1.
British Rail corporate liveries
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The history of British Rails corporate liveries is quite complex. Multiple units were also green, although this tended to be a lighter and bluer shade compared to the colour used on steam. Corridor coaching stock was originally trialled in carmine and white before Crimson Lake and Cream livery was adopted across the network, all Class 42 Warship class diesels were delivered in green but some Class 52s were delivered in maroon to match the then-standard coaching stock livery. This livery suited these diesel hydraulic classes, and allowed the Western Region to once again show a degree of independence, the 25kV electric locomotives were painted from new in a striking shade of bright blue which was known as Electric Blue. They retained this livery for some years, before being painted in Rail Blue when that became the norm. In 1964, as part of a plan to develop a new image for British Railways. No. D5578 was painted in an unlined Light Electric blue, the first Class 52 Western class, No. D1000 Western Enterprise was painted in a pale brown livery known as Desert Sand livery when first delivered in 1961. Another Class 52, No. D1015 Western Champion was delivered in another, darker yellow/brown colour described as Golden Ochre and these non-standard liveried Western diesel hydraulics were also fitted with the cast aluminium lion and wheel emblem that was standard issue on the 25kV electric locomotives. The colours were chosen to be different from those of any of the Big Four pre-nationalisation railway companies while retaining a traditional aspect, however many people were not happy with the loss of the traditional historic regional colour schemes as used by the former private companies. From 1956 there was a move toward the return of regional colour schemes, for cost reasons, liveries were usually changed piecemeal, when coaches came in for scheduled maintenance. Coaches from different regions could also find themselves coupled together. Due to the consequent muddle of liveries, many began to get an untidy if not tatty appearance which added to the run-down image of the railway. The rebranding of British Railways to British Rail on 1 January 1965 was coupled with the introduction of a new national livery. The predecessor of the Rail Blue livery was an experimental train referred to as XP64 and this prototype train was used to test technology and carriage arrangements for the planned BR Mark 2 coaches. One locomotive, Class 47 No. D1733, was painted to match the coaching stock, eventually, it was decided to standardise on a colour which became known as Rail Blue. Introduced in 1965, and also known as Monastral Blue, the colour was defined by British Standards BR28/6001 and it was a dark, greyish blue tone which hid the effects of dirt well. The colour often appears inaccurately in photographs, generally appearing brighter and bluer than the real colour, in the early years the colour faded quite badly, becoming lighter and paler with time although this problem had been overcome by the late 1970s. United Kingdom paint code RAL5020 is a match to Rail Blue
2.
Derby Works
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The Derby railway works comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities designing and building locomotives and rolling stock in Derby, England. The first of these was a group of three maintenance sheds opened around 1840 behind Derby station. From its earliest days, it had carried out research and development in a number of areas, around 1840, the North Midland Railway, the Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Railway set up workshops to the rear of Derby station. Although the Midland Counties had a house at Nottingham, the main facilities for all three lines appear to have been, initially at least, those at Derby. That for the Birmingham and Derby was next to its line and it was about 140 feet long and 43 feet wide, with three lines and three wide archways at its entrance, supporting a water tank. In one corner was a smithy, the Midland Counties shed was rectangular and about 800 feet long to the north of the site. Adjacent to it were water and coke facilities, and locomotive repair workshops, the North Midlands became a full repair facility, with a smithy, lathes and other machine tools. These were associated with what is believed to be the first Roundhouse, on each side of it, in a vee, were workshops for locomotive and rolling stock repair. This experimentation was carried on with the use of an arch in the firebox to use the cheaper coal instead of coke. When the three merged in 1844 to form the Midland Railway, Derby became its headquarters and the workshops merged to become the Midland Railway Locomotive Works. The immediate task was to achieve some standardisation in the locomotives that it had inherited. Locomotives at that time were designed and built by manufacturers who might be lacking in actual operating experience with their products, the first Locomotive and Carriage Superintendent was Matthew Kirtley who persuaded various manufacturers to build to his own design and in 184950 six-coupled goods engines were delivered. After improving the workshops and facilities, including a roundhouse in 1847. New building began in 1851 with passenger engines to the Jenny Lind pattern and he then produced a large single with six foot six inch driving wheels. Throughout its existence the Midland never became fully self-sufficient, usually having its locos built by contractors to its own designs. Initially there was resistance on the part of Sharp Stewart and Stephenson. These were good enough, however, that Fowler built some more to a similar pattern, in 1861 he built four 0-6-0 banking engines for the Lickey Incline with four-foot drivers instead of the usual five feet. Kirtleys first 2-4-0 was a rebuilt 2-2-2 but he went on to six for use to Kings Cross
3.
Crewe Works
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Crewe railway works is a British railway engineering facility built in 1840 by the Grand Junction Railway. It is located in the town of Crewe, in Cheshire and it is currently owned by Bombardier Transportation. The railway also built 200 cottages establishing a new community in what had been the rural township of Monks Coppenhall, among the first workers to arrive were those from the old works at Edge Hill producing an increase in the towns population by some 800 men, women and children. The first locomotive built at Crewe went into service in 1843, by 1846 the demand for space was such that wagon building was moved, first to Edge Hill and Manchester, then to a new works at Earlestown. By 1848 the works employed over 1,000 producing one locomotive a week, in 1845 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was merged with the Grand Junction. These, in turn, merged in 1846, with the London and Birmingham Railway, all four had their own workshops but, in time, locomotive building was concentrated at Crewe. In 1857 John Ramsbottom became Locomotive Superintendent and he had previously invented the first reliable safety valve and the scoop for picking up water from troughs between the tracks. He went on to improve the precision and interchangeability of tools, in 1862 locomotive work was transferred from Wolverton. Wolverton became the works, while wagon building was concentrated at Earlestown. In 1853 Crewe had begun to make its own iron and roll its own rails. In 1868 it became the first place to use open-hearth furnaces on an industrial scale and it also built its own brickworks. Later the works was fitted with two electric arc furnaces, as traffic density increased there was a need for longer trains and more powerful locomotives to haul them. In 1932, William Stanier became Chief Mechanical Engineer and set out to rationalise production, since Crewe had experience with heavier locomotives and had its own steel making facilities, he chose it as his main production location. There followed the Princesses and Duchesses, along with the Jubilees, Crewe produced all the new boilers for the LMS, and all heavy drop stampings and forgings. It also produced most of the steel components for the track. During World War II, Crewe produced over 150 Covenanter tanks for the army, after British Railways was formed in 1948, Robert Riddles introduced the BR standard classes, and Crewe built Britannia and Clan passenger engines and some of the Class 9 2-10-0 freight locomotives. At the end of steam, it had built over 7000 locomotives in its long career, from 1957 it built a succession of diesel locomotives including the Class 43 High Speed Train power cars and over 200 Class 47 locomotives. Much of the site at Crewe was cleared in a redevelopment in the mid 1980s
4.
Darlington Works
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Darlington railway works, was established in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England. The main part of the works, the North Road Shops was located on the northeast side of the Stockton and Darlington Railway The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864. Though the railway had amalgamated with the North Eastern Railway in 1863, in 1877 the first North Eastern designs appeared. Additionally works where constructed west of the S&DR railway in the Stooperdale area of Darlington, grandiose offices for the NER were also constructed in the Stooperdale area in 1911, to the design of William Bell. The offices were used by NER head engineer Vincent Ravens until 1917, in 1914 a class of NER Bo+Bo electric locomotives were built at the works to run between Shildon and Newport. Ten of these 1500 volt direct current locomotives were completed, sir Vincent Raven designed the NER Class T2 0-8-0 freight locomotive in 1913, and by 1921 the works had built 120 of the engines, which were later designated Q6 by the LNER. The heavier and more powerful Raven NER Class T3 0-8-0 followed in 1919,15 engines being completed by 1924, under the LNER it continued to play a major role, producing a new engine each week, with Gresleys K3 class 2-6-0 appearing in 1924. Both the class V2 and A1 express locomotives were also built, by 1927 the works was the towns largest employer. Darlington works built six LNER Class K4 2-6-0 locomotives in 1937/38 for operation on the West Highland Line, no.3442 The Great Marquess has been preserved in full working order and in 2009 was still hauling special steam trains on the UK main line network. After nationalisation, Darlington built both steam and diesel locomotives, including BR standard class 2, the equivalent of the NER Class E1 0-6-0 tank locomotive had been built, virtually unchanged since 1898. In 1954 during the modernisation of British Railways the works was enlarged, the land of the Stooperdale part of the works was sold to Whessoe in 1962. The Stooperdale offices were grade II listed in 2001, Stockton and Darlington Railway Carriage Works, also known as Hopetown works Darlington TMD Hoole, K. North Road Locomotive Works, Darlington, 1863-1966. Hatch End, Roundhouse,1967 Larkin, E. J, the Railway Workshops of Great Britain 1823-1986
5.
Doncaster Works
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Doncaster railway works is a plant located in the town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Always referred to as the Plant, it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston, until 1867 it undertook only repairs and maintenance. In 1866, Patrick Stirling was appointed as Locomotive Superintendent, at this time the works also began building new coaches, in 1873 the first sleeping cars, in 1879 the first dining cars in the United Kingdom, and in 1882 the first corridor coaches. In 1891,99 locomotives,181 carriages and 1493 wagons were built and these have hauled such trains as the Flying Scotsman, Silver Jubilee, Coronation and the Elizabethan. Doncaster also constructed the carriages for the last of these, the works continued building all kinds of rolling stock. During the Second World War, like other workshops it joined in the war effort, producing, among other things, the carriage building shop was destroyed by fire in 1940. New buildings in 1949 were designed with the BR standard all-steel carriages in mind, in 1957, the last of over two thousand steam locomotives was built and carriage building finished in 1962, but the works was modernised with the addition of a diesel locomotive repair shop. Under BREL, new diesel shunters and 25 kV electric locomotives have been built, plus Class 56, in July 2003 The Plant celebrated its 150th anniversary, with an open weekend, a link to the picture gallery for the weekend can be found below. Then owner Wabtec closed the engine plant in 2007. In early 2008 the main locomotive repair shop which was built on the Crimpsall was demolished to make way for housing, Wabtec continues to do passenger fleet refurbishment at the Doncaster site. Larkin, E. J. Larkin, J. G, the Railway Workshops of Great Britain 1823-1986. The Railway in Town and Country, official website Photographs of Doncaster Works 150th Celebrations
6.
