Steam Elephant
Encyclopedia
Steam Elephant is an early steam locomotive
from North East England
.
. More recent interpretation is based on research carried out at Beamish Museum
for construction of a replica to work there based largely on contemporaneous paintings (one being the earliest known oil
of a steam locomotive) and other material from the Museum archives. It is from the paintings that the name Steam Elephant has become associated specifically with this locomotive.
Steam Elephant was a six-wheeled locomotive of approximately standard gauge
with a centre-flue boiler having two vertical cylinders
of about 9 inches (229 mm) x 24 inches (610 mm) set into its top centreline. The cylinders drove slide bar mounted beams which turned crankshafts driving the axles through 2:1 reduction gears
between the frames. It had a tall, tapering chimney, the lower part being surrounded by a feedwater heater
. It would have weighed about 7.5 tons and had a top speed of around 4.5 miles per hour (7 km/h) and a load capacity of about 90 tons over a short distance.
It is now considered to have been designed by John Buddle
and William Chapman
for Wallsend
Colliery on the north bank of the River Tyne
in 1815
using metal components supplied by Hawks of Gateshead
. It appears originally not to have been very successful at Wallsend, probably due to lack of adhesion on the wooden rails there, nor on trial at Washington
. Following the introduction of iron
rails at Wallsend, it had a working life there longer than many contemporaneous locomotives, until at least the mid-1820s.
There is evidence that it was then rebuilt for use at the Hetton
collieries, working there for a further decade.
to work with passengers on its standard gauge
"Pockerley Waggonway" in 2002, being assembled by Alan Keef
.
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...
from North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
.
Historiography
An illustration of the locomotive first came to modern attention in 1931 and it was then generally assumed to be the work of George StephensonGeorge Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
. More recent interpretation is based on research carried out at Beamish Museum
Beamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early...
for construction of a replica to work there based largely on contemporaneous paintings (one being the earliest known oil
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
of a steam locomotive) and other material from the Museum archives. It is from the paintings that the name Steam Elephant has become associated specifically with this locomotive.
Description and interpretation
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
with a centre-flue boiler having two vertical cylinders
Cylinder (steam locomotive)
The cylinders of a steam locomotive are the components that convert the power stored in the steam into motion.Cylinders may be arranged in several different ways.-Early locomotives:...
of about 9 inches (229 mm) x 24 inches (610 mm) set into its top centreline. The cylinders drove slide bar mounted beams which turned crankshafts driving the axles through 2:1 reduction gears
Gear ratio
The gear ratio of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular velocity of the output gear, also known as the speed ratio of the gear train. The gear ratio can be computed directly from the numbers of teeth of the various gears that engage to form the gear...
between the frames. It had a tall, tapering chimney, the lower part being surrounded by a feedwater heater
Feedwater heater
A feedwater heater is a power plant component used to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating boiler. Preheating the feedwater reduces the irreversibilities involved in steam generation and therefore improves the thermodynamic efficiency of the system...
. It would have weighed about 7.5 tons and had a top speed of around 4.5 miles per hour (7 km/h) and a load capacity of about 90 tons over a short distance.
It is now considered to have been designed by John Buddle
John Buddle
John Buddle was a self- made mining engineer in North East England, becoming one of the leading mining engineers of his day...
and William Chapman
William Chapman (engineer)
William Chapman was an English engineer. Born in Whitby, he worked on the construction of the Old and Humber docks in Hull, as well as many drainage and canal projects. He is credited with the invention of the bogie and articulation for rail vehicles.-Personal life:William Chapman was born on 7...
for Wallsend
Wallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
Colliery on the north bank of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
in 1815
1815 in rail transport
- February events :* February 6 - The first railroad charter in the United States is issued to the New Jersey Railroad Company, a railroad that ultimately was never built.- July events :...
using metal components supplied by Hawks of Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
. It appears originally not to have been very successful at Wallsend, probably due to lack of adhesion on the wooden rails there, nor on trial at Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
. Following the introduction of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
rails at Wallsend, it had a working life there longer than many contemporaneous locomotives, until at least the mid-1820s.
There is evidence that it was then rebuilt for use at the Hetton
Hetton-le-Hole
Hetton-le-Hole is a town and civil parish situated in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the A182 between Houghton-le-Spring and Easington Lane. It is located on the southwest corner of Sunderland on the A182, off A690 close to the A1. It has a population of 14,402 but this...
collieries, working there for a further decade.
Replica
Steam Elephant was recreated by Beamish MuseumBeamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early...
to work with passengers on its standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
"Pockerley Waggonway" in 2002, being assembled by Alan Keef
Alan Keef
Alan Keef Ltd is a British narrow gauge railway engineer which manufactures, overhauls and deals in narrow gauge locomotives, rolling stock and associated equipment....
.