Steam locomotives after 1829 in Europe and the USA
He stands, he snores, he sighs heavily,
And the sweaty shirt was soaked with oil,
And it puffs out steam,
And he breathes heat...
The stoker walks by and seems not to hear,
He doesn't hear, he doesn't hear,
How hard he breathes!
And he throws coal into his huge belly,
And coal is heavy
There is a dull thump there,
And in the hot belly
It burns so brightly!
Phew, it's hot,
Puff, it's hot,
Ooh, hot, pooh, hot!
Julian Tuwim. Translated from Polish by Emma Moszkowska
And the sweaty shirt was soaked with oil,
And it puffs out steam,
And he breathes heat...
The stoker walks by and seems not to hear,
He doesn't hear, he doesn't hear,
How hard he breathes!
And he throws coal into his huge belly,
And coal is heavy
There is a dull thump there,
And in the hot belly
It burns so brightly!
Phew, it's hot,
Puff, it's hot,
Ooh, hot, pooh, hot!
Julian Tuwim. Translated from Polish by Emma Moszkowska
History techniques. We continue our “steam locomotive history”, and today our story will be devoted to the era after 1829, that is, after “RocketStephenson won first prize in the British steam locomotive races. But what about steam locomotives in the United States? Here's how: before the arrival of British imported locomotives, several prototypes of their own steam locomotives were built and tested in the United States, including a miniature prototype by John Fitch. A striking example of a full-size steam locomotive was Colonel John Stephen's "steam car," which was demonstrated on the Hoboken, New Jersey, loop route in 1825.
A humorous steam locomotive monument stands in front of the Mineralnye Vody railway station. Photo by the author.
Many of the first locomotives used commercially on American railroads were imported from Britain, including first the Stourbridge Lion and then the John Bull. However, domestic locomotive production soon emerged. In 1830, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad received the "Tom Thumb" locomotive, designed by Peter Cooper, which became the first American-built commercial locomotive to operate in America. Intended as a demonstration of steam traction's potential, rather than a revenue-generating locomotive, it nevertheless ran and entered service. The "DeWitt Clinton," built in 1831 for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, was one of the first locomotives of sufficient size.
As of 2021, the original John Bull was on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. A replica is housed at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The first railway service outside the United Kingdom and North America opened in 1829 in France, where the Saint-Étienne-Lyon railway was built. Initially horse-drawn, it was converted to steam power in early 1831, using Seguin locomotives. The first steam locomotive to operate in Europe outside of France was named "The Elephant." On May 5, 1835, it pulled its first train in Belgium, on the line connecting Mechelen and Brussels.
German locomotive "Ernest August" manufactured by the Jägersdorf company (1846)
In Germany, the first working steam locomotive was designed by British locomotive pioneer John Blenkinsop. Built in June 1816 by Johann Friedrich Kriegar at the Royal Berlin Iron Foundry (Königliche Eisengießerei zu Berlin), the locomotive ran on a circular track on the factory grounds.
This was the first locomotive built on the European mainland, and it was also the first to haul a steam-powered passenger train. For a fee, curious spectators could ride in the carriages attached to it. It is depicted on the Royal Foundry's New Year's emblem, dated 1816. Another such locomotive was built in 1817. They were intended for use on the mine railways in Königshütte and Luisenthal on the Saar, but neither was ever restored to working order after being dismantled, transported, and reassembled.
On December 7, 1835, the Adler steam locomotive made its first run on the railway between Nuremberg and Fürth. It was the 118th locomotive produced by Robert Stephenson's locomotive factory, and it was patented and protected.
The first locomotive in Russia, 1834
In Russia, the first steam locomotive was built in 1834 by the Cherepanov brothers. However, due to a coal shortage in the region, it was replaced by horse traction after all the nearby forests were cleared. The first Tsarskoye Selo steam railway opened in 1837 using locomotives purchased from Robert Stephenson. In 1837, the first steam railway in Austria opened between Vienna-Floridsdorf and Deutsch-Wagram. Austria also boasts the oldest steam locomotive in the world that has never stopped: the GKB 671. Built in 1860, it is still used for special excursions.
Steam locomotive "Saxony" (1838)
Another steam locomotive named "Novelty" (1840)
In 1838, the third steam locomotive built in Germany was called "Saxonia" and was constructed by Maschinenbaufirma Übigau under the direction of Professor Johann Schubert. The first locomotive designed in Germany was "Beuth," built by August Borsig in 1841. The first locomotive produced by Henschel-Werke in Kassel was "Dragon," manufactured in 1848. The first steam locomotives to operate in Italy were "Bayard" and "Vesuvius," which ran on the Napoli-Portici line in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The first railway line in Switzerland was the Strasbourg-Basel line, opened in 1844. Three years later, in 1847, the first entirely Swiss railway line was opened from Zurich to Baden.