Horwich Works
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Horwich works was built on 142 hectares of land bought in April 1884 for £36,000. Rivington House, the first of several workshops was 106. 7m long by 16. 8m wide, the long brick built workshops had full-height arched windows and were separated by tram and rail tracks. Work to construct the three bay,463. 3m long by 36m wide, erecting shop began in March 1885, two small 0-4-0 tank locomotives were bought from Beyer Peacock in 1887 to haul stores trains around the site, and six more were acquired at intervals to 1901. The first of these was bought from Beyer Peacock, but the remainder were built at Horwich, from 1930 they were gradually withdrawn from service, the last, Wren, was withdrawn in 1961 and is preserved at the National Railway Museum. The first locomotive built by the LYR at Horwich was a 2-4-2 tank engine designed by John Aspinall and this locomotive was LYR No.1008 and is now preserved at the National Railway Museum. By 1899 a further 677 locomotives had been built, and another 220 under Henry Hoy, between 1891 and 1900,230 0-6-0 tender engines designed by Barton Wright were rebuilt as 0-6-0ST saddle tanks, LYR Class F16. In 1899, the Aspinall-designed Atlantic 4-4-2 express passenger locomotive was introduced, Horwich works produced its thousandth engine in 1907, a four-cylinder compound 0-8-0. In 1923 when the became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. In 1926 he was responsible for the design of a 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive of unusual appearance, the class proved extremely successful, and 245 locomotives were built,70 at Horwich, including the first 30 examples. The Crabs continued in service with British Railways London Midland and Scottish Regions until the last two survivors were withdrawn in early 1967, during World War II, the works built nearly 500 Cruiser, Centaur and Matilda tanks. After nationalisation in 1948, locomotive construction at Horwich continued at a level for ten years. During 1948 twenty LMS Ivatt Class 4 tender engines were completed, twenty-seven followed in 1949, with twenty-four in 1951,120 LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 tender engines were built at Horwich by the LMS and British Railways between 1945 and 1950. The last BR Standard design steam engine to be built was outshopped in 1957, BR continued to overhaul steam engines for several more years. The last steam locomotive was despatched after overhaul on 4 May 1964, Horwich continued in use as a works for other rolling stock up to 1983. The foundry and the shop continued in use after this date. The site was sold by BREL to the Parkfield Group in 1988, the site is now an industrial estate, appropriately named Horwich Loco Industrial Estate, with most of the buildings still in use. The railway station in Horwich town centre, primarily used by employees at the works was opened in 1887 and it closed in 1965 with the last passenger train departing on 27 September 1965, hauled by 2-6-4T number 42626. The locomotive works site was designated an area by Bolton Council in 2006
7.
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
8.
0-6-0
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This was the most common wheel arrangement used on both tender and tank locomotives in versions with both inside and outside cylinders. In the United Kingdom, the Whyte notation of wheel arrangement was often used for the classification of electric and diesel-electric locomotives with side-rod coupled driving wheels. The 0-6-0 configuration was the most widely used wheel arrangement for both tender and tank steam locomotives, the type was also widely used for diesel switchers. On the other hand, the lack of unpowered leading wheels have the result that 0-6-0 locomotives are less stable at speed and they are therefore mostly used on trains where high speed is unnecessary. The tank engine versions were used as switching locomotives since the smaller 0-4-0 types were not large enough to be versatile in this job. The earliest 0-6-0 locomotives had outside cylinders, as these were simpler to construct, however, once designers began to overcome the problem of the breakage of the crank axles, inside cylinder versions were found to be more stable. Thereafter this pattern was adopted, particularly in the United Kingdom. Tank engine versions of the type began to be built in quantity in the mid-1850s and had become common by the mid-1860s. 0-6-0 locomotives were amongst the first types to be used, the earliest recorded example was the Royal George, built by Timothy Hackworth for the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1827. Derwent, a locomotive built in 1845 by William and Alfred Kitching for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, is preserved at Darlington Railway Centre. On most branch lines, though, larger and more powerful tank engines tended to be favoured, in New South Wales, the Z19 class was a tender type with this wheel arrangement, as was the Victorian Railways Y class. The Dorrigo Railway Museum collection includes seven Locomotives of the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement, tank locomotives used by Finland were the VR Class Vr1 and VR Class Vr4. The VR Class Vr1s were numbered 530 to 544,656 to 670 and 787 to 799 and they had outside cylinders and were operational from 1913 to 1975. Built by Tampella, Finland and Hanomag, they were nicknamed Chicken, number 669 is preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum. The Vr4s were a class of four locomotives, numbered 1400 to 1423, originally built as 0-6-0s by Vulcan Iron Works, United States, but modified to 0-6-2s in 1951-1955. Finland’s tender locomotives were the classes C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, the Finnish Steam Locomotive Class C1s were a class of ten locomotives numbered 21 to 30. They were operational from 1869 to 1926 and they were built by Neilson and Company and were nicknamed Bristollari. Number 21, preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum, is the second oldest preserved locomotive in Finland, the eighteen Class C2s were numbered 31 to 43 and 48 to 52
9.
Wheelbase
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In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles, the wheelbase is defined as the distance between the axle and the centerpoint of the driving axle group. In the case of a truck, the wheelbase would be the distance between the steering axle and a point midway between the two rear axles. The wheelbase of a vehicle equals the distance between its front and rear wheels, at equilibrium, the total torque of the forces acting on a vehicle is zero. So, for example, when a truck is loaded, its center of gravity shifts rearward, the amount the vehicle sinks will depend on counter acting forces like the size of the tires, tire pressure, and the stiffness of the suspension. If the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, extra torque is placed on the rear or front tire respectively, so, as is common experience, when the vehicle accelerates, the rear usually sinks and the front rises depending on the suspension. Likewise, when braking the front noses down and the rear rises, because of the effect the wheelbase has on the weight distribution of the vehicle, wheelbase dimensions are crucial to the balance and steering. For example, a car with a greater weight load on the rear tends to understeer due to the lack of the load on the front tires. This is why it is crucial, when towing a single-axle caravan, likewise, a car may oversteer or even spin out if there is too much force on the front tires and not enough on the rear tires. Also, when turning there is lateral torque placed upon the tires which imparts a turning force that depends upon the length of the distances from the CM. Wheelbases provide the basis for one of the most common vehicle size class systems, some luxury vehicles are offered with long-wheelbase variants to increase the spaciousness and therefore the luxury of the vehicle. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair was given a version of the Rover 75 for official use. In contrast, coupé varieties of vehicles such as the Honda Accord are usually built on shorter wheelbases than the sedans they are derived from. The wheelbase on many commercially available bicycles and motorcycles is so short, relative to the height of their centers of mass, in skateboarding the word wheelbase is used for the distance between the two inner pairs of mounting holes on the deck. This is different from the distance between the centers of the two wheel pairs. A reason for this use is that decks are sold with prefabricated holes. It is therefore easier to use the holes for measuring and describing this characteristic of the deck. A common misconception is that the choice of wheelbase is influenced by the height of the skateboarder, however, the length of the deck would then be a better candidate, because the wheelbase affects characteristics useful in different speeds or terrains regardless of the height of the skateboarder
10.
Prime mover (locomotive)
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In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. Generally it is any locomotive powered by a combustion engine. In an engine-generator set, the engine is the prime mover, in a diesel-mechanical locomotive, the prime mover is the diesel engine that is mechanically coupled to the driving wheels. The prime mover can also be a gas turbine instead of a diesel engine, in either case, the generator, traction motors and interconnecting apparatus are considered to be the power transmission system and not part of the prime mover. A wired-electric or battery-electric locomotive has no prime mover, instead relying on an external power station. The engine and generator set of a locomotive are sometimes coupled as a removable unit called the power unit
11.
English Electric diesel engines
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English Electric diesel engines were manufactured by the English Electric company of the United Kingdom for both stationary and rail transport use. The range was derived from the K type engine, developed in the 1930s and these diesel engines were marketed under the English Electric name into the 1960s and, later, under the name Ruston-Paxman. The K type engine had 2-valve cylinder heads and ran at 600-680 rpm, the Mark I RK and V types had 2-valve cylinder heads. The Mark II RK and V types had 4-valve cylinder heads and they ran at 750-900 rpm, and were available with turbochargers and intercoolers. Number of cylinders, K and RK types,4,6,7 and 8 in line V type, V8, V12 or V16 Cylinder bore,10 Piston stroke,12 Displacement,942 cu
12.
Engine-generator
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An engine-generator or portable generator is the combination of an electrical generator and an engine mounted together to form a single piece of equipment. This combination is called an engine-generator set or a gen-set. In many contexts, the engine is taken for granted and the unit is simply called a generator. Engine-generators are available in a range of power ratings. Regardless of the size, generators may run on gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane, bio-diesel, water, sewage gas or hydrogen. Most of the units are built to use gasoline as a fuel. Some engines may also operate on diesel and gas simultaneously, many engine-generators use a reciprocating engine, with fuels mentioned above. This can be an engine, such as most coal-powered fossil-fuel power plants use. Some engine-generators use a turbine as the engine, such as the gas turbines used in peaking power plants. The generator voltage, frequency and power ratings are selected to suit the load that will be connected, engine-driven generators fueled on natural gas fuel often form the heart of small-scale combined heat and power installations. There are only a few portable three-phase generator models available in the US, most of the portable units available are single-phase generators and most of the three-phase generators manufactured are large industrial type generators. In other countries where power is more common in households, portable generators are available from a few kW. Portable engine-generators may require an external power conditioner to safely operate some types of electronic equipment, small portable generators may use an inverter. Inverter models can run at slower RPMs to generate the power that is necessary, thus reducing the noise of the engine, inverter generators are best to power sensitive electronic devices such as computers and lights that use a ballast. The mid-size stationary engine-generator pictured here is a 100 kVA set which produces 415 V at around 110 A and it is powered by a 6. 7-liter turbocharged Perkins Phaser 1000 Series engine, and consumes approximately 27 liters of fuel an hour, on a 400-liter tank. Diesel engines in the UK can run on red diesel and rotate at 1,500 or 3,000 rpm and this produces power at 50 Hz, which is the frequency used in Europe. In areas where the frequency is 60 Hz, generators rotate at 1,800 rpm or another divisor of 3600, many generators produce enough kilowatts to power anything from a business to a full-sized hospital. These units are particularly useful in providing backup power solutions for companies which have serious economic costs associated with a shutdown caused by an power outage
13.
Direct current
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Direct current is a flow of electrical charge carriers that always takes place in the same direction. The current need not always have the magnitude, but if it is to be defined as dc. This contrasts with alternating current which varies the direction of flow, sources of direct current include power supplies, electrochemical cells and batteries, and photovoltaic cells and panels. The intensity, or amplitude, of a direct current might fluctuate with time, in some such cases the dc has an ac component superimposed on it. An example of this is the output of a cell that receives a modulated light communications signal. A source of dc is sometimes called a dc generator, batteries and various other sources of dc produce a constant voltage. This is called pure dc and can be represented by a straight, the peak and effective values are the same. The peak to peak value is zero because the instantaneous amplitude never changes, in some instances the value of a dc voltage pulsates or oscillates rapidly with time, in a manner similar to the changes in an ac wave. The unfiltered output of a wave or a full wave rectifier. In 1820, Hans Christian Orsted discovered that electrical current creates a magnetic field and this discovery made scientists relate magnetism to the electric phenomena. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. He improved a 50-year-old idea using lower current electricity, a vacuum inside the globe and a small carbonized filament. At that time, the idea of lightning was not new. Edison not only invented an incandescent electric light, but an electric lighting system contained all the necessary elements to make the incandescent light safe, economical. Prior to 1879, direct current electricity had been used in lighting for the outdoors and it was in the 1880s when the modern electric utility industry began. It was an evolution from street lighting systems and from gas and it was located in Lower Manhattan, on Pearl Street. This station provided light and electricity to customers in a one square mile range, the station was called Thomas Edisons Pearl Street Electricity Generating Station. This station introduced four elements of an electric utility system, Efficient distribution, competitive price, reliable central generation
14.
