Ljungström turbine locomotive

1926: The Ljungström locomotive was designed in Sweden. It differed from the conventional Stephenson type in several ways. A turbine replaced the cylinders and the exhaust steam was fed back into a condenser. A fan was used to replace the action of the exhaust steam in creating a draught through the boiler. The locomotive was articulated to the condenser unit and the Whyte notation was 4-6-6-4T. Beyer, Peacock produced one engine for British service and it ran extensive trails on the LMS and led, indirectly to the "Stanier" Turbomotive..

DEVELOPMENT of the Ljungström locomotive. Engineer, 1929, 147, 372-3; 398-400; 424-6. 9 illus., 6 diagrs.,S tables.
LJUNGSTROM turbine condensing locomotive, built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd.. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1926, 32, 342-4. illus.
A NEW Ljungström turbo-condensing locomotive, built for service on British railways and now under test on the L.M.S.R.. Rly Engr. 1926, 47, 428-9. illus., 2 diagrs. (mcI. s. f. & r. els.)
2,000-H.P. Ljungström turbine locomotive. Engineering, 1927, 124,771-4;
801-4; 812-28 illus., 9 diagrs.
Includes detailed sectionalized diagrams.

Performance and testing

LJUNGSTROM turbine locomotive. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1927, 33, 193.
Derby-London test run.

Sheriff, Thomas. The early development of the Ljungström radial flow steam turbine. Trans. Newcomen Soc., 1980,  52, 31-44. Disc.: 44-7.
In the discussion the President asked how these turbine locomotives had performed in service. Mr. G. J. Carpenter said that the LMS had had one which ran for about a year between St. Pancras and Manchester and between St. Pancras and Leeds on express passenger and fast freight trains. The LMS had made comparative tests between the turbine locomotive working at 300 lbf/in² and a standard 2-6-0 reciprocating locomotive working at 1801bf/in². The fuel consumption of the turbine locomotive was about 4% higher than than that of the standard locomotive, although the turbine locomotive had performed very well. Mr. Carpenter went on to say that Mr. Wood had mentioned a specific steam consumption of 11.55 lb/kW hr; to what steam conditions did that refer? Mr. Wood replied that that the first turbine had worked at 172 lbf/in² gauge with 285°F superheat; he thought the early turbo-generator would have used a similar supply. Mr. Sheriff later enlarged on the reply to the President: the turbine of the locomotive mentioned was, in fact, of the axial flow type but designed by Aktiebolaget Ljungströms Angturbin (ALA). Several similar locomotives were used on the Swedish State Railways from March 1921, mainly on the 400 mile Stockholm-Malmo run. The LMS example was built by Beyer, Peacock & Co with an ALA axial flow turbine by the Brush Electrical Engineering Co. The turbine comprised a number of blade wheels fastened together by a high tensile bolt. The last blade wheel, that at the exhaust end, carried double flow blading.

2006-05-29