Steam Locomotives
Steam locomotives were the first kind of train invented. They are powered by burning combustible materials such as coal, wood or oil in a boiler. This produces steam, and the steam moves pistons that are connected to the locomotives main wheels, which propels the train forwards. Fuel, and water supplies are carried in separate train cars of the Steam Locomotive. They were first developed in Great Britain, in 1784, When William Murdoch built a small prototype. Then, later in 1804 Richard Trevithick built a full scale fully functioning model. These types of trains dominated railway transport until the mid 20th century, when Diesel Engines were invented, and these trains became obsolete, being more expensive and unreliable comparatively. Diesel Locomotives
Diesel Locomotives are powered by a diesel engine. Diesel locomotives are usually used for towing passenger train cars. They can reach speeds of up to 172km/h, and 3,2000 horsepower. They run on a compression ignition engine, which uses the heat created from compression to initiate the ignition and burn the fuel held in the combustion chamber. A spark plug is used to ignite the air-fuel mixture. These trains were invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel, and in 1914 the worlds fist diesel-electric working railcars were produced. These trains had the highest thermal efficiency, and required less track maintenance than the Steam Locomotive. After world war 2 in the mid 1950's, Diesel-Electric Locomotives were the dominant railway transport. Electric Locomotives
Electric locomotives are powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail, or on-board batteries or fuel cells. The lack of pollution from these trains, the higher performance results caused by the electrification, the lower maintenance costs, lower energy costs, and the lack of exhaust noise due to the fact that these trains don't need an engine to operate mean that Electric Locomotives are quick becoming the dominant mode of railway transport. They are also much easier on the train tracks, resulting in less track maintenance. They were first invented in 1837 by a chemist named Robert Davidson. It was powered by galvanic cells. Later in 1930, the design became more widespread, and the Pennsylvania railroad electrified the entire east territory of Harrisburg. Development of this locomotive continued in Europe as well. |