Franklin Self-Adjusting Spring-Loaded Wedges Self-adjusting spring-loaded wedges, supplied by the Franklin corporation, were designed to maintain zero clearance between axleboxes and horn guides, thereby preventing the shock loads or “knocks” that were once commonly heard from run-down locomotives as the clearances between axle boxes and hornguides were taken up with reversal of piston thrust. In […]
Enhanced Piston Valve Events This page covers briefly a number of topics related to the enhancement of valve events to improve a locomotive’s performance. These come under the following headings: Valve events Valve travel Porta’s view on lead Fixed lead Variable lead Ring-controlled events A separate page covering valves and valve gear can be found […]
Drifting Techniques There have been many and varied practices adopted by drivers and/or imposed by railway authorities, for “drifting” of locomotives – i.e. running at speed without power such as when descending a bank. On page 101 of his book “The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam“, Wardale emphasise the complexity […]
Chapelon – Genius of French Steam Rogers Col. H.B.C., Chapelon – Genius of French Steam, published by Ian Allan Ltd London, 1972, SBN 7110 0281 9, 170 pages 230 x 150mm. This book is no longer published but it is a valuable asset for students of modern steam, being a biography of the man who […]
Combustion Air Preheating Page Under Development This page is still “under development”. Please contact Chris Newman at webmaster@5at.co.uk if you would like to help by contributing text to this or any other page.’
Compound Expansion Page Under Development This page is still “under development”. Please contact Chris Newman at webmaster@5at.co.uk if you would like to help by contributing text to this or any other page. The principles of “Compound expansion” are briefly outlined in the Simple/Compound page of this website which also describes the advantages of compounding as […]
The α (alpha) Coefficient of a locomotive is defined as In other words, it gives a measure of the average forces applied to the locomotive’s machinery as compared to the maximum forces that it is designed to withstand. It could therefore be said to be a measure of “mechanical efficiency”, being the amount of use […]
Kylchap, Kylpor and Lempor Exhausts Page Under Development This page is still “under development”. Please contact the webmaster@advanced-steam.org if you would like to help by contributing text to this or any other page.’ As stated on the Exhausts page under the “Terms and Definitions” section of this website, Wardale defines the exhaust system as “thermodynamically the […]
Gas Producer Combustion System (GPCS) The application of GPCS or “Gas Producer Combustion System” to locomotive fireboxes is explained in great detail in pages 78 to 92 of Dave Wardale’s book “The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam“. Basically it is a 19th century technology involving the blowing of oxygen over […]
Phil Girdlestone 1954 – 2016 Phil Girdlestone started working with locomotives in 1970 as a part time fireman and then driver on the Ffestiniog Railway (FR). He joined the permanent staff in 1978, reaching the post of Works Manager at Boston Lodge Works, where in addition to maintenance work he started to make modifications to […]
Ingeniero Livio Dante Porta 1922 – 2003 Ing. Livio Dante Porta was the inspirational force behind the 5AT Project and spearheaded most other steam locomotive developments in the latter half of the 20th Century. Having no mechanical engineering course available to him, Porta graduated as a civil engineer from university in Buenos Aires in 1946, […]
David Wardale B.Sc. (Mech. Eng.) Wardale joined British Rail in 1967 as a mechanical engineering sandwich course student, graduating from Portsmouth Polytechnic with First Class Honours in 1971. He then worked for BR until leaving in 1973 for the South African Railways to follow his vocation of steam locomotive engineering. Working in the steam locomotive […]