Inventors and designers in the field of steam locomotive paid attention not only to the speed and power of their machines, but also to the aesthetic side. The design of the steam locomotive assumes an unusual appearance, and therefore on the railways in the twentieth century it was possible to see unusual locomotives carrying cargo trains and passenger express trains. Now they are exhibited only in museums, but we will try to present a photo shoot, which includes the most beautiful locomotives in the world.
Fire breathing dragons
Black smoke, puffs of white steam, rattle and clang of iron against the background of a monotonous clatter of wheels, tongues of bright flame bursting out of the boiler furnace. As may not cause admiration, this is a miracle of technology.
Steam locomotives, like prehistoric monsters, but only created by human hands. Many of them became eternal fun, and some continue to travel along excursion routes around the world.
The beginning of the steam era
Railways were used in mines, where horses acted as draft power. At the beginning of the XIX century, horses began to drag horses along the rails. The first such road in 1801 connected Wandsworth and Croydon.
3 years after this, Richard Trevitik presented his invention to English society. His car, moving with the help of a steam boiler, became the first steam locomotive in the world.
In 1825, Locomotion, which is translated into Russian as "Movement," began work on the world's first Stockton-Darlington Public Railway.
At the end of the 20s of the XIX century, George Stephenson created several successful mechanisms, and his "Rocket" in 1829 won the Reichenl competition.
Stephenson's invention began to be used as a draft locomotive on the railway connecting the English cities of Liverpool and Manchester.
At the turn of the century
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the basic structure and principle of operation of all mechanisms of the steam locomotive was formed. The railway network has already appeared in the countries of Europe, Russia, in the vastness of the New World.
In the first decades of the twentieth century, duplexes and triplexes appeared, which were much more powerful than the first steam locomotives, more maneuverable and developed greater speed.
Designers began to use various wheel formulas. The articulated systems of Mallet, Garrat, Furley appear. Steam boilers are being improved, increasing the power of an already-popular vehicle. Kochegarov was replaced by mechanical coal feeders, the so-called stockers.
Workers of the twentieth century
Steam engines of the twentieth century surpassed their predecessors in speed, efficiency, and most importantly traction. Operating in mines, powerful locomotives easily pulled multi-ton trains with coal and ore.
Speed and efficiency were appreciated in passenger traffic. On open spaces of the USA, Russia, in the countries of Europe and Asia, the drivers drove high-speed steam locomotives, which quickly delivered passengers from point A to point B.
The size of steam locomotives has also changed. In the USA, they built huge Big Boys, Soviet designers created powerful and high-speed “FDs” and the legendary “Joseph Stalin 20-16”, Germany introduced the world a series of locomotives 05 in the mid-30s.
In military service
Steam locomotives did a great job during the Second World War, becoming one of the main means of delivering goods and people. In the Soviet Union, the production of steam locomotives was suspended during this period, and they were received from factories in the USA and Canada. Cars were assembled according to the drawings of Soviet designers.
Military steam locomotives called "no luxury." To create military equipment, airplanes and tanks, non-ferrous metals were needed, therefore they saved on the assembly of locomotives using cheaper materials. The Soviet Union received a part of Lend-Lease equipment, including steam-powered vehicles. But Britain, on the contrary, evacuated part of its rolling stock and locomotives to the United States.
In 1941, Hitler ordered the development of steam locomotives capable of working in the conditions of the Russian winter. Thus appeared the BR-50, which were produced until 1950, and some of them remained on the Soviet railways as war trophies.
Steam locomotive sunset
Despite the advantages, the locomotives were significantly inferior to the locomotives and electric locomotives that appeared on the roads. The work of steam engine drivers, for all its romance, was difficult and fraught with many dangers.
In the early 50s of the twentieth century begins the sunset of mass steam locomotive building. Countries produce old models, and designers are reoriented to create high-speed locomotives without the use of steam. The first stopped producing steam locomotives in the USA, then in 1956 the USSR, and a little later, other countries of the world.
The last country to curtail production was China. It happened in 1999, when the last steam engine in history came off the assembly line. But China remains a country that continues to use locomotives in one of its major quarries.
Switzerland has recently resumed production of locomotives that are used for tourism purposes. Many countries that survived on the go old models, operate on tourist routes or as pushers in the depot.
four beautiful steam locomotives
In conclusion, we present a kind of four. She can rightfully lead the list of the most beautiful locomotives in history.
1
Steam engine "General"
Launched by Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor in 1855, the engine became famous during the years of the US Civil War during an incident that went down in history as the Great Race.
The design assumed a 2-0-0 wheel formula, and the serial number of the beautiful engine was “631”. They bought his railroads in Georgia, where he was given the name "General".
Served "General" No. 631 passenger and freight traffic. After the cancellation, he repeatedly participated in exhibitions, and then was sent to the museum of the city of Kennoso.
2
L3653 “Victory”
The beautiful Soviet P-series steam engine was launched in 1945. A significant year in the history of the Soviet people, and therefore the locomotive was called "Victory". In 1947, the designation "P" was changed to "L" in honor of the famous Soviet designer L. Lebyadinsky.
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A red star flashed on the pediment, and the locomotive and tender were painted black. The series turned out to be quite beautiful, and therefore Russian filmmakers often use preserved copies in the cinema.
L3653 was operated on railway lines within Moscow suburbs. Now stands on one of the siding tracks at the Podmoskovnoye depot.
3
LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton
Experts and technology historians agree that the “Duchess of Hamilton” is the most beautiful steam engine in the history of the steam era.
They assembled it at the factory of the city of Crewe in 1938, and he became the tenth in this series. After testing, he participated in the New York Tech Show. Over the whole history, it was repainted several times, and also changed the design of the bow.
In 1947 it became state property of Great Britain. In 1959 he received a streamlined LMS cladding. In this form, with a bright red fairing, exhibited at the National Museum of Transport in York.
4
Locomotives of Mercury
In 1936, the North American Railway first received a new passenger train with that name. It was one of several Mercury that traveled through the cities of the Midwest until 1959. The design of the steam locomotives of the rolling stock was made in the Art Deco style. The author of the project was the famous industrial architect Henry Drkeifus.
Summary
Everyone perceives beauty in their own way, and everyone has their own ideas about aesthetics. Perhaps our reader will find more beautiful steam engines on the Internet. We would be grateful if you share your knowledge and impressions in the comments to this article.
Posted by Valery Skiba