Johnson Bar

We just learned about the Valve Gear.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Johnson Bar, also called the reach rod or reversing lever.

This is a lever that is hooked up to the Valve Gear, and is up in the Cab so that the engineer can push or pull on it to control the speed.

No one really knows why it has the name of Johnson Bar!


(from: wikipedia - johnson bar (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Axle

Valve Gear

We just learned about the Train Whistle.

Another part of a steam engine is the Valve Gear.

This is a gear that is hooked up to the piston that is moving the train along, and lets the engineer open or close it to go faster or slower.

If they open the piston up all the way the train will go faster but will use more fuel.
If they close the piston all the way the train will go slower but will use less fuel.


(from: wikipedia - valve gear)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shaft

Train Whistle

We just learned about the Cab where the Engineer and Fireman work.

Another part of the steam locomotive is the Train Whistle, also called the air whistle or steam trumpet.

When locomotives started becoming popular, people knew it would be dangerous for a big train to be rolling down the tracks and it was very tough for a train to stop.

The engineers put a whistle on the top of the train and hooked it up so that steam could get blown out of the whistle to make noise.

It was hooked up to a lever, and it could be pulled hard or soft, so it could make a little woo or a big WOOO or even a woo-ahh woo-ahh sound.

Because it made different noises, each engineer could have their own style of blowing the whistle, and people could sometimes figure out who was driving the train based on what the whistle sounded like.

Later on they made the whistles even better and would have 2 or 4 different notes combined to make a nice sounding whistle that could be heard for miles.

The engineers used the whistle to tell people the train was getting ready to go, to warn someone at a crossing that the train was coming, and also to let people at the train stations know they were coming.


(from: wikipedia - train whistle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pulley

Cab - Engineer and Fireman

We just learned about the Tender.

Another part of a steam locomotive is the Cab.

This is where the engineer and the fireman are at.
The engineer or driver is the person who uses all the controls to make the locomotive go faster or slower, and to help control the engine.

The fireman is the person who is in charge of the fire that keeps the train going.
So he has to shovel coal from the coal bunker into the engine, and also help refill the water compartment for the steam.




(from: wikipedia - cab (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sprocket

Tender

We just learned about the Fire-Tube Boiler.

Let's go step by step and learn all the parts of a working steam locomotive!

One part of the locomotive is the Tender, or coal car.

This is a big box that is pulled behind the engine that is full of the fuel that the locomotive needs to run.
It can be full of wood, coal or oil, and it also is full of water that is used for the steam.

Usually the water was on the bottom of the tender, in a place called the water compartment.
The coal or other fuel was on top in a place called the coal bunker.

The engines used a lot of water, which is why railroads came up with places to refill with water using big cranes when they stopped at train stations.



(from: wikipedia - tender (rail))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gear

Fire-Tube Boiler

We just learned about the Locomotion No. 1.

Another part of how steam locomotives work is the Fire-Tube Boiler.

A boiler is a big tank of water that is heated up to where the water boils and turns to steam.
There are a lot of different kinds of boilers, and the one called a fire-tube boiler was the one most used by steam locomotives to run the engine.

It's called a fire-tube boiler because there are a bunch of metal tubes that take in heat from a fire and then the heated up tubes make the water hot.

The hot water then turns to steam that is used with a steam pump to drive the gears that turn the wheels of the train.



(from: wikipedia - fire-tube boiler)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Motor

Locomotion No. 1

We just learned about the Salamanca steam locomotive.

Another famous steam locomotive was called Locomotion No. 1, made by George and Robert Stephenson in 1825 in England.

This was the first steam locomotive that was used to bring people along in passenger cars.

The first time this locomotive was put to the test it hauled 11 wagons of coal, and special passenger carriage, and then 20 more wagons that were filled with people.

The train could go about 12 miles per hour, and it took the people on a 10 mile trip from Shildon to Darlington.



(from: wikipedia - locomotion no. 1)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Machines

Salamanca

We just learned about the Pen-y-Darren Locomotive.

Another part of the history of locomotives is the Salamanca steam locomotive, built in 1812 by Matthew Murray from England.

Even though people were figuring out how to make steam engines and hook them up to boats and wheels, it took a while for anyone to make one that worked really well on a train track.

Even before there were locomotives, people made metal tracks for carts that would be pulled by horses.
It wasn't until Murray made the Salamanca in 1812, that someone would make a locomotive that was actually used for people to haul big heavy loads around and do some work.

The Pen-y-Darren locomotive was built in 1802, so for 10 years people mostly just saw these steam engines as an interesting invention, but did not put the engines to work yet.

The Salamanca ran on a rack and pinion track, which means the wheels were gears that worked on a track with teeth that it would go along.


(from: wikipedia - salamanca (locomotive))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fire Investigation

Pen-y-Darren Locomotive

We just learned about the steam wagon Cugnot's - Fardier à vapeur.

Another early steam engine was the Pen-y-Darren Locomotive.

Just like the steam boat and steam car, people mostly wanted to use steam power to move very heavy things from one place to another.
The big difference between boats, cars and trains was that the train didn't need a steering wheel to make sure it was going the right way, it would just go along the rails carrying its big load.

In 1802 a man from England named Richard Trevithick built a steam engine to be put on metal rails and carry a lot of weight.
It had a steam cylinder hooked up to a rotative beam engine, using a sun and planet style gear to turn the wheels.

To test his locomotive, he had it carry ten tons of iron, which is about 20,000 pounds.
It went about 10 miles and went a little over 2 miles per hour.

This wasn't very fast, about as fast as someone walking.
But it was like someone walking carrying a few giant elephants on their shoulders, so people were very impressed!

His steam engine did not become very popular, but it did help other people in the future learn how to make steam engines that would become the locomotives we know about from history.


(from: wikipedia - richard trevithick)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tire Skid Marks