Traction motor
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A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as an electric locomotive or electric roadway vehicle. Direct-current motors with field windings were the oldest type of traction motors. These provided a speed-torque characteristic useful for propulsion, providing high torque at speeds for acceleration of the vehicle. By arranging the field winding with multiple taps, the speed characteristic could be varied, a further measure of control was provided by using pairs of motors on a vehicle, for slow operation or heavy loads, two motors could be run in series off the direct current supply. Where higher speed was desired, the motors could be operated in parallel, making a higher voltage available at each, parts of a rail system might use different voltages, with higher voltages in long runs between stations and lower voltage near stations where slower operation would be useful. A variant of the DC system was the AC operated series motor, since both the armature and field current reverse at the same time, the behavior of the motor is similar to that when energized with direct current. The AC system allowed efficient distribution of power down the length of a rail line, AC induction motors and synchronous motors are simple and low maintenance, but are awkward to apply for traction motors because of their fixed speed characteristic. An AC induction motor only generates useful amounts of power over a speed range determined by its construction. Traditionally road vehicles have used diesel and petrol engines with a mechanical or hydraulic transmission system, traditionally, these were series-wound brushed DC motors, usually running on approximately 600 volts. The availability of high-powered semiconductors has now made practical the use of much simpler, synchronous AC motors are also occasionally used, as in the French TGV. Before the mid-20th century, a large motor was often used to drive multiple driving wheels through connecting rods that were very similar to those used on steam locomotives. Examples are the Pennsylvania Railroad DD1, FF1 and L5 and the various Swiss Crocodiles and it is now standard practice to provide one traction motor driving each axle through a gear drive. Usually, the motor is three-point suspended between the bogie frame and the driven axle, this is referred to as a nose-suspended traction motor. The problem with such an arrangement is that a portion of the weight is unsprung, increasing unwanted forces on the track. In the case of the famous Pennsylvania Railroad GG1, two bogie-mounted motors drove each axle through a quill drive, the Bi-Polar electric locomotives built by General Electric for the Milwaukee Road had direct drive motors. The rotating shaft of the motor was also the axle for the wheels, by mounting the relatively heavy traction motor directly to the power cars frame rather than to the bogie, better dynamics are obtained allowing better high-speed operation. The DC motor was the mainstay of electric drives on both electric and diesel-electric locomotives, street-cars/trams and diesel electric drilling rigs for many years. It consists of two parts, an armature and fixed field windings surrounding the rotating armature mounted around a shaft
15.
English Electric
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The English Electric Company Limited was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the armistice of World War I at the end of 1918. It was created to make one of Britains three principal electrical manufacturing concerns by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, had been making munitions, armaments and it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers, railway locomotives and traction equipment, diesel motors and steam turbines. In the end its activities expanded to include electronics, nuclear reactors, guided missiles, military aircraft. English Electrics operations were merged with GECs in 1968, the combined business employing more than 250,000 people, two English Electric aircraft designs became landmarks in British aeronautical engineering, the Canberra or B-57 and the Lightning. In 1960, long before the merger with GEC, English Electric Aircraft merged with Vickers, of Preston founded 1880 and its subsidiaries, United Electric Car Company of Preston Willans & Robinson of Rugby which retained a separate identity—not wholly owned. The owners of the component companies took up the shares in English Electric, John Pybus was appointed managing director in March 1921 and chairman in April 1926. Initially J H Mansell of Coventry Ordnance Works, John Pybus of Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing and W Rutherford of Dick, in November 1919, English Electric bought the Stafford works of Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Ltd. In 1931 Stafford became English Electrics centre, however, there was no post-war boom in electrical generation. Though English Electric products were indeed in heavy demand, potential buyers were unable to raise the capital funds. In 1922, a reorganisation of the works was carried through. The Coventry Ordnance Works was practically closed down, cables, lamps and wireless equipment were then in buoyant demand, but that would have been a new field for the company to enter. English Electrics business was in electrical and mechanical plant. Both the 1926 general strike and the strike caused heavy losses. In 1929 part of the Coventry Ordnance Works was sold and the shop at Preston. By the end of 1929, it was clear the only solution to English Electrics financial difficulties was a financial restructure, the restructure acknowledged the loss of much of the shareholders capital and brought in new capital to re-equip with new plant and machinery. In the event, an American syndicate fronted by Lazard Brothers and Co. bankers came up with the new capital, in June 1930, four fresh directors were appointed, filling four new vacancies. Ten days later, there was an announcement of an American Arrangement. It was made clear that this technical and manufacturing link did not carry with it any control from America
16.
Gear train
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A transmission is a machine in a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Often the term refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to provide speed. In British English, the term refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft, differential. In American English, however, the term more specifically to the gearbox alone. The most common use is in vehicles, where the transmission adapts the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels. Such engines need to operate at a high rotational speed, which is inappropriate for starting, stopping. The transmission reduces the engine speed to the slower wheel speed. Transmissions are also used on bicycles, fixed machines. Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios with the ability to switch between them as speed varies and this switching may be done manually or automatically. Directional control may also be provided, single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the speed and torque of motor output. The output of the transmission is transmitted via the driveshaft to one or more differentials, while a differential may also provide gear reduction, its primary purpose is to permit the wheels at either end of an axle to rotate at different speeds as it changes the direction of rotation. Conventional gear/belt transmissions are not the mechanism for speed/torque adaptation. Alternative mechanisms include torque converters and power transformation, automatic transmissions use a valve body to shift gears using fluid pressures in conjunction with an ecm. Early transmissions included the right-angle drives and other gearing in windmills, horse-powered devices, and steam engines, in support of pumping, milling, most modern gearboxes are used to increase torque while reducing the speed of a prime mover output shaft. This means that the shaft of a gearbox rotates at a slower rate than the input shaft. A gearbox can be set up to do the opposite and provide an increase in speed with a reduction of torque. Some of the simplest gearboxes merely change the rotational direction of power transmission. Many typical automobile transmissions include the ability to select one of several gear ratios, in this case, most of the gear ratios are used to slow down the output speed of the engine and increase torque
17.
Multiple working
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Multiple working is a term used on the UK rail network to describe the practice of having more than one diesel or electric locomotive hauling a train under the control of one driver. Multiple Working is the used in the UK where more than one operational diesel or electric locomotive are coupled together under the control of one driver. The term can also apply when diesel or electric multiple unit trains are coupled together, in tandem is the term usually used in the UK when more than one diesel or electric locomotive are hauling a single train and under the control of a driver on each locomotive. If the front locomotive of a pair in multiple has failed the driver can control the rear locomotive for as long as air. In the early days of locomotives, locomotives worked within their class. Locomotives from different manufacturers had varying methods of controlling engines or braking systems, if a train required more than one locomotive, an additional driver was needed, at extra expense. Since then, locomotives have been built to work with other locomotives in the code or system. Similar systems are assigned a code, which is normally indicated on the front of the locomotive. Early diesels were also fitted with communicating doors in the nose allowed the secondman to access the train heating boiler of the rearmost locomotive. The doors actually saw little use and, as they frequently caused draughts in the cab, first-generation diesel multiple units had the additional problem of differing types of transmission. For instance, a Class 127 unit could be required to work in multiple with a Class 112 unit. For this reason, the selector on the Class 127 was fitted with positions marked D,3,2,1 to change the gears when working in formation with vehicles with mechanical transmission. Later units, post-privatisation ones in particular, saw a number of different, franchise changes and stock reallocation means that many train operating companies use fleets with a number of incompatible multiple working systems. British Railways Locomotives and Multiple Units including Preserved Locomotives 1977, multiple-unit train control Control Car Remote Control Locomotive
18.
Railway brake
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Brakes are used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration or to keep them standing when parked. Clasp brakes are one type of historically used on trains. In the earliest days of railways, braking technology was primitive, some railways fitted a special deep-noted brake whistle to locomotives to indicate to the porters the necessity to apply the brakes. All the brakes at this stage of development were applied by operation of a screw and linkage to brake blocks applied to wheel treads, and it was also unreliable, as the application of brakes by guards depended upon them hearing and responding quickly to a whistle for brakes. This had become apparent from the trials on railway brakes carried out at Newark in the previous year, the chief types of solution were, The chain brake, such as the Heberlein brake, in which a chain was connected continuously along the train. As with car brakes, actuating pressure to apply brakes was transmitted hydraulically and these found some favor in the UK, but even in the UK problems were found with the water used as brake fluid freezing The Westinghouse air brake system. The Westinghouse system uses smaller air reservoirs and brake cylinders than the vacuum equipment. An ejector on the created a vacuum in a continuous pipe along the train. This system was very cheap and effective, but it had the weakness that it became inoperative if the train became divided or if the train pipe was ruptured. This system was similar to the vacuum system, except that the creation of vacuum in the train pipe exhausted vacuum reservoirs on every vehicle. If the driver applied the brake, his drivers brake valve admitted atmospheric air to the pipe. Being an automatic brake, this system applies braking effort if the train divided or if the train pipe is ruptured. Its disadvantage is that the vacuum reservoirs were required on every vehicle, and their bulk. Note, there are a number of variants and developments of all these systems, the Newark trials showed the braking performance of the Westinghouse air-brakes to be distinctly superior but for other reasons it was the vacuum system that was generally adopted on UK railways. Goods and mineral vehicles were provided with hand brakes by which the brakes could be applied by a lever operated by staff on the ground. Early goods vehicles had brake handles on one side only and random alignment of the vehicles gave the guard sufficient braking but, from about 1930 and these trains, not fitted with continuous brakes were described as unfitted trains and they survived in British practice until about 1985. By 1952 only 14% of open wagons, 55% of covered, in the early days of diesel locomotives, a purpose-built brake tender was attached to the locomotive to increase braking effort when hauling unfitted trains. The brake tender was low, so that the driver could see the line and signals ahead if the brake tender was propelled ahead of the locomotive
19.
