Talk:Steam power during the Industrial Revolution

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 31 August 2021 and 7 December 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Mohammadali Khalifa.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 10:10, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Errors and repeats

This article merely repeats, mostly word for word, part of the steam engine section in the "Industrial Revolution" article. This is not right. It should have more detail, and not just repeat. Moreover, the article is wrong in two places on the matter of high pressure steam. Essentially all of Watt's commercial engines were atmospheric, i.e. used steam at low pressures. And it is not true that "Richard Trevithick, a Cornish blacksmith, was the first to use high pressure steam 1799," because the first to use high pressure steam in a commercial engine was Savery, as actually noted in the first part of the article. DonSiano 14:58, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

It would seem that this has now become the main article, complementary to the Industrial Revolution article. Quite justified IMO. I think however that the latter's Steam Power section should now be shorter and in the form of a resumé of what is here.

Watt's first prototype Soho engine that launched commercialisation was certainly not "atmospheric", nor were those that followed. Ultra-low steam pressure combined with a vacuum still amounts to a steam pressure-differential engine - atmospheric pressure played no part in its workings. As for Richard Trevithick, he is important as an early proponent and and the first to successfully use what was then called "Strong steam" at higher pressure (not very at about 30-50 pounds-force against the atmoshere throughout the cycle) and surely the first to successfully apply it. The other pioneer of strong steam Oliver Evans, ultimately failed to do so due to being plagued by successive catastrophic boiler explosions (Trevithick had at least one), confirming Watt's fears.--John of Paris 09:09, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

How long did the industrial revolution last?

The question is when do we consider that the "revolutionary" period actually ended and the Industrial Age begin? This article peters out at about 1810. Do we go on from here?--John of Paris 17:25, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Plagiarism

The whole Overview section of this article (save for the last paragraph) is lifted from the Industrial Revolution article from Encarta found here. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577952_2/Industrial_Revolution.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kockgunner (talk • contribs) 20:57, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

Since MS Encarta is to be discontinued from October 2009, this copy will be a vital historical record :o) -- EdJogg (talk) 19:35, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

But I've edited it anyway. No longer a copyvio, and one more thing off the ToDo list!! -- EdJogg (talk) 19:48, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

American Steam Locomotives

I've removed the following, which sees rather out-of-place in this article:

Americans utilized the steam engine in trains in order to make transportation more effective, especially in the trading of goods and commodities. In 1828, Horatio Allen purchased a steam engine from the Robert Stephenson & Company, named America, and shipped it to Delaware & Hudson Canal Company. It was the beginning of the history of American steam locomotive. Later in 1830, the first steam locomotive was created and was named “Tom Thumb”. It had a speed of 18 miles per hour. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_tom_thumb.htm On August 28, 1830 it pulled a carriage of passenger trains the on American railroad, which also made it the first passenger train. Several months later, the South Carolina Railroad began regular service with a four-wheel steam locomotive, named the Best Friend of Charleston. In 1832, the first Baldwin locomotive with a four-wheel engine made its way to the rails. However, when this steam locomotive ran on the railroad, it encountered prototype problems that ended up making the locomotive too costly to care for. In 1834, Miller improved the steam locomotive, making it more cost efficient. He ordered a new engine, named E.L. Miller, that carried a 4-2-0 wheel arrangement. While initially a success, later changes needed to be made to make it more efficient. In 1836, Henry Campbell tried to use 4-4-0 model to distribute the weight over rails more effectively, however it was an unsuccessful as the eight wheels were not able to fit the uneven track contours. Finally, in 1838, Joseph Harrison Jr. employed the weight equalization method to solve this problem and allow the eight wheels to adapt to the uneven track contours by moving independently through pivoted arms.

In the 1840s, more locomotive builders appeared. Almost 150 firms ran the locomotive business. Affected by competition, the firms’ improvements led to powerful locomotives, such as the Gowan and Marx. This famous train had an average speed of only 9.82 miles per hour, but was able to carry 423 tons of cargo - equaling forty times the weight of the engine. The Camelback locomotive (1853) was the first steam locomotive with eight wheels, which became the model for the following steam locomotives.

