THE FIRST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE IS UK
Abstract
The first steam engine is credited to Hero of Alexandria in ancient Egypt. However, during the pre-industrial and industrialization times, the steam engines served a critical role in the changing methods of production. One of the major advancement of the steam engine was made by Thomas Newcomn in 1712, and later by James Watt. Watt’s changes lead to better steam engine that opened ways for the manufacturing of the first steam locomotive in UK. Richard Trevithick in 1804 created the first steam locomotive train that was almost successful. However, it was Engineer George Stephenson who invented the first successful steam locomotive engine that was largely successful. It could haul 30 tons of coal at a speed of 4mph.
Introduction
The introduction of the steam engine had one of the most profound changes how things work. The first idea on Steam engine is credited to Hero who created a team power mechanism of opening the temple door in Alexandria Egypt (Kendra Bolon, 2001). The development of steam engine increase in the 17th and 18 century changing the working force during the pre-industrial times and the industrializations times. In particular, the steam engine was used in the 17th century originally for pumping water from mines. By 1712, the English engineer Thomas Newcomen advance it with further improvements came later in 1763 by a Scottish engineer James Watt. It was James Watts’s improvement that led to the invention of the first steam Locomotive. Watt realized a flaw in that fuel, time, and steam was getting wasted when the heating and cooling took place at the same piston cylinder. Watt therefore, created a separate condenser that could cool the steam and create the required vacuum. Two more changes occurred that involved the creation of the double-acting engines as well as the fly-ball governor. The fly-ball governors made automation in the opening and shutting of the steam valves to the piston. Planet gear and sun were fixed on shaft driven by a wheel. As the rod spun, the two balls spun in an outward direction from the shaft. Once the ball reached their maximum, the valve shuts down. As the spinning reduces, the valves open again creating and a forth and back motion that is circular and hence can operate a wheel.
Many prototypes had been developed earlier than 1800 but it was not until 1804 when Richard Trevithick created the first full-scale steam locomotive in Britain. Although this was the first full scale steam locomotive, it was not well received. Due to this reason, the search for a better steam engine continued. By 1814, the Blucher, which had enough power to haul about thirty tons of coal at a speed of 4mph uphill, was created by Engineer George Stephenson. He later came up with the first public railway system in UK.
An over view of the Blucher
It was created in 1814 by George Stephenson with a speed of 4mph uphill. The stem engine created by George Stephenson had vertical cylinders that were 8ins in diameter and 24ins stroke. Boiling cylinders that produced the steam were eight feet long and 34ins in diameters. The cylinders had a single flue tube. On the colliery’s wooden tram roads, the blucher was not very reliable. However, it proved to be very useful in pulling out over thirty tons as the two cylinders produced a lot of steam energy. During its creation, Stephenson did not use rack and cog pinions. Due to this, he came up with flanged-wheel locomotive that was successful. The main mode of movement was adhesion between the tracks and the wheels (Grace’s guide, 2013). The blusher increased the reputation of its builder across UK.
References
John Divall (2012). George Stephenson, steam locomotives – and Blücher? Retrieved from http://www.waterloo200.org/george-stephenson-steam-locomotives-and-blucher/ on December 5, 2014.
Grace’s guide. Locomotive: Blucher. Retrieved from http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Locomotive:_Blucher on December 5, 2014.
Kendra Bolon. The Steam Engine. 2001. Retrieved from http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Steam/steam.htm December 5, 2014.
