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Ian David Blüm
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Pressurized
Pressurized

The typical steam locomotive employs a horizontal fire-tube boiler with the firebox at the rear. The fire projects into the cab, which shields the locomotive operators from the weather. At the front of the boiler is the smokebox, with chimney (US: "smoke stack") protruding from the top. Steam is collected from the top of the boiler, either in a perforated tube fitted above the water level or from a dome. The steam passes through a throttle (known as the "regulator") and then to the cylinders of a reciprocating engine. The pistons of this engine drive the driving wheels directly through a connecting rod (US: "main rod") and a crankpin on the main driver. The valves of the engine are controlled through a set of rods and linkages called the valve gear; this gear is adjustable to control the direction and cut-off of the valve gear. The cut-off point determines the proportion of the stroke during which steam is admitted into the cylinder; for example a 50% cut-off admits steam for half the stroke of the piston. The remainder of the stroke is driven by the expansive force of the steam. Careful use of cut-off leads to economical use of steam and hence fuel and water. The reversing lever (US: "Johnson bar", or "screw-reverser" if so equipped) which controls the cut-off is therefore roughly analogous to the gearshift of an automobile. Exhaust steam is directed through the chimney via a nozzle called a blastpipe, thus roughly regulating the draft of the engine according to the steam consumed. The blast of exhaust produces the familiar "chugging" sound of the steam locomotive. The pistons are double acting; a two-cylinder locomotive (the typical form) has one cylinder on either side of the locomotive, set 90 degrees out of phase with each other, which gives four power strokes per revolution of the wheels. The driving wheels are connected on each side by coupling rods (US: "connecting rods") to transmit power from the main driver to the other wheels.

excerpt from Wikipedia

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Taken on: November 24, 2006
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