Vacuum brake
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The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a period of adoption in the United States. Its limitations caused it to be superseded by compressed air systems starting in the United Kingdom from the 1970s onward. The vacuum brake system is now obsolete, it is not in large-scale usage anywhere in the world, other than in South Africa and this was clearly unsatisfactory, but the existing technology did not offer an improvement. A chain braking system was developed, requiring a chain to be coupled throughout the train, Vacuum, rather than compressed air, was preferred because steam locomotives can be fitted with ejectors, venturi devices that create vacuum without moving parts. The simple vacuum system had the defect that in the event of one of the hoses connecting the vehicles becoming displaced the vacuum brake on the entire train was useless. In this accident at Armagh, a portion of a train was detached from the locomotive on a gradient and ran away. The train was fitted with the vacuum brake, which was useless on the disconnected portion of the train. In its simplest form, the vacuum brake consists of a continuous pipe—the train pipe—running throughout the length of the train. In normal running a partial vacuum is maintained in the pipe. When air is admitted to the pipe, the air at atmospheric pressure acts against pistons in cylinders in each vehicle. A vacuum is sustained on the face of the pistons. A mechanical linkage transmits this force to brake shoes which act on the treads of the wheels, the brake cylinder is contained in a larger housing—this gives a reserve of vacuum as the piston operates. The cylinder rocks slightly in operation to maintain alignment with the brake rigging cranks, so it is supported in trunnion bearings, and the vacuum pipe connection to it is flexible. The piston in the cylinder has a flexible piston ring that allows air to pass from the upper part of the cylinder to the lower part if necessary. When the vehicles have been at rest, so that the brake is not charged, when a locomotive is coupled to the vehicles, the driver moves the brake control to the release position and air is exhausted from the train pipe, creating a partial vacuum. Air in the part of the brake cylinders is also exhausted from the train pipe
20.
Railway air brake
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A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5,1868, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouses invention. In various forms, it has nearly universally adopted. The Westinghouse system uses air pressure to charge air reservoirs on each car, full air pressure signals each car to release the brakes. A reduction or loss of air pressure signals each car to apply its brakes, in the air brakes simplest form, called the straight air system, compressed air pushes on a piston in a cylinder. The piston is connected through mechanical linkage to brake shoes that can rub on the train wheels, the mechanical linkage can become quite elaborate, as it evenly distributes force from one pressurized air cylinder to 8 or 12 wheels. The pressurized air comes from an air compressor in the locomotive and is sent from car to car by a line made up of pipes beneath each car. The principal problem with the air braking system is that any separation between hoses and pipes causes loss of air pressure and hence the loss of the force applying the brakes. This could easily cause a runaway train, straight air brakes are still used on locomotives, although as a dual circuit system, usually with each bogie having its own circuit. Unlike the straight air system, the Westinghouse system uses a reduction in air pressure in the line to apply the brakes. The triple valve is described as being so named as it performs three functions, Charging air into an air tank ready to be used, applying the brakes, in so doing, it supports certain other actions. When he soon improved the device by removing the poppet valve action, if the pressure in the train line is lower than that of the reservoir, the brake cylinder exhaust portal is closed and air from the cars reservoir is fed into the brake cylinder. Pressure increases in the cylinder, applying the brakes, while decreasing in the reservoir and this action continues until equilibrium between the brake pipe pressure and reservoir pressure is achieved. At that point, the airflow from the reservoir to the cylinder is lapped off. If the pressure in the line is higher than that of the reservoir. The triple valve also causes the cylinder to be exhausted to the atmosphere. As the pressure in the line and that of the reservoir equalize, the triple valve closes, causing the air in the reservoir to be sealed in. When the engine operator releases the brake, the brake valve portal to atmosphere is closed
21.
Horsepower
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Horsepower is a unit of measurement of power. There are many different standards and types of horsepower, two common definitions being used today are the mechanical horsepower, which is approximately 746 watts, and the metric horsepower, which is approximately 735.5 watts. The term was adopted in the late 18th century by Scottish engineer James Watt to compare the output of engines with the power of draft horses. It was later expanded to include the power of other types of piston engines, as well as turbines, electric motors. The definition of the unit varied among geographical regions, most countries now use the SI unit watt for measurement of power. With the implementation of the EU Directive 80/181/EEC on January 1,2010, units called horsepower have differing definitions, The mechanical horsepower, also known as imperial horsepower equals approximately 745.7 watts. It was defined originally as exactly 550 foot-pounds per second [745.7 N. m/s), the metric horsepower equals approximately 735.5 watts. It was defined originally as 75 kgf-m per second is approximately equivalent to 735.5 watts, the Pferdestärke PS is a name for a group of similar power measurements used in Germany around the end of the 19th century, all of about one metric horsepower in size. The boiler horsepower equals 9809.5 watts and it was used for rating steam boilers and is equivalent to 34.5 pounds of water evaporated per hour at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. One horsepower for rating electric motors is equal to 746 watts, one horsepower for rating Continental European electric motors is equal to 735 watts. Continental European electric motors used to have dual ratings, one British Royal Automobile Club horsepower can equal a range of values based on estimates of several engine dimensions. It is one of the tax horsepower systems adopted around Europe, the development of the steam engine provided a reason to compare the output of horses with that of the engines that could replace them. He had previously agreed to take royalties of one third of the savings in coal from the older Newcomen steam engines and this royalty scheme did not work with customers who did not have existing steam engines but used horses instead. Watt determined that a horse could turn a mill wheel 144 times in an hour, the wheel was 12 feet in radius, therefore, the horse travelled 2.4 × 2π ×12 feet in one minute. Watt judged that the horse could pull with a force of 180 pounds-force. So, P = W t = F d t =180 l b f ×2.4 ×2 π ×12 f t 1 m i n =32,572 f t ⋅ l b f m i n. Watt defined and calculated the horsepower as 32,572 ft·lbf/min, Watt determined that a pony could lift an average 220 lbf 100 ft per minute over a four-hour working shift. Watt then judged a horse was 50% more powerful than a pony, engineering in History recounts that John Smeaton initially estimated that a horse could produce 22,916 foot-pounds per minute
22.
Tractive force
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In railway engineering, the term tractive effort is often used synonymously with tractive force to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, the term tractive effort is often qualified as starting tractive effort, continuous tractive effort and maximum tractive effort. The product of μ and m is the factor of adhesion, Starting tractive effort, Starting tractive effort is the tractive force that can be generated at a standstill. This figure is important on railways because it determines the maximum weight that a locomotive can set into motion. Maximum tractive effort, Maximum tractive effort is defined as the highest tractive force that can be generated under any condition that is not injurious to the vehicle or machine. In most cases, maximum tractive effort is developed at low speed, due to the relationship between power, velocity and force, described as, P = vF or P/v = F tractive effort inversely varies with speed at any given level of available power. Continuous tractive effort is often shown in graph form at a range of speeds as part of a tractive effort curve, the period of time for which the maximum continuous tractive effort may be safely generated is usually limited by thermal considerations. Such as temperature rise in a traction motor, specifications of locomotives often include tractive effort curves, showing the relationship between tractive effort and velocity. The shape of the graph is shown at right, the line AB shows operation at the maximum tractive effort, the line BC shows continuous tractive effort that is inversely proportional to speed. Tractive effort curves often have graphs of rolling resistance superimposed on them—the intersection of the rolling resistance graph, once in motion, the train will develop additional drag as it accelerates due to aerodynamic forces, which increase with the square of the speed. Drag may also be produced at speed due to truck hunting, if acceleration continues, the train will eventually attain a speed at which the available tractive force of the locomotive will exactly offset the total drag, causing acceleration to cease. This top speed will be increased on a due to gravity assisting the motive power. Tractive effort can be calculated from a locomotives mechanical characteristics, or by actual testing with drawbar strain sensors. Power at rail is a term for the available power for traction, that is. An estimate for the effort of a single cylinder steam locomotive can be obtained from the cylinder pressure, cylinder area, stroke of the piston. The torque developed by the motion of the piston depends on the angle that the driving rod makes with the tangent of the radius on the driving wheel. For a more useful value an average value over the rotation of the wheel is used, the driving force is the torque divided by the wheel radius. Modern locomotives with roller bearings were probably underestimated, european designers used a constant of 0.6 instead of 0.85, so the two cannot be compared without a conversion factor
23.
Newton (unit)
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The newton is the International System of Units derived unit of force. It is named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics, see below for the conversion factors. One newton is the force needed to one kilogram of mass at the rate of one metre per second squared in direction of the applied force. In 1948, the 9th CGPM resolution 7 adopted the name newton for this force, the MKS system then became the blueprint for todays SI system of units. The newton thus became the unit of force in le Système International dUnités. This SI unit is named after Isaac Newton, as with every International System of Units unit named for a person, the first letter of its symbol is upper case. Note that degree Celsius conforms to this rule because the d is lowercase. — Based on The International System of Units, section 5.2. Newtons second law of motion states that F = ma, where F is the applied, m is the mass of the object receiving the force. The newton is therefore, where the symbols are used for the units, N for newton, kg for kilogram, m for metre. In dimensional analysis, F = M L T2 where F is force, M is mass, L is length, at average gravity on earth, a kilogram mass exerts a force of about 9.8 newtons. An average-sized apple exerts about one newton of force, which we measure as the apples weight, for example, the tractive effort of a Class Y steam train and the thrust of an F100 fighter jet engine are both around 130 kN. One kilonewton,1 kN, is 102.0 kgf,1 kN =102 kg ×9.81 m/s2 So for example, a platform rated at 321 kilonewtons will safely support a 32,100 kilograms load. Specifications in kilonewtons are common in safety specifications for, the values of fasteners, Earth anchors. Working loads in tension and in shear, thrust of rocket engines and launch vehicles clamping forces of the various moulds in injection moulding machines used to manufacture plastic parts
24.
British Railways
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British Railways, which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies and lasted until the privatisation of British Rail. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, the period of nationalisation saw sweeping changes in the national railway network. A process of dieselisation and electrification took place, and by 1968 steam locomotion had been replaced by diesel and electric traction. Passengers replaced freight as the source of business, and one-third of the network was closed by the Beeching Axe of the 1960s in an effort to reduce rail subsidies. On privatisation, responsibility for track, signalling and stations was transferred to Railtrack, the British Rail double arrow logo is formed of two interlocked arrows showing the direction of travel on a double track railway and was nicknamed the arrow of indecision. The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century, during World War I the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete nationalisation had been considered, and the Railways Act 1921 is sometimes considered as a precursor to that, nationalisation was subsequently carried out after World War II, under the Transport Act 1947. This Act made provision for the nationalisation of the network, as part of a policy of nationalising public services by Clement Attlees Labour Government. British Railways came into existence as the name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission on 1 January 1948 when it took over the assets of the Big Four. There were also joint railways between the Big Four and a few railways to consider. Excluded from nationalisation were industrial lines like the Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway, the London Underground – publicly owned since 1933 – was also nationalised, becoming the London Transport Executive of the British Transport Commission. The Bicester Military Railway was already run by the government, the electric Liverpool Overhead Railway was also excluded from nationalisation. The Railway Executive was conscious that some lines on the network were unprofitable and hard to justify socially, however, the general financial position of BR became gradually poorer, until an operating loss was recorded in 1955. The Executive itself had abolished in 1953 by the Conservative government. Other changes to the British Transport Commission at the time included the return of road haulage to the private sector. British Railways was divided into regions which were based on the areas the former Big Four operated in, later. Western Region of British Railways, former Great Western Railway lines, London Midland Region of British Railways, former London Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England
25.
