1.
Swiss locomotive and railcar classification
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It started out as a uniform system for the classification and naming of all rolling stock, powered and unpowered, but had been replaced and amended by the UIC classification of goods wagons. The Swiss classification system was created by the Swiss federal railways department, in 1902, when the Swiss Federal Railways was founded as a government railway, that new railway also became bound by the system. The Swiss system is less precise than those other systems in the way it deals with axles, because it refers only to numbers, rather than to arrangements, of powered axles. The Swiss system is more a method of classifying locomotive. The classifications for which the Swiss system provides have always been adapted to new requirements. The last modification to the system occurred in 1968, with the publication of the Directory of the Rolling Stock of the Swiss Private Railways by the Swiss Federal Agency for Transport. For carriages and wagons, the system was progressively replaced from 1968 by the UIC international wagon classification system. However, all of Switzerlands powered rolling stock initially retained its Swiss type classification or class designation, the standard gauge private railways of Switzerland soon followed the example of the Swiss Federal Railways, and agreement was reached as to the allocation of number ranges. The narrow gauge railways have largely retained the old system for locomotives, railcars and passenger carriages, here is a description of the classification system as it operated up to 1989, and as it still operates in respect of narrow gauge private railway motive power. There is no provision for combining the codes A, B, C, D, E, G, R and T, the combination of H and G is possible. HG would therefore be a narrow gauge locomotive, with a mix of adhesion, since 1966, in respect of railcars and tractors, he or hm has meant pure rack rail drive, and eh or mh has meant a mix of adhesion and rack rail drive. Steam powered tank locomotives were given an E, and the maximum speed of the locomotive was designated with a lower case letter. Thus, an Ea 3/6 was a locomotive with vmax >80 kilometres per hour. With steam locomotives, separate driving mechanisms were displayed, so, for example, a Mallet locomotive was named G 2x2/2 or G 2/3+2/2, and not G 4/4 or G 4/5. Up until 1920, standard gauge locomotives were given the letter F. The class later designated as Be 5/7 was therefore originally named Fb 5/7, the designation R was originally intended for locomotives with an axle load of under 16 tonnes. These lightweight locomotives exert less stress on the rails when they negotiate curves, with the introduction of the Re 4/4II, the axle load limit was dropped following extensive testing. Several locomotives were given approval for higher cornering speeds, to which their type designation had not yet been adapted
2.
Tasmanian Government Railways K class
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The Tasmanian Government Railways K class was a class of 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways. It was the first class of Garratt locomotives ever produced, although considered the first Garratt locomotives, they did in fact differ in two important details from Herbert Garratts original concept. This was a problem on the warm days on the West Coast Range in Tasmania, as one pair of cylinders was under the cab. The North East Dundas Tramway on which they worked traversed some of the most rugged terrain in the served by a railway at the time. It featured long stretches of 1-in-25 grades, high trestle bridges and 30-metre-radius reverse curves. After the line closed in 1929, the boiler of K1 was sold to a sawmill, Beyer, Peacock & Co closed in 1966, with K1 sold to the Ffestiniog Railway. As the Welsh Highland Railway rebuilding project reached fruition, K1s potential for the line was recognised, a new boiler was found to be required. Parts were restored at various locations, with K1 reassembled at Boston Lodge, after conversion to oil-firing, it steamed again in 2004 and finally received HM Railway Inspectorate approval in September 2006 to haul trains. It entered passenger service in October 2007, in 2014, K1s boiler certificate expired and it was withdrawn for overhaul. Garratt locomotives Rail Tasmania TGR K class Drawing Drawing of TGR K class
3.
