LMS Turbomotive
Encyclopedia
The Turbomotive was a modified Princess Royal Class steam locomotive
designed by William Stanier
and built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1935. It used turbine
s instead of cylinder
s. It was later rebuilt as a conventional locomotive 46202 Princess Anne.
This was one of the few experimental steam turbine locomotives which really did beat conventional engines on thermal efficiency, despite having no condenser. The main reason for its high thermal efficiency was that it had six separate steam nozzles and they were controlled individually as on or off and not throttled. It has to be called an engineering success; it covered over 300000 miles (482,802 km) between 1936 and 1945, and was finally taken out of turbine service in 1949. These were war years of extra heavy demands and little tolerance of waste. It was taken out of turbine service due to a failed forward turbine, and the turbine was not repaired because Stanier was no longer in charge in the nationalised system.
The forward turbine had 18 rows of blading. Output was 2400 hp at 7060 rpm, corresponding to running at 62 mi/h. Boiler pressure was 250 psi (1.7 MPa). The turbine was designed to operate into a maximum back-pressure of 2 psi (13.8 kPa), allowing a conventional double blast-pipe to provide the boiler draught, and eliminating draught fans, which always seemed to give a disproportionate amount of trouble.
The reverse turbine had 4 rows of blades. It was engaged by a dog clutch
, activated when the reverser lever being set to "0". This was originally steam-operated by a small piston and cylinder.
. On 8 October 1952, after only two months in service, it was involved in the Harrow and Wealdstone railway accident. It was the train engine of the double headed Liverpool and Manchester express which ran into the wreckage of the first collision which had happened moments before. The locomotive was taken to Crewe where it was decided it was beyond economical repair and scrapped. The destruction of No. 46202 led to the construction of BR Standard Class 8 number 71000, Duke of Gloucester.
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
designed by William Stanier
William Stanier
Sir William Arthur Stanier, FRS was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
and built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1935. It used turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s instead of cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
s. It was later rebuilt as a conventional locomotive 46202 Princess Anne.
This was one of the few experimental steam turbine locomotives which really did beat conventional engines on thermal efficiency, despite having no condenser. The main reason for its high thermal efficiency was that it had six separate steam nozzles and they were controlled individually as on or off and not throttled. It has to be called an engineering success; it covered over 300000 miles (482,802 km) between 1936 and 1945, and was finally taken out of turbine service in 1949. These were war years of extra heavy demands and little tolerance of waste. It was taken out of turbine service due to a failed forward turbine, and the turbine was not repaired because Stanier was no longer in charge in the nationalised system.
The forward turbine had 18 rows of blading. Output was 2400 hp at 7060 rpm, corresponding to running at 62 mi/h. Boiler pressure was 250 psi (1.7 MPa). The turbine was designed to operate into a maximum back-pressure of 2 psi (13.8 kPa), allowing a conventional double blast-pipe to provide the boiler draught, and eliminating draught fans, which always seemed to give a disproportionate amount of trouble.
The reverse turbine had 4 rows of blades. It was engaged by a dog clutch
Dog clutch
A dog clutch is a type of clutch that couples two rotating shafts or other rotating components not by friction but by interference. The two parts of the clutch are designed such that one will push the other, causing both to rotate at the same speed and will never slip.Dog clutches are used where...
, activated when the reverser lever being set to "0". This was originally steam-operated by a small piston and cylinder.
46202 Princess Anne
46202 was rebuilt as a conventional locomotive in 1952 and named Princess AnneAnne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. On 8 October 1952, after only two months in service, it was involved in the Harrow and Wealdstone railway accident. It was the train engine of the double headed Liverpool and Manchester express which ran into the wreckage of the first collision which had happened moments before. The locomotive was taken to Crewe where it was decided it was beyond economical repair and scrapped. The destruction of No. 46202 led to the construction of BR Standard Class 8 number 71000, Duke of Gloucester.