The City of Leeds in West Yorkshire was once home to the largest number of railway locomotive building firms in England. This is how it all began, way back in 1812.
Odd that there was no Feedpump...so they had to de-pressurerize the boiler, maybe put the fire away. Cool down a bit and then replentish water? How many houres to wait between they could run these engines....
Yeah. At first they were used on a "single fill" basis: the steam was let off and the boiler refilled each time. They were subsequently fitted with a feed pump and a very small water tank.
Thank you for this! My name is Zach Blenkinsopp and I am always interested to hear stories from my ancestors over in England. I do plan on making a trip to pilgrimage our old lands and buildings.
Trevithick used them succesfully; when Salamanca exploded in 1819 is was due to the safety valve having been tampered with rather than a failure of the boiler. Matthew Murray thought cast iron boilers too heavy so in 1813 changed to wrought iron to save weight and to increase water capacity.
I am curious about the engines that ran at a colliery near Liège. They must have been the earliest moving steam engines in Belgium, or the Netherlands. I was not aware of a railroad that early in Belgium, where I live. Do you have more information about these engines?
It was built at the Murébure colliery, at Horloz by Joseph-Frederic Braconier, who was the mine's owner, in 1817.However, according to the Archives National Belge, Braconier didn't take over the coal work at Horloz until 1818. His were the most modern mines in the country, employing steam power and machinery. The mines had been in existance since the C18th. In 1801 Abraham Braconier won a concession to re-open the old coal pits at Horloz (vieux Horloz) in 1812 he was employing 484 men. In 1816 with the establishment of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, Abram and his elder son Jean-Louis quit the business and left their shares to Joseph-Frederic who won a concession to continue to work the mine on 31-12-1818. Yes they were the first locomotive engines in Belgium and there's even a Passport Application for a 'Blekinzoppe' to visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands in April 1814. Perhaps not the first locomotives in mainland Europe as those were two Blenkinsop type locomotives built in Prussia, but certainly amongst the earliest. Hope this helps.
Is there any truth to the stories that these locomotives were notorious for causing the rack and / or pinion to crack as the cast iron was not strong enough?.
That's something I've never come across, but we do know from the letters of Matthew Murray that the rack being on one side lead to uneven torque and that the wheels on one side of the locomotive wore away faster than the other. Murray notes if he could re-do the whole thing the rack and pinion would have been in the centre, but the off-side rack was due to cheapness and keeping the middle of the track clear for horses.
3:05 - It looks like half pushed, half pulled, is that right?
Don't know how I missed this, glad I found it!
Odd that there was no Feedpump...so they had to de-pressurerize the boiler, maybe put the fire away. Cool down a bit and then replentish water? How many houres to wait between they could run these engines....
Yeah. At first they were used on a "single fill" basis: the steam was let off and the boiler refilled each time. They were subsequently fitted with a feed pump and a very small water tank.
Thank you for this! My name is Zach Blenkinsopp and I am always interested to hear stories from my ancestors over in England. I do plan on making a trip to pilgrimage our old lands and buildings.
Very cool!
In your Book "The early railways of Leeds" you write that James Hewitt was killed in February 1818, Wiki claims he died in 1834. Which one is right?
Considering how many of these engines were built, they weren't just historic, but successful.
Absolutely.
A cast iron boiler, sounds very dangerous to me.
Trevithick used them succesfully; when Salamanca exploded in 1819 is was due to the safety valve having been tampered with rather than a failure of the boiler. Matthew Murray thought cast iron boilers too heavy so in 1813 changed to wrought iron to save weight and to increase water capacity.
I am amazed that gear driven locomotives were of such early use, I thought they would be developed far later than this
I am curious about the engines that ran at a colliery near Liège. They must have been the earliest moving steam engines in Belgium, or the Netherlands. I was not aware of a railroad that early in Belgium, where I live. Do you have more information about these engines?
It was built at the Murébure colliery, at Horloz by Joseph-Frederic Braconier, who was the mine's owner, in 1817.However, according to the Archives National Belge, Braconier didn't take over the coal work at Horloz until 1818. His were the most modern mines in the country, employing steam power and machinery. The mines had been in existance since the C18th. In 1801 Abraham Braconier won a concession to re-open the old coal pits at Horloz (vieux Horloz) in 1812 he was employing 484 men. In 1816 with the establishment of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, Abram and his elder son Jean-Louis quit the business and left their shares to Joseph-Frederic who won a concession to continue to work the mine on 31-12-1818. Yes they were the first locomotive engines in Belgium and there's even a Passport Application for a 'Blekinzoppe' to visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands in April 1814. Perhaps not the first locomotives in mainland Europe as those were two Blenkinsop type locomotives built in Prussia, but certainly amongst the earliest. Hope this helps.
excellent
Perhaps one of the people who operated the Blenkinsop locomotive at Wigan was Wallace’s ancestor
wow thought i knew everything about the early steam... seems not! :)
2:04 the one drawing him totally didn’t notice that he or she Drawn him with wonky eyes
he probably was a little cross-eyed.
Maybe he had wonky eyes.
Is there any truth to the stories that these locomotives were notorious for causing the rack and / or pinion to crack as the cast iron was not strong enough?.
That's something I've never come across, but we do know from the letters of Matthew Murray that the rack being on one side lead to uneven torque and that the wheels on one side of the locomotive wore away faster than the other. Murray notes if he could re-do the whole thing the rack and pinion would have been in the centre, but the off-side rack was due to cheapness and keeping the middle of the track clear for horses.