I've never seen anything like this before. It was an experimental Bavarian locomotive built 1895. Apparently the "booster axle" was used to assist in starting the train, and perhaps disengaged the rail after the train got moving.
http://www.worldrailfans.info/...amExperimental.shtml (first loco in the list)
It was rebuilt into a 4-4-0 in 1908.
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UGLY!
Sometimes form and function have a disagreement:
Rusty
The Bavarian 4-(2)-2-2 at least had the dignity of being a purposeful design. There was a time (in England and Europe) when single-driver locomotives were favored for express trains because the single driver was easier/simpler to balance for high speed operation. Of course they became inadequate when trains became longer and heavier.
I've seen those old American roller-locos explained as possible investment scams. There was no logic to the design at all.
Another item from the same web site shows an experimental German high-pressure steam locomotive from 1930. Really high pressure - look how small the cylinder is. Presumably a multi-stage compound loco with different size cylinders like the D&H 4-8-0 #1403. These experimental locomotives usually turned out too complicated for practical application.
Schwartzkopff-Löffler High Pressure Locomotive
Boiler pressure - 120 atmospheres - about 1763 psi
Those two locos whose pix Rusty posted were probably easy on the rails.
RJR posted:Those two locos whose pix Rusty posted were probably easy on the rails.
That's an interesting point, it might have isolated "hammer blow" from the rails.
The Soviets had some experimental opposed piston steam locomotives. The design was perhaps intended to eliminate "hammer blow" from the conventional drive rod arrangement. These were somewhat more successful than the 4-14-4 locomotive experiment.
One of the most unusual rail systems I've seen (in photos) is the Patiala State Monorail in India, which operated from 1907 to 1927. Amazingly, a steam locomotive and coach are preserved in operational condition at the Indian National Rail Museum, New Delhi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...e_Monorail_Trainways
It was intended as a low-budget rail system for rural areas. The single rail carried almost 95% of the train weight. One of the advantages was that it could turn on sharper curves than conventional 2-rail systems.
The Ewing System is a balancing monorail system developed in the late 19th century by British inventor W. J. Ewing .
In 1970 - complete files on German steam locomotives brought to the U.S. were available at Aberdeen Proving.Ground. The base commander ordered the public access library closed and.this material was stuffed in cardboard boxes. Much was simply taken.home. Registers of slave labor were deliberately destroyed.
Ace posted:RJR posted:Those two locos whose pix Rusty posted were probably easy on the rails.
That's an interesting point, it might have isolated "hammer blow" from the rails.
To be absorbed by what, the frame, suspension system? The force has gotta go somewhere and try to tear something up! Think about it.
Tommy posted:In 1970 - complete files on German steam locomotives brought to the U.S. were available at Aberdeen Proving.Ground. The base commander ordered the public access library closed and.this material was stuffed in cardboard boxes. Much was simply taken.home. Registers of slave labor were deliberately destroyed.
Huh?
Big Jim posted:Ace posted:RJR posted:Those two locos whose pix Rusty posted were probably easy on the rails.
That's an interesting point, it might have isolated "hammer blow" from the rails.
To be absorbed by what, the frame, suspension system? The force has gotta go somewhere and try to tear something up! Think about it.
Better to have that monstrosity of an engine tear itself up and not damage the rails in the process!
Tommy posted:In 1970 - complete files on German steam locomotives brought to the U.S. were available at Aberdeen Proving.Ground. The base commander ordered the public access library closed and.this material was stuffed in cardboard boxes. Much was simply taken.home. Registers of slave labor were deliberately destroyed.
I believe this has reference to some of the advanced experiments that the Germans did with steam locomotive design in the 1930's. Perhaps Tommy would like to elaborate on this. After WW2 diesel-electric locomotives were the new proven technology in the USA and the experimental German steam loco designs were pretty much forgotten.
Big Jim posted:Ace posted:RJR posted:Those two locos whose pix Rusty posted were probably easy on the rails.
That's an interesting point, it might have isolated "hammer blow" from the rails.
To be absorbed by what, the frame, suspension system? The force has gotta go somewhere and try to tear something up! Think about it.
Its hard to tell from the picture, but maybe the force moving forward was canceled out by the force moving backward?
To be absorbed by what, the frame, suspension system? The force has gotta go somewhere and try to tear something up! Think about it.
But between the frame and the rails there are springs. Between wheels and rails there not not. So MAYBE there is more of a cushion???????
RJR posted:To be absorbed by what, the frame, suspension system? The force has gotta go somewhere and try to tear something up! Think about it.
But between the frame and the rails there are springs. Between wheels and rails there not not. So MAYBE there is more of a cushion???????
Maybe those freak locos were complete failures !
I had hoped to keep this thread on the topic of unusual and experimental designs that actually had some logic and serious engineering behind them.
Ace, why do you think these freaks did not have a serious reason behind their design? Over the centuries, there have been many serious but unsuccessful inventions that were intended to solve some problem.
I was assigned with technical intelligence in those days and as a railfan pulled the files on the evaluations of German engines. In those days copy machines were not readily available. The base commander was an idiot who cut all funding for storage of these files, test results, and thousands of photographs and film. The filing system of index cards was destroyed and troops were given several days to empty the building where these records were kept.
Tommy posted:I was assigned with technical intelligence in those days and as a railfan pulled the files on the evaluations of German engines. In those days copy machines were not readily available. The base commander was an idiot who cut all funding for storage of these files, test results, and thousands of photographs and film. The filing system of index cards was destroyed and troops were given several days to empty the building where these records were kept.