Tasmanian Government Railways
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The Tasmanian Government Railways was the former operator of the mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the company was managed by the Government of Tasmania. The early railways of Tasmania were initially constructed by a number of private companies, in 1871, the Launceston and Western Railway opened the first railway line in Tasmania, with a 5 ft 3 in line from Launceston to Deloraine. The Tasmanian Main Line Railway Company later opened their Hobart to Evandale line in 1876, because of the break-of-gauge, the TMLR laid a third rail upon the L&WR line, and operated dual gauge for the final 11 miles to Launceston. As a result of takeover, all Tasmanian railways were relaid or newly constructed in 3 ft 6 in gauge. In 1938, the administration was absorbed into the newly created Transport Commission. The Commission was empowered to co-ordinate and improve land transport within the State, special fares were arranged for these trips, with return tickets between the two termini priced at $1.00. Trains were arranged with either single, double or triple-headed steam locomotives, depending on the type of stock, the Centenary Train also conveyed special mail from the Launceston Post Office, as well as politicians and invited guests. After the Centenary train, further special trains were run through to St Marys on the Fingal Line, south down to Ross on the Main Line, several trains were also timetabled to pick up passengers flown from Melbourne to Western Junction. The centenary celebrations were overall viewed as a success, with most seats booked on each special train. With around 16 lines across the state, the TGR operated a combination of approximately 275 stations, halts, large stations were located at Hobart, Derwent Park, New Norfolk, Parattah, Launceston, Zeehan, Burnie and Devonport. Special trains were also conveyed on Hobarts suburban network, with trains operating to Elwick Racecourse for the Hobart Cup, the special show trains to the Showgrounds ended in 1978, and were the last TGR passenger trains to be run in Tasmania. Hobart suburban services ended in 1974, with services ending entirely in 1978. TGR introduced in 1954 some containers for goods such as cement, sand, gravel. Main Line - Running North/South between Hobart and Launceston, Western Line - Running from Western Junction to Wiltshire Junction. Derwent Valley Line - Running from Bridgewater Junction to logging areas in Florentine, Fingal Line - Branching from Conara Junction, south of Launceston, to St Marys on the East Coast. Irishtown-Trowutta Line - A short line from Irishtown Junction to rural areas southwards, Bell Bay Line - Opened in the early 1970s, this line connected Launceston to its northern port at Bell Bay. Apsley Line - Branching from Brighton Junction north into rural farmlands, mole Creek Line - Branching from Lemana Junction south from the Western Line into logging areas
4.
Beyer, Peacock and Company
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Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966 and it received limited liability in 1902, becoming Beyer, Peacock and Company Limited. In 1854, the German born Charles Beyer resigned as engineer at Atlas works. It was Beyer that was responsible for success of production at Atlas. He had trained under the guidance of the inventor of cotton mill machinery. Richard Peacock resigned from his position as engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield. Confident in his ability to secure orders to build locomotives, Beyer’s resignation presented Peacock with a partnership opportunity. However, this was not a company and all partners were liable for debts should the business fail, in a mid-Victorian economic climate of boom and bust. Beyer could raise £9,524 and Peacock £5,500, Beyer and Peacock were founder members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Unfortunately, Geach died, the loan was recalled and the project nearly died. To the rescue came Thomas Brassey who persuaded Henry Robertson to provide a £4,000 loan in return for being the third partner, Beyer appointed and worked closely with Hermann Ludwig Lange, in 1861. A native of his town, Plauen, Saxony, Langer trained as an engineer in Germany, became chief draughtsman in 1865. Four New South Wales Government Railways AD60 Class Beyer-Garratt Patent locomotives are preserved being the most powerful locomotives in the southern hemisphere when introduced. Gorton Foundry was on the side of the railway line to the Manchester, Sheffield. Between 1855 and 1966, the company built nearly 8,000 railway locomotives, several of their 1874-built steam locomotives for the Isle of Man Railway remain in daily use. A Gorton-built South African Railways GL class Beyer-Garratt locomotive is on display in the Museum of Science, in addition to building steam locomotives, Beyer, Peacock & Co. The foundry was at Openshaw near Manchester, England, and was built in 1854, the site was chosen because land was cheaper than in the city and had good water supply from a local reservoir. Beyer had designed the works so it always allowed room for expansion, in its 112-year history no buildings needed to be demolished as the works developed
5.