By 1860, roughly 4800 steam locomotives had made their way to the American rail system. Engineers worked to improve steam locomotives in order to make them faster and more capable of the transport of heavier goods and commodities. This was largely due to anthracite (hard) coal being replaced by bituminous (soft) coal as the engines’ fuel source, as the hard coal supplied less heat than the soft coal. This led to changes in the size of the train’s firebox. The newly designed trains, called camelbacks or Mother Hubbards, were born of these innovations and carried a wide range of wheel arrangements and access to low grade coal cost.

One of the most influential innovations in steam locomotive history was the introduction of the valve gear to the engine. Initially only six trains utilized the side valve engine, but eventually the popular Walschaerts valve gear became widely used. “During each stroke of the power piston, the valve allows inlet steam into one of the passages at either end of the valve while simultaneously opening the other passage for exhaust steam, which later flows through the center of the valve. The slide valve( also called D-valve) oscillated inside a rectangular chamber, whereas the piston valve was contained within a circular cylinder and thus could operate at much greater steam pressure than the slide valve.” As the steam pressure in boiler increased, the previous steam engines became less effective and were unable to generate a seal in two flat surfaces. Later, in 1874, Swiss-born designer Anatole Mallet patented a new steam locomotive and built the first articulated engine in 1889. His engine had two different designs: simple and compound. The simple engine, which became popular in the US, forced steam through two different pressure cylinders before exhaustion. The first cylinder maintained higher pressures, while the second was larger and maintained lower pressures. The compound engines increased the air pressure, allowing the engines to become more powerful. In 1893, the famous New York Central engine No. 999 was completed. It could haul a massive 361,000 lb. train from New York to Buffalo at the rate of 64.22 miles per hour and was regarded the fastest steam train in the world. http://www.germansteam.co.uk/german-steam/Tonup/Tonup.html

As the development of the locomotive in America unfolded, the locomotives became increasingly faster, which allowed transportation to more fully contribute to the American economy. Steam power also had a strong effect on immigration and westward expansion.

====Cost of the Steam Locomotives====

Here is a chart showed the different trains on a 100-mile run:<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Railroad Advocate|date=May 3, 1856}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  !! One Car, 50 passengers !! Four Cars, 200 passengers !! Merchandise, 100 tons
|-
| Wages of Engineer || $250 || $250 || $333

|-
| Wages of Fireman || 125 || 125 || 167
|-
| Wages of Conductor || 200 || 200 || 200
|-
| Wages of Baggage Master and Brakemen || 150 || 400 || 
|-
| Wages of Brakemen for Freight || ||  || 500
|-
| Fuel || 1200 || 1600 || 3000
|-
| Oil, Waste & Water || 200 || 225|| 350
|-
| Repairs of Engine || 300 || 500 || 800
|-
| Repairs and refitting Cars || 200 || 800 || 1000
|-
| Sundries and extra || 500 || 600 || 800
|-
| Total || $3125 || $4700 || $7150
|-
| Wages of Stat'n and Sw'chmen & gen'l Expenses not included above || 800 || 1000 || 2500
|-
| Expenses of Roadway and Renewal of Track || 1000 || 1500 || 2500
|-
|  || $4925 || $7200 || $12150
|}


====Power Improved====

Diversifying factors made the measurement of the capacity of the steam locomotive unavailable in one comprehensive estimator. Horsepower and tractive force are regarded as positive common measurement of the locomotive power. From 1830, when the first American steam locomotive emerged, to the year diesel train was invented, the power of the steam locomotive improved enormously. Every effort that designers made were remarkable in steam locomotive's history. The 4-4-0 could be a representative from 1865 to 1875. It carried 14 by 16 inch cylinders and a steam power of up to 90 lbs. It could pull a 450-ton train at 15 miles an hour. Other trains like the 2-8-0 and the 2-6-0 were serviced for exaggerated weight transportation. The 2-6-0 had 50 percent more tractive power than the 4-4-0. The 2-8-0 was able to move 80 or 90 train cars ( 1,000 tons) at 14 miles an hour.

Where would it be best moved to, if anywhere? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:44, 14 March 2015 (UTC)

References