke up almost completely, with a heavy list
of fatalities.
Reviews. 152
Directory of Railway Officials & Year Book, 1952-53. Tothill
Press.
The new edition of this valuable reference book, now in its 58th year
of publication, generally follows the pattern of previous editions, but it
has been thoroughly revised. Some new entries are included and in other instances
information is considerably amplified. Statistics specially prepared by the
British Transport Commission are among the many features which contribute
to the indispensibility of this work in so many establishments.
Modern Locomotives. Brian Reed. Temple Press
This is a further edition of the popular book which first appeared
three years ago. It has been extensively revised and contains many new
illustrations. Explaining in simple language the technical whys and wherefores
of the construction and operation of all types of locomotives, this book
will be in considerable demand by boys—if they can get it away from
their fathers.
British Trains In Pictures.
Thirty-two pages of photogravure reproductions depicting railway trains
in motion and at rest. London; Ian Allan, Ltd.
Davey, Paxman & Co., Ltd., 152
Latest traction brochure, No. 1270. This pamphlet refers to the Paxman
range of diesel engines for varying traction duties of 250-1,500 B.H.P.,
or combinations of engines for installation as multiple units. Engines of
this make are fitted to many of the diesel locomotives which have been described
in our pages, including the Fell locomotive, B.R .. No. 10800, and the Hunslet
Engine Company's heavy duty eight-coupled locomotives for Peru .
Number 723 (November)
Performance and efficiency tests. 167.
Editorial comment on Bulletins puiblished by Railway Executive on
locomotive types following tests on the Rugby or Swindon plants and on the
road.
Indian metre gauge Pacifics. 168-9. illustration, diagram (side
elevaion)
In June 1952 the first of an order for 100 locomotives was completed
by the North British Locomotice Company for the Indian Railways under the
consultants Rendel, Palmer & Tritton. The locomotives had welded steel
fireboxes with thermic syphons, 15¼ x 24in. cylinders, 28ft2
grate area and operated at 210 psi.
English Electric Co. Ltd. 169.
Produced pamphlets to publicize the Company's involvement in
electrification of Polish State Railways Warsaw suburban lines; the Liverpool
to Southport service (probably Ottley 697) and the Liverpool Street
to Shenfield service (probably Ottley 683).
2-8-2 oil-fired locomotives, Hedjaz Railways. 170-1. 2
illustrations.
105 cm gauge line which operated between Amman in Jordan to Deraa
on the Syrian frontier where they worked forward to Damscus. The locomotive
stock was nine: mainly six North British Locomotive Co. 4-6-4T engines built
for the the railways in Malaya. Three further 2-8-2 locomotives (of the Indian
YD type) had been supplied by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. They
incorporated Laidlaw Drew oil burners and enabled the trains to be accelaerated.
They were unloaded by floating crane at Beirut, hauled to Damascus over the
rack operated route through Rayak and thence delivered to Amman. The engines
are painted black and lined in red, and are exceptionally well maintained
by the Mechanical Engineer, Spiro Psorulla. The administration of the Railway
is under the General Manager Ali Bey Khrenou.
Freight handling—B.R. 171. 2 illustrations.
At a demonstration held at Battersea, the latest types of BR freight
wagons were exhibited, in addition to many devicesemployed to speed-up handling
in goods depots. The range of 20 types of wagon exhibited showed progress
made since 1948, when British Railways took. over 1,200,000 wagons formerly
owned by the railway compames or by private firms. There were 480 different
types in production, and despite the necessity to provide many special types
for the needs of individual traf£ics, it is intended eventually to replace
these 480 designs by not more than about 150, thus obtaining great economies
in design and production. 65 types of British Railways standard freight wagons
had already been produced. Among the new wagons were two coal-carrying ones
With a capacity of 24½ tons (instead of the normal 13-16 tons) , which
was intended to be the standard for this class of traffic, in the years to
come. One of the types was hoppered and the other had four side doors and
one end door. Each wagon loaded weighed 35 tons. In both instances all-steel
welded construction was employed, but in the case of the fiat bottom wagon
there was an alternative riveted design for body and frame: Both types were
illustrated. The size of wagons for general merchan- dise continued to be
governed by the demands of trade, and for this reason the existing capacities
of 12-tons for covered vans and 13-tons for open wagons were being
retained.
B.R. London Midland Region. 171.
New locomotives into traffic: class 7 4-6-2 No. 70025 (built at Crewe
for Western Region), and class 4 2-6-4 tank No. 80000 (built at Derby for
Scottish Region) and Nos. 80046-7 (built at Bnghton for L.M. Region). The
last survivor of the L&Y 2-4-2 tanks had been withdrawn from service.
Built at Horwich in 1910 as No. 1536, it became L.M.S. No. 10925 after the
amalgamation and, latterly, No. 50925 until withdrawn.
B.R. Eastern Region. 171.
The following engines had recently been placed in service: 0-4-4-0
electric class EM1, Nos. 26048, 27049; 0-6-0 diesel class DES1, Nos.
12123-12125.
Motor coaches for the Solothurne-Berne Railway. 174. illustration
Three Oerlikon motor coaches with driving trailers supplied for metre
gauge railway which operated on three voltages: 1200V dc Solothurne to
Zollikofen; at 85V dc from there to Berne and at 600 v dc in urban
Berne.
The Model Engineer Exhibition. 174.
Held at New Horticultural Hall. Opened on 20 October by Duke of Edinburgh.
Lists recipents of awards.
Sells. The Gold Coast Government Railway and is locomotives. 175-7.
map, gradient profile.
522 miles of 3ft 6in gauge route with lines connecting Kumasi with
Sekondi and Accra. The main freight handled was cocoa, manganese, bauxite
and timber.
The Steel Company of Wales Ltd. 178-9. illustration
Stainless steel coaches in France and Algeria. 179. illustration
Budd-type carriages constracted by Carel Fouché & Cie, Paris.
955 h.p. diesel-electric locos. with 10-ton axle load. 180-1.
illustration, diagram (side & front elevations), plan
A1A-A1A type developed jointly by Birmingham Railway Carriage &
Wagon Co. Ltd, Crompton Parkinsn Ltd and Sulzer Bros. (London) Ltd. Nineteen
locomotives being supplied to narrow gauge railways in West Africa and
Australia.
BR London Midland Region. 181.
New Class 4 2-6-4 mixed traffic locomotives into service: Nos.
80044 and 80045 (built at Brighton)
B.R. light diesel trains. 181.
Announcement that the West Riding of Yorkshire would be the location
for the 16 motor car units using Leylands Motors 125 h.p. bus engines and
Walker Bros. (Wigan) mechanical transmissions. Each two car unit would
accommodate 16 first class and 124 third class passengers.
BR Scottish Region. 181
New Class 4 2-6-4 mixed traffic locomotive into service: Nos.
80000.