|
A steam railcar is a rail vehicle that does not require a locomotive as it contains its own steam engine. The first steam railcar was an experimental unit designed and built in 1847 by James Samuel and William Bridges Adams. In 1848 they made the Fairfield steam carriage that they sold to the Bristol & Exeter Railway, who used it for two years on a branch line. Railcars were built in the early 20th century for the London & South Western Railway (L&SWR) and before entering passenger service one was lent to the Great Western Railway (GWR). Between 1902 and 1911, 197 steam railcars were built, 99 by the GWR. Introduced either due to competition from the new electric tramways or to provide an economic service on lightly used country branch lines, there were two main designs, either a powered bogie enclosed in a rigid body or an articulated engine unit and carriage, pivoting on a pin. However, with little reserve power steam railcars were inflexible and the ride quality was poor due to excessive vibration and oscillation. Most were replaced by an autotrain, adapted carriages and a push-pull steam locomotive as these were able to haul additional carriages or goods wagons. After trials in 1924, the London and North Eastern Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway purchased between them a total of 102 railcars using high speed steam motors from Sentinel-Cammell and Claytons in the late 1920s. These had all been withdrawn by 1947. ==Origins== The first steam railcar was designed by James Samuel, the Eastern Counties Railway Locomotive Engineer, built by William Bridges Adams in 1847, and trialled between Shoreditch and Cambridge on 23 October 1847. An experimental unit, long with a small vertical boiler and passenger accommodation was a bench seat around a box at the back, although it was officially named ''Lilliputian'' it was known as ''Express''. The following year Samuel and Adams built the Fairfield steam carriage. This was much larger, long, and built with an open third class section and a closed second class section. After trials in 1948, it was sold to the Bristol & Exeter Railway and adapted for the 7-foot gauge and the body rebuilt to seat 16 in first-class and 32 in second-class. It ran for two years on the Tiverton branch before the engine was converted to a 0-4-0 locomotive. ''Enfield'', combining a contemporary designs of engine and carriage, was larger still. Built by Samuel and Adams this was used in regular service by the Eastern Counties Railway until the engine was converted into a 2-2-2 tank locomotive. More engine and carriage combinations to Samuel designs were built in the 1850s in the Eastern Counties railway works, and another by Kitson & Co. called ''Ariel's Girdle''. Later, in 1869, Samuel, Robert Fairlie and George England collaborated to build a prototype articulated steam railcar at England's Hatcham Ironworks that was demonstrated in the works yard. However, England went out of business at about this time and nothing is known about the fate of this vehicle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British steam railcars」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|