Route availability
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Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10, rolling stock is also allocated an RA and the RA of a train is the highest RA of any of its elements. The train must have a route availability lower than or equal to the RA of a line to be allowed to use it, the RA is primarily related to the axle load of the vehicle, although axle spacing is also taken into consideration. In practice it is the locomotive which governs where trains may operate, exemptions may be obtained to allow locomotives to operate on lines from which they may otherwise be banned. An exemption might be granted by placing a speed restriction over a weak bridge, the route availability for a line is calculated by taking into account bridge strength, track condition, structural issues and so on. A route availability of one is the most restricted line, open to one type of locomotive specially designed for it. A route availability of 10 is the most open, usable by any locomotive that fits within the GB loading gauge that has passed for it. Route availability for a vehicle is based upon its axle loading. That is, how much of the weight of the vehicle is distributed on each axle. The more weight on each axle, the higher the RA number, the uneven weight distribution of the class 28 Co-Bo forced the use of a six-wheel bogie at one end in order to stay within RA8. For wagons it is normal to have different RAs when running empty, a locomotive with RA1 is able to work on any line, although it will have a very light axle loading. An RA10 locomotive could only work upon an RA10 line, the RA of a locomotive must not exceed the RA of the track except under strictly controlled circumstances. Several routes will have had their RA numbers changed since that time, * Depending on sub-class, see individual article for details. Before nationalisation the Big Four railway companies had their own classification systems, each locomotive had a coloured disc painted on the cab side to indicate its route availability, U. S
26.
British Rail
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British Railways, which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies and lasted until the privatisation of British Rail. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, the period of nationalisation saw sweeping changes in the national railway network. A process of dieselisation and electrification took place, and by 1968 steam locomotion had been replaced by diesel and electric traction. Passengers replaced freight as the source of business, and one-third of the network was closed by the Beeching Axe of the 1960s in an effort to reduce rail subsidies. On privatisation, responsibility for track, signalling and stations was transferred to Railtrack, the British Rail double arrow logo is formed of two interlocked arrows showing the direction of travel on a double track railway and was nicknamed the arrow of indecision. The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century, during World War I the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete nationalisation had been considered, and the Railways Act 1921 is sometimes considered as a precursor to that, nationalisation was subsequently carried out after World War II, under the Transport Act 1947. This Act made provision for the nationalisation of the network, as part of a policy of nationalising public services by Clement Attlees Labour Government. British Railways came into existence as the name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission on 1 January 1948 when it took over the assets of the Big Four. There were also joint railways between the Big Four and a few railways to consider. Excluded from nationalisation were industrial lines like the Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway, the London Underground – publicly owned since 1933 – was also nationalised, becoming the London Transport Executive of the British Transport Commission. The Bicester Military Railway was already run by the government, the electric Liverpool Overhead Railway was also excluded from nationalisation. The Railway Executive was conscious that some lines on the network were unprofitable and hard to justify socially, however, the general financial position of BR became gradually poorer, until an operating loss was recorded in 1955. The Executive itself had abolished in 1953 by the Conservative government. Other changes to the British Transport Commission at the time included the return of road haulage to the private sector. British Railways was divided into regions which were based on the areas the former Big Four operated in, later. Western Region of British Railways, former Great Western Railway lines, London Midland Region of British Railways, former London Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England
27.
Diesel locomotive
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A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotive have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which power is conveyed to the driving wheels. Early internal combustion engine-powered locomotives and railmotors used gasoline as their fuel, soon after Dr. Rudolf Diesel patented his first compression ignition engine in 1892, it was considered for railway propulsion. Progress was slow, however, as several problems had to be overcome, power transmission was a primary concern. As opposed to steam and electric engines, internal combustion engines work efficiently only within a range of turning frequencies. In light vehicles, this could be overcome by a clutch, in heavy railway vehicles, mechanical transmission never worked well or wore out too soon. Experience with early gasoline powered locomotives and railcars was valuable for the development of diesel traction, one step towards diesel-electric transmission was the petrol-electric vehicle, such as the Acsev Weitzer railmotor, which could operate from batteries and electric overhead wires too. Steady improvements in diesel design gradually reduced its size and improved its power-to-weight ratio to a point where one could be mounted in a locomotive. Once the concept of drive was accepted, the pace of development quickened. In 1930, Armstrong Whitworth of the United Kingdom delivered two 1,200 hp locomotives using engines of Sulzer design to Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway of Argentina, currently, almost all diesel locomotives are diesel-electric, although the diesel-hydraulic type was widely used between the 1950s and 1970s. The Soviet diesel locomotive TEP80-0002 lays claim to the speed record for a diesel railed vehicle. In 1894, a 20 h. p. two axle machine built by Priestman Brothers was used on the Hull Docks, in 1896 an oil-engined railway locomotive was built for the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, England, in 1896, using an engine designed by Herbert Akroyd Stuart. It was not, strictly, a diesel because it used a hot bulb engine, following the expiration of Dr. Rudolf Diesels patent in 1912, his engine design was successfully applied to marine propulsion and stationary applications. However, the massiveness and poor power-to-weight ratio of early engines made them unsuitable for propelling land-based vehicles. Therefore, the potential as a railroad prime mover was not initially recognized. This changed as development reduced the size and weight of the engine, the worlds first diesel-powered locomotive was operated in the summer of 1912 on the Winterthur-Romanshorn Railroad in Switzerland, but was not a commercial success. In 1906, Rudolf Diesel, Adolf Klose and the steam, Sulzer had been manufacturing Diesel engines since 1898. During further test runs in 1913 several problems were found, after the First World War broke out in 1914, all further trials were stopped
28.
Switcher
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They do this in classification yards. Switchers may also make short runs and even be the only motive power on branch lines and switching. The term can also be used to describe the workers operating these engines or engaged in directing shunting operations, the typical switcher is optimised for its job, being relatively low-powered but with a high starting tractive effort for getting heavy cars rolling quickly. Switchers are geared to produce high torque but are restricted to low top speeds and have small diameter driving wheels, switchers are rail analogs to tugboats. US switchers tend to be larger, with bogies to allow them to be used on tight radiuses, European shunters tend to be smaller and more often have fixed axles. They also often maintained coupling rods for longer than other types, although bogie types have long been used where very heavy loads are involved. Switching is hard work, and heavily used switch engines wear out quickly from the abuse of constant hard contacts with cars, nevertheless, some types have been remarkably long-lived. Diesel switchers tend to have a cab and often lower and/or narrower hoods containing the diesel engines. Slugs are often used because they allow even greater effort to be applied. Nearly all slugs used for switching are of the low hood, good visibility in both directions is critical, because a switcher may be running in either direction, turning the locomotive is time-consuming. Some earlier diesel switchers used cow-calf configurations of two powered units in order to provide greater power, the vast majority of modern switchers are diesels, but countries with near-total electrification, like Switzerland, use electric switchers. Prior to the introduction of locomotives, electric shunting locomotives were used to an extent in Great Britain where heavy trains needed to be started on steep gradients. The steeply-graded Quayside Branch in Newcastle upon Tyne was electrified by the North Eastern Railway in 1905,1, is now part of the National Collection and resides at Locomotion in Shildon. A number of the early German locomotives built for use on lines have been preserved. These specialised locomotives were tall steeple-cab types not seen anywhere else, one example built by Greenwood and Batley in Armley, Leeds is preserved at the Middleton Railway, not far from where it was built. Small industrial shunters are sometimes of the battery-electric type, an early battery-electric shunting locomotive is shown here. The Tyne and Wear Metro has three battery electric shunters built by Hunslet, which are used to haul engineering trains when the supply is switched off. Flywheel energy storage was used experimentally by Sentinel
29.
Multiple unit
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Multiple units are self-propelled train carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. Often these are passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage, single self-propelling carriages are multiple units if capable of operating with other units. Multiple units are classified by their source and are of two main types, electric multiple unit or diesel multiple unit. Diesel-powered units may be classified by their transmission type, diesel-electric. Locomotives utilising multiple-unit train control are not multiple units, multiple-unit train control was first used in Electric Multiple Units in the 1890s. This allowed electrically-powered rapid transit trains to be operated from a driving position. Early users of multiple units include the Liverpool Overhead Railway. The United Kingdom and France had many examples of steam trains, or autotrains. These provided many of the benefits of a multiple unit. While a professor at the University of Denver, Sidney Howe Short conducted important experiments which established that multiple unit powered cars were a way to operate trains. Most MUs are powered either by traction motors, receiving their power through a rail or overhead wire. Diesel-electric multiple units have an engine that drives a generator producing electricity to drive traction motors in a similar fashion to a diesel-electric locomotive. A multiple-unit has the power and traction components as a locomotive. In many cases these cars can only propel themselves when they are part of the unit and it is not necessary for every single car in an MU to be motorized. Therefore, MU cars can be motor units or trailer units, instead of motors, trailing units can contain supplementary equipment such as air compressors, batteries, etc. trailer cars may also be fitted with a driving cab. In most cases, MU trains can only be driven/controlled from dedicated cab cars, an example of this arrangement is the NJ Transit Arrows. Virtually all rapid transit rolling stock, such as used on the New York City Subway, the London Underground. Most trains in the Netherlands and Japan are MUs, making them suitable for use in areas of population density
30.
Heritage railway
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A heritage railway is a railway kept to carry living history rail traffic in order to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Often heritage railways are old railway lines preserved in a state which depicts a certain period, or periods, Heritage railway lines contain historic rail infrastructure that has been substituted or made obsolete in modern railway transit systems. Historical installations, such as hand operated points, water cranes, due to the lack of modern technology, or to a desire for historical accuracy, railway operations can be handled with traditional practices, such as the use of physical tokens. Use of heritage infrastructure and operations often calls for assigning roles based on historical occupations to the railway staff, station masters and signalmen, sometimes wearing period-appropriate attire, can be seen on some heritage railways. Most heritage railways carry heritage rolling stock, but modern rail vehicles can be used to showcase railway scenes with historical line infrastructure, still other heritage railways offer a viable public transit option and can therefore sustain operations with a sufficient amount of revenue from regular riders or government subsidies. Childrens railways are extracurricular educational institutions, where children and teenagers learn railway professions, often they are fully functional, passenger-carrying narrow gauge rail lines. This phenomenon originated in the USSR and was developed in Soviet times. Many sites were called pioneer railways, after the communist youth organisation, the first childrens railway was opened Moscow in 1932, and at the breakup of the USSR,52 childrens railways existed in the country. Even though the fall of communist governments has led to closures of these railways, many preserved childrens railways are still functioning in post-Soviet states, many childrens railways were built on parklands in urban areas. Unlike many industrial areas, typically served by a gauge railway. Child volunteers and socialist fiscal policy enabled stagnant existence for many of these railways, the old childrens railways, which still carry traffic, have often retained their original infrastructure and rolling stock, including vintage steam locomotives. Some have also acquired heritage vehicles from other railways, creating passages for trains up steep hills and through mountain regions offers many obstacles which call for special technical solutions. Special steep grade railway -technologies and extensive tunneling may be employed, the use of narrow gauge allows tighter curves in the track and offers a smaller structure gauge and tunnel size. Pit railways have been an important part of operating an underground mine all over the world, small rail vehicles offer effective transportation of ore and waste rock, as well as workers, through narrow tunnels. Sometimes the trains were the mode of transport in the passages between the work sites and the mine entrance. Often the loading gauge of the railway dictated the cross-section of the passages to be dug, and the tunnel, on many mining sites, pit railways have been abandoned due to mine closure or adoption of new kinds of transportation equipment. Nowadays some show mines exhibit a vintage pit railway and offer a chance to experience a mantrip into the mine, Millennium Underground Railway or M1, built from 1894 to 1896, is the oldest line of the Budapest Metro system and the second oldest underground railway in the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, M1 underwent major reconstruction, the original appearance of the old stations has been preserved
31.