OK fine, but what proof do you have that ANY German steam locomotives were ever brought to the United States for evaluation? I can't believe that the War Production Board could give a rat's *** about ANYTHING that Germany had related to railroad technology, what with their light axle loadings limitations.
Ace postedI had hoped to keep this thread on the topic of unusual and experimental designs that actually had some logic and serious engineering behind them.
One experimental design that never came to fruition but was seriously considered was your namesake - the ACE 3000 aka American Coal Enterprises 3000. I worked for the Steam Locomotive Corporation of America in 1980 when the C&O 614 was being restored and can definitely say that the ACE 3000 was more than a mere pipe dream fantasy of Mr. Rowland's. Many of us actually thought Ross would bring his plan to fruition as some serious thought was put in to the project.
Note for HW: did you also think Ross was serious about the ACE project or was it wishful thinking on some of our parts?
In October 1944 19.1001 was seriously damaged during an air raid on Hamburg. It was moved to RAW Braunschweig and stayed there until the end of the war. In August 1945 the locomotive was brought back to Henschel repaired and after one test run between Kassel and Wabern was shipped to the USA in October 1945. It was sent to Fort Monroe in Virginia for testing and inspection and in 1950 was moved to Fort Eustis in Virginia and scrapped there in 1952.
A class 50 was also take to the US after WW2, I think due to its innovative valve gear.
No shortage of the weird and wonderful on this page, including the steam re-compression idea, and the diesel/air-compressor/piston locomotive: http://www.douglas-self.com/MU...OCOLOCO/locoloco.htm
There's this gem, that reminds me of a Dorfan electric locomotive converted to steam.
Limey posted:In October 1944 19.1001 was seriously damaged during an air raid on Hamburg. It was moved to RAW Braunschweig and stayed there until the end of the war. In August 1945 the locomotive was brought back to Henschel repaired and after one test run between Kassel and Wabern was shipped to the USA in October 1945. It was sent to Fort Monroe in Virginia for testing and inspection and in 1950 was moved to Fort Eustis in Virginia and scrapped there in 1952.
A class 50 was also take to the US after WW2, I think due to its innovative valve gear.
19.1001 was an experimental 2-8-2 with a V-2 steam motor on each drive axle, so no connecting rods. More info here:
http://bob-worthington.custome.../Ger_Stm_Main.htm#19
I did see plans for a very sharp nuclear powered diesel set.
Save you some scrolling - but a warning - you will find yourself "busy" for the next 30 minutes!
Best of the batch:
Two more:
https://youtu.be/B7xl6YyldeY
https://youtu.be/dIQFXDFCCxk
/Mitch
What was the Experimental Sante Fe steam Cab unit Lee Willis? built ? I cant find the thread. That was a neat oddity a backwards 4444 if I remember correctly.
Lots of these Bavarian 2-4-0 locos were built and apparently had successful careers in branchline service. The large gap between pilot and drive wheels is unusual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavarian_Pt_2/3
The two-cylinder, superheated Bavarian Pt 2/3 engine was built by Krauss for the Royal Bavarian State Railways (Königlich Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen) between 1909 and 1915 ...
Behind the idea of the Pt 2/3 stood the concept of "light trains", whereby the guard was saved at the expense of the fireman, who accessed the train through a door in the back wall of the locomotive, whereupon he had to take over all the duties of the guard.
Fleischmann N-scale model
Ace posted:The Bavarian 4-(2)-2-2 at least had the dignity of being a purposeful design. There was a time (in England and Europe) when single-driver locomotives were favored for express trains because the single driver was easier/simpler to balance for high speed operation. Of course they became inadequate when trains became longer and heavier.
I've seen those old American roller-locos explained as possible investment scams. There was no logic to the design at all.
Another item from the same web site shows an experimental German high-pressure steam locomotive from 1930. Really high pressure - look how small the cylinder is. Presumably a multi-stage compound loco with different size cylinders like the D&H 4-8-0 #1403. These experimental locomotives usually turned out too complicated for practical application.
Schwartzkopff-Löffler High Pressure Locomotive
Boiler pressure - 120 atmospheres - about 1763 psi
Does it have the valve system the PRR t1 had?
Dominic Mazoch posted:Does it have the valve system the PRR t1 had?
I suspect the German H02-1001 had poppet valves like a T1 but haven't actually found definite information. Note it has two high-pressure outside cylinders and one larger secondary cylinder between the frames.
Built by Brooks Locomotive Works for the Chicago Locomotive Improvement Company.
Looks like a photoshop job, but it isn't.
Here's a drawing of the proposed G.E. nuclear powered locomotive:
In 1956, someone built an O scale model of it (Image: Model Railroader September 1956.)
Rusty
smd4 posted:Built by Brooks Locomotive Works for the Chicago Locomotive Improvement Company.
Looks like a photoshop job, but it isn't.
I did not see any thing odd about it until.I noticed the smoke stack.Now that is just plain weird.
Any explanation for the previous item? Some kind of return-flue experiment?
Franco-Crosti boilers were tried on some European railways. Exhaust steam went through a long drum under the boiler, essentially a large feedwater heater, and the steam exhausted from a non-conventional stack position further back. This arrangement was claimed to reduce fuel consumption.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Crosti_boiler
Ace posted:Any explanation for the previous item? Some kind of return-flue experiment?
That is the thought (return flue arrangement). There isn't much info on the engine. It's believed the pipe below the hand rail was the exhaust steam from the cylinders.
I wonder (because I have never been ear a nuclear reactor) what kind of sound a nuclear loco would make? I assume something from the turbine, then the wine of the electric motors. Imagine it would be fairly quiet though.
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