Stephenson's Steam Locomotive, 1846
Crompton's Liverpool, 1848.
It's worth noting that the appearance of steam locomotives of this era was determined by their large drive wheels. While wheel diameters had previously rarely exceeded 1,5 meters, the Crompton company chose wheels of approximately 2,1–2,4 meters for its locomotives. This significantly larger wheel diameter increased the locomotives' speed. During test runs on England's Grand Junction Railway, covering a total of 3680 km, one of its locomotives reached speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) unladen and 100 km/h (62 mph) with a lighter load. This was a feat no other locomotive of the time could achieve.
However, Crompton locomotives had one significant drawback: due to the specific axle arrangement, they had a low axle load. They could only pull light trains. Nevertheless, their power was sufficient to provide passenger service for extended periods. As typical locomotives for express trains, they found widespread use in a number of countries, including Germany. In Prussia, they remained in use until the mid-1880s.
American steam locomotive of the Baldwin company, 1834.
In the United States, the beginning of independent American locomotive manufacturing was marked by the founding of the Baldwin Company in Philadelphia, which soon became one of the most efficient in the world and began exporting its products on a large scale not only to Canada, Central and South America, but also to Europe. American locomotives had a number of distinctive features, undoubtedly determined by the needs of the national economy and geographical conditions. First and foremost, they had a specific type of conical chimney. This was necessary not so much to enhance traction as to prevent even a single spark from escaping. After all, trains ran through prairies full of dry grass, and the slightest spark could start a fire. The railroads also ran through... wheat fields. And there, the consequences of sparks emanating from locomotive chimneys would have been far more serious.
American steam locomotive 1859
Chicago and Western Railroad locomotive (1867)
What Wild West movie would be complete without a locomotive like this? "The Falcon's Trail" features a train carrying just such a locomotive being attacked by Indians. "The Steady Hand is the Indian's Friend" features a train being attacked by bandits—and these are just two of the most typical, one might say, examples. There are many more. And, of course, how can one not recall the third installment of "Back to the Future," where a Prairie locomotive accelerates Doc Brown's DeLorean to cross space-time... Of course, it wasn't the locomotive itself that exploded in that film, but merely its model!
Coke was used as a spark-free fuel at the time, but it was expensive because it was needed for the metallurgical industry. Where coal deposits were located near railways, however, coke was used. For example, with the construction of the Saxon-Bavarian Railway from Leipzig to Hof, coal from Zwickau was used for coking from 1842 onward (the coking plant of the Leipzig-Dresden Railway in Riesa ceased operation in 1845). However, despite the significant reduction in fuel costs achieved by this, the search for ways to use coal in its original form for heating locomotives continued.
Around 1855, changes in locomotive design allowed the burning of both hard coal and good lignite without coking. In other parts of Germany, depending on local conditions, wood and peat were also used to heat locomotives. Subsequently, many railways used coke, primarily for shunting operations at stations, to reduce the risk of fire and the inconvenience to passengers caused by flying sparks and smoke.
The German steam locomotive "Emont", with an American-style smokestack
As early as 1831, trains and, consequently, locomotives were divided into freight and passenger trains. Over the next few years, the general design features of the steam locomotive took shape: a driver's cab, lighting fixtures, and signal lights were added, the boiler became significantly longer, and steam distribution was improved. In 1832, the rotating bogie was introduced in the USA, and cylinders were horizontally positioned in 1834 (the Trevithick, Blenkinsop, Hadley, Blucher, and Locomotive locomotives had cylinders positioned vertically within the boiler, while the Rocket had cylinders positioned outside the boiler, but at an angle). In 1835, steam locomotives were equipped with whistles, and they were also equipped with sandboxes and steam-powered band brakes.
The Bademia steam locomotive with large driving wheels and a driver's cab
Record-breaking steam locomotives with driving wheels 2,5 meters in diameter or more reached speeds during this time: in 1839, the Hurricane reached 165 kilometers per hour, and in 1847, the Cornwall reached 187 kilometers per hour. In other words, in terms of speed, the machines of that time were practically equal to modern ones, although they were not yet capable of hauling trains carrying up to 60 heavy freight cars or tank cars.
To be continued ...
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