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
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The London, Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, the resulting company was an unwieldy construction, with numerous interests other than railway operation. Besides being the worlds largest transport organisation, it was also the largest commercial enterprise in the British Empire, the LMS also claimed to be the largest joint stock organisation in the world. In 1938, the LMS operated 6,870 miles of railway, under the Transport Act 1947, along with the other members of the Big Four British railway companies, the LMS was nationalised on 1 January 1948, becoming part of the state-owned British Railways. The LMS was the largest of the Big Four railway companies serving routes in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the LMS operated services in and around London, the Midlands, the North West of England, Mid/North Wales and Scotland. The company also operated a network of lines in Northern Ireland. The LMS operated a number of lines jointly with the main railway companies. Most of these were situated at or near the boundaries between two or more of the companies, but there were notable examples which extended beyond this hinterland zone. Together with the London and North Eastern Railway, the LMS ran the former Midland, exceeding 183 miles, this was the largest jointly-operated network in Great Britain in terms of route mileage, and extended from Peterborough to the East Anglian coast. The M&GN was wholly incorporated into the LNER in 1936, the LMS also operated a significant joint network with the Southern Railway, in the shape of the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. This network connected Bath and Bournemouth, and wound its way through territory nominally allocated to a railway company. Through the former Midland Railway holdings, the LMS, together with the Great Northern Railway, the SR and the LMS were mainly overlapping on the West London Line. The London to Birmingham corridor was fiercely contested with the LMS running expresses over its West Coast Main Line via Rugby, the LMS was also the only one of the Big Four companies to operate rail services in Northern Ireland, serving most major settlements in the region. On 1 July 1903, the Midland Railway took over the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, in 1912, the Midland Railway purchased the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway which operated between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, with a loop serving Tilbury. This part of the later came under the control of the LNER, although this particular route. This arrangement did however provide a choice for residents of Southend, the LMS was the minority partner in the Cheshire Lines Committee. In Ireland there were three railways, Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway 26.5 miles Northern Counties Committee 265, for all railways see List of constituents of the LMS. Generally, the Midland prevailed, with the adoption of many Midland practices such as the livery of Crimson Lake for passenger locomotives, notable was the continuation of the Midland Railways small-engine policy
32.
TOPS
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Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by and/or operated on a rail system. It was originally developed by the American-based Southern Pacific Railroad and was sold, it is best known in Britain for its use by British Rail. The Southern Pacific Railroad was ahead of the pack in its embracing of technology, in the early 1960s, it developed a computer system called Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS. On paper, this information was difficult to track of, difficult to keep up to date. Computerizing this information enabled a railroad to keep track of its assets. In order to offset the development costs of the system, Southern Pacific sold it to other railroads, a number of American railroads took to the system, as did many others around the world. They purchased the system and implemented it, assisted by Southern Pacific data processing experts, the adoption of the TOPS system made for some changes in the way the railway system in Britain worked. Hitherto, locomotives were numbered in three different series, steam locomotives carried unadorned numbers up to five digits long. Diesel locomotives carried one to four-digit numbers prefixed with a letter D, TOPS could not handle this, and it also required similar locomotives to be numbered in a consecutive series in terms of classification, in order that they might be treated together as a group. No class of locomotive or multiple unit numbered over 1000 examples, the first two or three digits were used to denote the class of locomotive or multiple unit. The numbers were written in two space separated groups, such as 47401 to highlight that division, but the TOPS system actually stored and displayed them without the space,47401. Sub-classifications were indicated in the TOPS system with a slash and a subclass number and it was convention, though not enforced within the TOPS system, that subclass numbers were boundaries in the locomotive numbering system, such that class 47/4 started with number 47401. However, in cases, the sequences do not match. Locomotives are assigned classes 01–98, diesel locomotives 01–70, DC electric locomotives 71–79, AC electric locomotives 80–96, departmental locos 97, one oddity was the inclusion of British Rails shipping fleet in the system as Class 99. Diesel multiple units with mechanical or hydraulic transmission are classified 100–199, electric multiple units are given the subsequent classes, 300–399 are overhead AC units, while Southern Region DC third rail EMUs are 400–499, other DC EMUs 500–599. Most classes in the 600–999 range are not currently in use, more recent EMU deliveries have six-figure coach numbers. TOPS has grown out of date in recent decades. It is a text-terminal, mainframe-driven system, which is regarded as not very user-friendly, in addition, it is written in its own programming language, TOPSTRAN, and it is increasingly hard to find and train developers to maintain it
33.
British Rail Class 11
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LMS numbers 7120–7126 went straight into LMS stock, and a follow-up batch was built,7129 being the last diesel shunter to be built for the LMS. British Railways continued to build the class from 1948 to 1952, using numbers M7130–M7131, 7120–7129 and M7130–M7131 became BR numbers 12033–12044. The whole class of 12033–12138 became Class 11, Locomotives up to 12102 were built at LMS/BR Derby and 12103–12138 at BR Darlington. Close to 100 almost identical machines were built by English Electric, in addition to the exported 501-510 mentioned above,500 Class also included 511-545. Sixty-five of the 600 Class locomotives were built by English Electric between 1950 and 1957, numbered 601–665, at either Dick, Kerr & Co, Works in Preston or Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. A further batch of 15 locomotives were exported without engines so that they could be fitted as such in the Netherlands. Another export order was to Australia, with 16 locomotives built in 1951, the main generator is an English Electric EE801,441 A at 430 V. The following locomotives were at Harry Needle Railroad Company,12074 Scrapped 12088 sold to the Aln Valley Railway, at one time it was re-registered as 01553, in TOPS Class 01/5, carried both numbers and was owned by the Harry Needle Railroad Company. 12082 was renumbered to 12049 in October 2010 and painted in BR green with a late crest and this was as a replacement for the original Mid Hants locomotive 12049 that was scrapped after suffering catastrophic damage during an engine shed fire on 26 July 2010. Ultimate Allocations, British Railways Locomotives 1948 -1968
34.
British Rail Class 09
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The British Rail Class 09 is a class of 0-6-0 diesel locomotive designed primarily for shunting and also short distance freight trips along branch lines. The 26 locos are similar to the Class 08 shunting locomotives but have different gearing, giving a top speed of 27.5 mph at the expense of a tractive effort. Further locomotives were converted from Class 08 in 1992 and, following this and privatisation in 1997, the original 26 locomotives became sub-class 09/0 when further locomotives were modified from Class 08 in 1992 which became subclasses Classes 09/1 and 09/2. TOPS numbers were 09101 –09107 and 09201 –09205 and they were also used on Railtours which needed to depart Brighton heading along the West Coastway Line or vice versa. To achieve this the 09 worked between Brighton and Preston Park, allowing main tour locomotive to work the train forward via the Cliftonville tunnel and Hove. The connection to the West Coastway Line at Brighton can only be used by four car trains due to the arrangement of the points, camberley, Surrey, Diesel and Electric Group
35.
British Rail Class 10
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The British Rail Class 10 diesel locomotive was a variation on the Class 08 diesel-electric shunter in which a Blackstone diesel engine was fitted instead of one made by the English Electric company. Camberley, Surrey, Diesel and Electric Group
36.
Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
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Note, During most of the period of operation of the BP&GVR the anglicised spellings of Welsh place names were in use, and for consistency are used in this article. The Companys registered name included the incorrect spelling Gwendreath due to an error by parliamentary draftsmen and it extended its network to include Burry Port, Trimsaran and a brickworks at Pwll, later extending to Sandy near Llanelli. For a time the company worked the separate Gwendraeth Valleys Railway, the BP&GVR was notable because of the very low height of some overbridges, a legacy of the canal conversion. It was completely dependent on the economy of the industries it served and due to depression in them. For some time the line carried miners to their place of work, and their families to market, after 1945 mineral extraction in the area declined steeply, passenger operation ceased in 1953, and in the 1960s most of the network closed progressively as pits closed. The final short section at Kidwelly closed in 1998, Coal had been extracted in the area above Llanelly for centuries, but transport of the heavy mineral to market was difficult. Coastal shipping was essential to the process, although there were limited harbour facilities before the nineteenth century, getting the coal from the hills to the coast was the problem. About 1768 Thomas Kymer had built a canal to Pwll-y-Llygod, the rails were of timber and the wagon wheels were flanged, it was probably opened in 1769. In 1796 John Curr developed a system, in which flat plates with an upstand for guidance could carry wagons with plain wheels. The Stradey Estate near Llanelly had long active in mining. The most important waggonway on the estate brought coal from a pit at Cille to Llanelly where small ships were beached for loading, in 1804 the Carmarthenshire Railway was opened, it was an important plateway connecting coal pits near Cross Hands and ironworks to the harbour at Llanelly. In 1812 the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company was authorised by Parliament, as well as the main line of the canal, there were to be waggonways as feeders to the canal. Two waggonway branches, probably of 4 ft 2in gauge in connection with the Burry Port harbour were completed in 1832, the waggonways were horse-operated, one ran north to Cwmcapel and the other east to Sandy, near Llanelly. At this point it connected with the Cille Colliery waggonway on the Stradey Estate, completion of the project was much delayed, taking until 1837, by which time railway technology was clearly overtaking canals as the dominant transport medium. A powerful storm breached the line near Sandy in 1846. From then onwards the line from Burry Port ended at a colliery, the company also had two short branch canals which were extended by tramroads to the collieries at Trimsaran and Carway. The tramroads were owned by the respective collieries, by 1865 the top portion of the canal above this last incline had become disused, and a tramroad was laid along the towpath. The line from Landore to Carmarthen opened on 11 October 1852, the GWR worked the line, and although the relationship was not always smooth, amalgamation followed on 1 August 1863
37.