Whyte notation
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The notation counts the number of leading wheels, then the number of driving wheels, and finally the number of trailing wheels, groups of numbers being separated by dashes. Other classification schemes, like UIC classification and the French, Turkish and Swiss systems for steam locomotives, in the notation a locomotive with two leading axles in front, then three driving axles and then one trailing axle is classified as 4-6-2. Articulated locomotives such as Garratts, which are two locomotives joined by a common boiler, have a + between the arrangements of each engine. Thus a double Pacific type Garratt is a 4-6-2+2-6-4, for Garratt locomotives the + sign is used even when there are no intermediate unpowered wheels, e. g. the LMS Garratt 2-6-0+0-6-2. This is because the two units are more than just power bogies. They are complete engines, carrying fuel and water tanks, the + sign represents the bridge that links the two engines. Simpler articulated types such as Mallets, have a frame under a common boiler where there are no unpowered wheels between the sets of powered wheels. Typically, the frame is free to swing, whereas the rear frame is rigid with the boiler. Thus a Union Pacific Big Boy is a 4-8-8-4, four leading wheels, one group of eight driving wheels, another group of eight driving wheels and this numbering system is shared by duplex locomotives, which have powered wheel sets sharing a rigid frame. No suffix means a tender locomotive, T indicates a tank locomotive, in European practice, this is sometimes extended to indicate the type of tank locomotive, T means side tank, PT pannier tank, ST saddle tank, WT well tank. T+T means a tank locomotive that also has a tender, in Europe, the suffix R can signify rack or reversible, the latter being Bi-cabine locomotives used in France. The suffix F indicates a fireless locomotive, other suffixes have been used, including ng for narrow-gauge and CA or ca for compressed air. In Britain, small diesel and petrol locomotives are classified in the same way as steam locomotives. This may be followed by D for diesel or P for petrol, thus 0-6-0DE denotes a six-wheel diesel locomotive with electric transmission. Where the axles are coupled by chains or shafts or are individually driven, thus 4wPE indicates a four-wheel petrol locomotive with electric transmission. For large diesel locomotives the UIC classification is used, the main limitation of Whyte Notation is that it does not cover non-standard types such as Shay locomotives, which use geared trucks rather than driving wheels. The most commonly used system in Europe outside the United Kingdom is UIC classification, based on German practice, in American practice, most wheel arrangements in common use were given names, sometimes from the name of the first such locomotive built. For example, the 2-2-0 type arrangement is named Planet, after the 1830 locomotive on which it was first used, the most common wheel arrangements are listed below
6.
Steam locomotive
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A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material—usually coal, wood, the steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotives main wheels. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons pulled behind, the first steam locomotive, made by Richard Trevithick, first operated on 21 February 1804, three years after the road locomotive he made in 1801. The first practical steam locomotive was built in 1812-13 by John Blenkinsop, Steam locomotives were first developed in Great Britain during the early 19th century and used for railway transport until the middle of the 20th century. From the early 1900s they were superseded by electric and diesel locomotives, with full conversions to electric. The majority of locomotives were retired from regular service by the 1980s, though several continue to run on tourist. The earliest railways employed horses to draw carts along railway tracks, in 1784, William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, built a small-scale prototype of a steam road locomotive. An early working model of a rail locomotive was designed and constructed by steamboat pioneer John Fitch in the US during 1794. His steam locomotive used interior bladed wheels guided by rails or tracks, the model still exists at the Ohio Historical Society Museum in Columbus. The authenticity and date of this locomotive is disputed by some experts, accompanied by Andrew Vivian, it ran with mixed success. The design incorporated a number of important innovations that included using high-pressure steam which reduced the weight of the engine, Trevithick visited the Newcastle area in 1804 and had a ready audience of colliery owners and engineers. The visit was so successful that the railways in north-east England became the leading centre for experimentation. Trevithick continued his own steam propulsion experiments through another trio of locomotives, Four years later, the successful twin-cylinder locomotive Salamanca by Matthew Murray for the edge railed rack and pinion Middleton Railway debuted in 1812. Another well known early locomotive was Puffing Billy built 1813–14 by engineer William Hedley and it was intended to work on the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne. This locomotive is the oldest preserved, and is on display in the Science Museum. George Stephenson built Locomotion No.1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north-east England, in 1829, his son Robert built in Newcastle The Rocket which was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. This success led to the company emerging as the pre-eminent builder of locomotives used on railways in the UK, US. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened a year later making exclusive use of power for passenger