DB Cargo UK
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DB Cargo UK, formerly DB Schenker Rail UK and English, Welsh & Scottish Railway, is a British rail freight company headquartered in Doncaster, England. In November 2007, EWS was sold to Deutsche Bahn, in March 2016 it was rebranded DB Cargo UK. In 1988, British Rails freight operations were split into two divisions Railfreight Distribution and Trainload Freight, RfD took over BRs Freightliner and Speedlink services and general wagonload and trainload services, excluding bulk coal, petroleum, aggregates and metals. BRs bulk trainload services were handled by the Trainload Freight division, in 1991 the Rail Express Systems brand was created, to handle mail and postal services. After the passing of the Railways Act 1993, five rail freight companies were formed from RfD and TLF. which were later renamed Loadhaul, Mainline Freight and Transrail Freight. The remainder of RfD was split into two companies, Freightliner, with the residual RfD company operating trains through the Channel Tunnel. The Mail and Parcels business were sold as Rail Express Systems, the companies were subsequently put up for sale by competitive tender. To bid for the ex-BR businesses being offered for sale, North and South Railways Limited was formed and it was owned by a consortium headed by Wisconsin Central, with additional financing provided by Berkshire Partners, Goldman Sachs and Fay Richwhite. On 9 December 1995, North and South Railways purchased Rail Express Systems for £24 million, with this came the contract for the Royal Mail train service, including the Travelling Post Office trains, and the contract to haul the Royal Train. A fleet of 164 locomotives and 677 postal vans were included along with depots at Bristol Barton Hill, Cambridge, Crewe, then on 24 February 1996, British Rails three trainload freight companies, Loadhaul, Mainline Freight and Transrail Freight were acquired for £225 million. The sale included 914 locomotives and 19,310 wagons, at the time rail had a 6% share of the freight market. Initially, the four continued to trade under their existing names. On 25 April 1996, the EWS brand was unveiled, on 10 July 1996 the holding companys name was changed to English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Holdings Limited. In October 1996, Loadhaul and Mainline Freight were merged with Transrail Freight, and employees transferred to Transrail Freight, which was then renamed to English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Limited. One of the first actions of the company was to seek volunteers for redundancy, as it sought to reduce staff numbers by around 3,000. Including subsidies for the use of the Channel Tunnel, Railfreight Distributions businesses included international containerised freight, movement of cars and automotive components by rail, and freight services for the Ministry of Defence. It was concluded on 12 March 1997, at this point, EWS controlled 90% of the rail freight market. Railfreight Distribution was renamed English Welsh & Scottish Railway International on 1 December 1998, the new company had over 900 locomotives,19,000 freight wagons, and 7,000 employees
38.
Wigan
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Wigan /ˈwɪɡən/ is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas,7.9 miles south-west of Bolton,10 miles north of Warrington and 16 miles west-northwest of Manchester, Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a population of 97,000 in 2011. Historically in Lancashire, Wigan during classical antiquity was in the territory of the Brigantes, the Brigantes were subjugated in the Roman conquest of Britain during the 1st century, and it is asserted that the Roman settlement of Coccium was established where Wigan lies. Wigan is believed to have incorporated as a borough in 1246 following the issue of a charter by King Henry III of England. At the end of the Middle Ages it was one of four boroughs in Lancashire established by Royal charters, the others were Lancaster, Liverpool, during the Industrial Revolution Wigan experienced dramatic economic expansion and a rapid rise in the population. Although porcelain manufacture and clock making had been major industries in the town, Wigan subsequently became known as a mill town. The first coal mine was established at Wigan in 1450 and at its peak there were 1,000 pit shafts within 5 miles of the town centre, mining was so extensive that one town councillor remarked that a coal mine in the backyard was not uncommon in Wigan. Coal mining ceased during the part of the 20th century. Wigan Pier, a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, was famous by the writer George Orwell. In his book, The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the inhabitants during the 1930s. Following the decline of activities in the region, Wigan Piers collection of warehouses and wharfs became a local heritage centre. On 24th November 2016, on his 80th birthday, a statue of Dave Whelan was unveiled outside the stadium. Wigan had a population of 99,391 in 2011 but its Urban Subdivision had a population of 103,608, the name Wigan has been dated to at least the 7th century and probably originally meant a village or settlement. It has also suggested that the name is Celtic, named after a person called Wigan. This may have linked with Tre to give an original name of Trewigan. The name of the town has been recorded variously as Wigan in 1199, Wygayn in 1240, the first people believed to have settled in the Wigan area were the Brigantes, a Celtic tribe who controlled most of northern Britain. In the 1st century, the area was conquered by the Romans, the late 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary mentions a Roman settlement called Coccium 17 miles from the Roman fort at Manchester and 20 miles from the fort at Ribchester
39.
Torr Works
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Torr Works quarry, grid reference ST695446 is a limestone quarry at East Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The quarry was known as Merehead, a name which has been retained for its rail depot on the opposite side of the A361 road. The site covers an area of some 205 hectares, including 60 hectares which have been landscaped to blend with the surrounding countryside and it has been operated by Aggregate Industries since their take over of Foster Yeoman in 2006. The site employs over 250 people and produces 7.5 million tonnes of limestone annually which is carried directly from the quarry by Mendip Rail, quarries of the Mendip Hills Mineral data for this quarry from mindat. org
40.
Freightliner Group
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Freightliner Group is a rail freight and logistics company, formed in the United Kingdom in 1995, and now having expanded into Australia, The Netherlands and Poland. Freightliner Limited is the largest intermodal transport operator in the United Kingdom. Freightliner Group is the second largest freight operating company in the UK by revenue and it is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming. Dudley Freightliner Terminal,10 miles from Birmingham, on the site of the old station was opened in October 1967. This proved to be one of the most profitable such terminals in the country, yet by 1981, Freightliner was planning to close Dudley and transfer its function to Birmingham in order to boost the latters fortunes. However, the Dudley terminal was given a reprieve in 1983, as part of the Privatisation of British Rail the Freightliner business unit had its assets transferred into a new company, Freightliner Limited, in preparation for sale. On 25 May 1996 Freightliner was purchased by a management buyout backed by 3i, in 1999 Freightliner set up its Heavy Haul business. In March 2004 Freightliner launched Logico, providing short-term or one-off spaces on intermodal trains, in 2007 Freightliner commenced operations in Poland. On 13 June 2008 Freightliner Group was purchased by Railinvest Holding Company Limited a subsidiary of Arcapita Bank of Bahrain, in June 2009 Freightliner commenced operations in Australia. In February 2015, Freightliner was sold by Arcapita Bank to Genesee & Wyoming, under the deal, Genesee & Wyoming purchased a 95% shareholding which will increase to 100% by 2020. On 12 November 2015, British Rail Class 47 No,47830, which is operated by Freightliner, was named Beechings Legacy to mark 50 years since the first container train ran under British Rail. These ran from ports including Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury to terminals such as Birmingham, Trafford Park in Manchester, Ashton Gate in Bristol, the network has been expanded with additional destinations added. Freightliner also operate an extensive distribution network with 300 road vehicles. Initially run as a division of Freightliner Limited, in 2001 operations were transferred to a new subsidiary, in April 2006 Freightliner Maintenance Limited was established as a separate entity dedicated to the repair and maintenance of traction and rolling stock. In 2006 Freightliner expanded its operations into Poland, a subsidiary company, Freightliner PL Sp. Z o. o. was established to bid for contracts hauling coal traffic, the first contract was for coal transport from Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka SA near Bogdanka to Kozienice Power Station. The service began in September 2007, most of Freightliner PLs services operate on the Gdańsk to Warsaw corridor and in southern Poland. In February 2015, Freightliner PL signed a contract to lease five Newag Gliwice 5MW electric six-axle E6DCF Dragon locomotives from ING Lease
41.
Wabtec Corporation
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Wabtec Corporation is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999. It is headquartered in the Pittsburgh suburb of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, Wabtec manufactures products for locomotives, freight cars and passenger transit vehicles, and builds new locomotives up to 4,000 horsepower. The companys origins go back as far as 1869 with the foundation of the Westinghouse Brake Company and that company became independent in 1990 via a management buy-out, and went public in 1995. Another company, WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, also created from the Westinghouse Brake Company, is independent of Wabtec and was spun off by American Standard Companies in 2007, in 1996, MK Rail group is separated from the parent Morrison Knudsen and adopted the name MotivePower Industries Corporation. In the later half of the 1990s further companies were acquired – again all in the components business. In March 2010, Wabtec announced that it had purchased Xorail, in July 2010, Wabtec announced that it had purchased two manufacturers of rail equipment, Bach-Simpson Corp. and G&B Specialties. The companies produce locomotive components and track products respectively, the purchase price was reportedly US$48 million. In November 2010, Wabtec acquired all of the assets of Cleveland, Ohio, based manufacturer of motors and electric coils for rail. In 2015, Wabtec acquired all three units of Metalocaucho who are the leaders in the field of Suspension&Anti-Vibration systems. On July 27,2015, Wabtec announced that it plans to purchase Faiveley Transport S. A. in a deal valued at $1.8 billion. On February 28,2011, Wabtec announced that it had acquired Brush Traction, in November 2011, Wabtec acquired Bearward Engineering Ltd, an industrial radiator manufacturer employing some 300 people based in Northampton, England. Bearward Engineering primarily supplies the power market with uniquely designed cooling systems. At the time of purchase Bearward had a turnover of US$70 million. Wabtec Rail Limited is an engineering company based in at the Doncaster Works in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Services include the overhaul and repair of rolling stock and components. Wabtec Rail occupies part of the former British Rail Engineering site known locally as the Plant Works. The two main unions on site gave notice on November 3,2014, of their intention to ballot their members for industrial action over a pay dispute, Wabtec Rail Scotland occupies the Kilmarnock works of the former locomotive builder Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. Wabtec announced the US$48m acquisition of diesel engine, transmission and bogie overhaul, the LH Group companies are now part of the Wabtec Rail Group, which includes Wabtec Rail Ltd, Wabtec Rail Scotland and Brush Traction
42.
FirstGroup
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FirstGroup is a British transport group, registered and operating in the United Kingdom. The company also operates services in Ireland, Canada and the United States. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE250 Index, FirstGroup originated from the deregulation of bus services in the United Kingdom in 1986, whereby private companies purchased nationalised and municipal bus operators. In September 1986 the Somerset based services of the Bristol Omnibus Company that were rebranded in 1985 as Badgerline were purchased in a management buyout, as Badgerline Group, it expanded through acquisition purchasing other formerly nationalised bus companies in England and Wales. In January 1989 Grampian Regional Transport, the bus operator in Aberdeen owned by Grampian Regional Council, was privatised in a management buyout led by its general manager Moir Lockhead. As GRT Bus Group, it expanded through acquisition purchasing six former nationalised bus companies in England and Scotland, in April 1995 FirstBus was formed through the merger of the Badgerline and GRT Bus Groups, with fleets in England, Wales and Scotland. Aberdeen was selected as the headquarters, at the time of the merger, FirstBus had 5,600 buses,4,000 of which came from Badgerline. Badgerlines Trevor Smallwood became chairman of FirstBus, while GRT head Moir Lockhead became deputy chairman, FirstBus continued the policy of growth by acquisition acquiring former council owned operations and companies formerly owned by English, Welsh and Scottish nationalised operators. FirstBus went on to larger urban metropolitan operators by taking advantage of the privatisation of the PTE bus operations. FirstBus acquired GM Buses North in Manchester and Strathclyde Buses in Glasgow in 1996, Mainline in South Yorkshire and CentreWest in London in 1997, and Capital Citybus in London in 1998. The company was renamed FirstGroup in December 1997 after the company moved into railways in February 1996 with the privatisation of British Rail, through a 24. In March 1998 FirstGroup purchased the 75. 5% shares in Great Western Holdings it did not already own and rebranded the franchises First Great Western and First North Western. In September 1998 FirstGroup made its first overseas foray when New World First Bus commenced operating bus services in Hong Kong formerly operated by China Motor Bus, FirstGroup had a 26% shareholding in the joint venture. In May 2000 FirstGroup sold its shares to joint venture partner New World Development, in September 1999 FirstGroup purchased Ryder Public Transport Services, a provider of school bus transportation in the United States. In May 2000 FirstGroup began operating the London Tramlink concession under contract to Transport for London, in August 2003 FirstGroup purchased GB Railways which owned Anglia Railways and GB Railfreight and held 80% of the shares in Hull Trains. Having not been shortlisted for the Greater Anglia franchise, this gave FirstGroup another chance to bid, however it was unsuccessful and the franchise was awarded to National Express from April 2004 including the services operated by First Great Eastern. In November 2003 FirstGroup purchased a 90% shareholding in Irish coach operator Aircoach, in February 2004 FirstGroups joint venture with Keolis commenced operating the First TransPennine Express rail franchise, FirstGroup having a 55% shareholding. In April 2004 FirstGroup commenced operating the First Great Western Link franchise, in December 2004 the remainder of First North Western passed to Northern Rail, some services having already been transferred to Arriva Trains Wales and FirstTranspennine Express
43.
Foster Yeoman
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The company was founded by Foster Yeoman, from Hartlepool, at Dulcote, near Wells, in 1923. He was a ship owner and had worked in the iron. Yeoman had served in the First World War and went into quarrying to provide employment for ex-soldiers, between the wars Foster Yeoman Limited supplied contractors and local authorities in the South of England, reaching an early peak of prosperity in the 1930s. During the Second World War, the supplied materials for the construction of airfields. Most stone was sent away by rail as it is today, after the war, with Foster Yeoman ailing, business declined and the company came full circle, returning to the £20,000 turnover it had enjoyed in 1923. In 1949, Foster died and his son, John Foster Yeoman and he employed Ron Torr to redevelop the plant. Despite his youth and inexperience, John Foster Yeoman turned the company round and he developed this successfully in association with his chief engineer, Ron Torr, after whom the new quarry was named. This second Foster Yeoman quarry became operational in 1964, and was completed with the installation of the Nordberg Primary Crusher in 1970, since 1949, stone had been carried to its destination by lorry, but now Foster Yeoman reverted to rail transport. The Merehead Stone Terminal was established in 1970, from there aggregate was removed by high capacity trains. This innovation was followed by the building of the depot and coating plant at Botley, Hampshire. On its 75th anniversary, the published an colorful pictorial history of the company with a focus on its use of railway transport to move the aggregate. John Yeoman had long been captivated by the idea of the super-quarry to be situated in a location from which stone could be exported by sea. To this end, and always looking ahead, he bought the Glensanda estate near Oban in Argyll in 1982, a pilot plant was installed which extracts granite by the glory hole and conveyor belt method, a pioneering development in alternative quarrying technology. Glensanda went into operation in 1986 when the first shipload of granite left for Houston, Texas, the production director at Glensanda is Kurt Larson, John and Angela Yeomans son-in-law. Production at the Scottish quarry has now reached six million tonnes a year, progress and innovation were not confined to Glensanda. Four Class 59 locomotives were commissioned from the USA to pull even heavier and longer loads from Torr Works to stone terminals in southern England. Foster Yeoman was the first national company to run private locomotives on the then British Rail track, in 1993, Foster Yeoman and ARC created a joint venture company, Mendip Rail, combining their locomotives and rolling stock in one streamlined operation. This created the third largest freight company in the UK, moving ten million tonnes of aggregate a year, Foster Yeoman bought the derelict Marston House, a Grade II* listed building, near Frome, in 1984
44.
Mendip Rail
–
Mendip Rail Ltd is an independent freight operating railway company in Great Britain. It is composed of the divisions of Aggregate Industries and Hanson Aggregates. The company operates trains from the Quarries of the Mendip Hills in South-West England to London. The Foster Yeoman quarries are at Torr Works and Dulcote Quarry, while Hanson has plants at Batts Combe Quarry, the company operates four Class 59/0 diesel locomotives owned by Aggregate Industries and four Class 59/1 locomotives owned by Hanson Aggregates. Mendip Rail owns Merehead Traction Maintenance Depot where the eight rail locomotives are allocated. They can also be seen at Hither Green TMD or Eastleigh Works where they receive heavy maintenance, Foster Yeoman first purchased its own fleet of 140 12-ton wagons in 1923, to take advantage of the fact that the Great Western Railway line ran adjacent to Dulcote Quarry. Further expansion was soon needed with an additional chord being added between the terminal and the line in 1973. British Rail shunting and mainline locomotives were used initially, but in 1972 Foster Yeoman bought the first of several Class 08 shunting engines, the company also has a General Motors EMD SW1001 switching locomotive which was purchased in 1980. As a result of poor reliability of the locomotives used by British Rail to haul stone trains from the West Country. Having already supplied its own wagons Foster Yeoman suggested to British Rail that it could operate its own locomotives, British Rails problem was the hard tie-in and control of the Rail Unions, but nevertheless BR accepted the principle. Foster Yeoman issued a document which requested 95% reliability. This, it was found, would enable a single locomotive to haul Foster Yeomans 4,300 tonne stone trains and this fact also enabled Foster Yeoman to reduce its requirement from the original six locomotives to four. The contract with General Motors was signed in November 1984 and the new locomotives, built at the GM plant in La Grange, once in the United Kingdom, further tests were undertaken before Foster Yeomans new locomotives entered service in February 1986. They were officially named in a ceremony at Merehead on 28 June 1986, the Class 59s delivered 99% reliability, leading Foster Yeoman to order a fifth engine in 1988. In their first ten years of operation the five locomotives between them hauled over 50 million tonnes of aggregates away from Merehead. It has since been sold on to Heavy Haul Power International where it is working on coal trains. On 19 August 2014, GB Railfreight confirmed it had purchased 59003, on 26 May 1991 Kenneth J Painter set the European haulage record, with a stone train weighing 11,982 tonnes and 5,415 feet long. However the so-called mega train experiment was not very successful, as a coupling in the centre of the train broke, the assets are still owned by the parent companies and the staff seconded to Mendip Rail
45.
Tata Steel Europe
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Tata Steel Europe Ltd. is a steelmaking company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke Hoogovens and British Steel plc in 1999 and was a constituent of the FTSE100 Index and it was acquired by Tata of India in 2007, and renamed Tata Steel Europe in September 2010. On 5 December 1988 the company was privatised as a result of the British Steel Act 1988, Koninklijke Hoogovens was a Dutch steel producer founded in 1918, located in IJmuiden. In October 1999, British Steel merged with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus Group, at formation the steel company was the largest in Europe and the third largest worldwide. The French steel company Sogerail, specialised in rail manufacture was acquired in 1999 shortly before the merger by BSC for £83 million, in 2001 Corus announced it was to cut 6,050 jobs between 2001 and 2003. In 2003 Corus became the owner of SEGAL, a galvanizing company established 1983 as a joint venture. In March 2006, Corus announced that it had agreed to sell its aluminium rolled products and extrusions businesses to Aleris International, Corus was to retain its smelting operations and supply Aleris under a long-term agreement. On 1 August, the sale to Aleris Europe was completed, the sale took place in May 2006. In 2006 the Mannstaedt works was sold to Georgsmarienhütte, on 20 October 2006, Corus announced that it had accepted at £4.3 billion offer from Tata Steel, a valuation of £4.55 per share. The combination of Corus and Tata would create the fifth largest steelmaking company worldwide, Tatas security credit rating was investment grade, whereas the new subsidiary may not be. The higher risk associated with raising debt through a subsidiary with a credit rating prompted Fitch Ratings to downgrade its rating of the credit swap risks in the takeover to negative. Fitch also stated that Corus responsibility for the debt may lead to Corus own unsecured debt rating being downgraded and this does not affect the rating of bonds issued by Corus which are secured debt. On 19 November 2006, the Brazilian steel company Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional launched an offer for Corus at a higher valuation of £4.75 per share. CSN and Corus had previously discussed a merger in 2002, cancelled late 2002, CSNs iron ore assets would provide synergy with Coruss need to import ore. Subsequently Tata submitted a bid at £5.00 per share. On 19 December 2006 the UK body, the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers announced a date for bidding of 30 January 2007. On 30/31 January an auction was held by the Panel for Coruss shares, CSNs bid had been supported by Goldman Sachs whilst Tatas was supported by ABN Amro, Rothschilds, and Deutsche Bank. In January 2009, Corus announced job cuts of 1,000 in the Netherlands and 2,500 in the UK due the economic downturn and consequent reduction of steel demand
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ICI Wilton
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Wilton is a small village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. As the population was less than 100 at the 2011 Census details are kept in the ward of Dormanstown and it is located between Redcar and Eston at the base of Eston Hills – to the east of Eston Nab. The village is noted for its course and castle, Wilton Castle. It lies just south of the A174 trunk road, on the other side of the A174, is the village of Lazenby. The parish church is dedicated to St Cuthbert, Wilton Castle was sold to ICI in the 1940s. Wilton Castle is an early 19th-century mansion house, built on the site of a medieval castle and it is a Grade II listed building. The Bulmer family owned the manor of Wilton in the 13th century and were granted a licence to fortify their manor house in 1210, in 1331 Ralph Bulmer was granted permission to build a castle on his manor. The estate was confiscated by the Crown following the attainder and execution of Sir John, the manor was restored to their son but was lost again, by sequestration in 1644, following Sir William Bulmers opposition to Parliament during the English Civil War. It was again later restored but the castle had been sleighted by Parliamentary forces, the estate was purchased in about 1806 by John Lowther of Swillington, brother of the Earl of Lonsdale. Lowther demolished the remains of the castle and built, in about 1810. The Gothick design includes a fifteen bay frontage with a castellated tower at the centre, flanked by castellated and gabled bays and turrets. Lowther was created a Baronet in 1824, on the death of the third Baronet in 1894 the Baronetcy passed to his grandson but the Wilton Castle estate passed to his younger son James Lowther. The family sold the property in 1945 to Imperial Chemical Industries for use as offices occupied at times by major industrialists such as Richard Beeching. The park was developed as a course for ICI staff. ICI sold it in 1999, after which the club was acquired by its members. Wilton International is a chemical manufacturing site the north side of the A174 road. The site was wholly owned and operated by ICI and was opened by the Queen in 1956. Following the fragmentation of ICI, since 1995, Enron owned the facility briefly before it was acquired by Sembcorp
