Bill's Aviation Log

We left Durham in the morning and headed south for York. York is a walled city in northeast England that was founded by the ancient Romans. There is lots to do in York. Our first stop: the National Railway Museum. Rail transport was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the Industrial Revolution. It started in England.

We entered the museum into the Great Hall. George Stephenson, the Father of Railways and one of the giants of the Industrial Revolution, greeted us. Stephenson was a man of humble origins but was a self-taught engineering genius and a hard worker. He invented the mining safety lamp, and was responsible for the first practical railway in 1825: the Stockton - Darlington Railway for hauling coal from the pithead to the ports. That was followed by the Liverpool (seaport) - Manchester (center of England's booming cotton industry) railway. Stephenson and his son Robert won the 1930 Rainhill Competition to determine what locomotive would run on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway and their winning entry The Rocket proved to be the prototype of the modern locomotive.

This statue once looked over the Great Hall at Euston Station, which was the first main line terminus in London, opened in 1838.

From the great British historian Paul Johnson: "The Industrial Revolution is often presented as a time of horror for working men. In fact it was the age, above all, in history of matchless opportunities for penniless men with powerful brains and imaginatins, and it is astonishing how quickly they came to the fore. ... Capitalists, often swell landowners .. were anxious to recognize, promote and reward talent."

"The dispute over who invented rail travel will probably never be resolved. It was the creation of dozens, perhaps scores, of inventive men, all of them of humble origins, many mere workmen."

The little steam locomotive that started it all: The Rocket. It did for land transporation what the 1903 Wright Flyer did for aviation. Seeing the Rocket was one of the highlights of the trip for me. This, obviously, isn't the original Rocket. It is a replica also cutaway so you can see how it works.

One might say that coal mining led to the development of steam powered land transport. They needed a way to transport the coal from the mines to its destination. Gravity, horses and rail carts were used, then stationary steam engines and cables, but something more was needed. The breakthrough came when the engine itself became part of the transport.

Here is a better picture of what the Rocket actually looked like.

This is the original Rocket displayed in the London Science Museum. Now it is being displayed around differnet museums in England. In fact, it will probably be here in the National Railway Museum in a month or two.

Here's a better look at the multiple copper fire-tubes carrying the hot exhaust gas from the firebox. The rest of the boiler is filled with water.

There have been differences in opinion on who should be given the credit for designing Rocket. George Stephenson had designed several locomotives before but none as advanced as Rocket. At the time that Rocket was being designed and built at the Forth Banks Works, he was living in Liverpool overseeing the building of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. His son Robert had recently returned from a stint working in South America and resumed as managing director of Robert Stephenson and Company. He was in daily charge of designing and constructing the new locomotive. Although he was in frequent contact with his father in Liverpool and probably received advice from him, it is difficult not to give the majority of the credit for the design to Robert. A third person who may deserve a significant amount of credit is Henry Booth, the treasurer of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. He is believed to have suggested to Robert Stephenson that a multi-tube boiler should be used.

The Rocket towed this car which carried its fuel (coke) and water (for the boiler).

This is an example of a typical industrial steam locomotive, essentially a steam-powered dump truck. Built in 1874, it was named "Bauxite" because it moved bauxite -- from which aluminum is extracted -- for an aluminum company until 1947.

One of the most interesting, and sobering, exhibits was the Ambulance Trains of World War One. They were essentially hospitals on wheels, used to transport the many wounded through France and England.

Eventually diesel engines replaced steam engines.

They had a nice exhibit on The Flying Scotsman, whose speed exploits made it world famous. In 1928 the locomotive pulled the inaugural non-stop service from London to Edinburgh and in 1934 it became the first steam locomotive to reach 100mph.

However, I did not get a picture of the Flying Scotsman's engine for some reason. Instead, this is a Class C1 steam locomotive built in 1898. It's a nice looking locomotive, but I don't think it goes 100 mph.

Of course, trains run through the English Channel Tunnel or Chunnel. This piece of equipement was actually used in the building of the Chunnel. I think it has an electric locomotive and was used to haul fill out.

The Great Hall was opened for use in 1849, only 20 years after the Rocket won the Rainhills competition! It is the largest railway waiting room in the British Isles.

The Queen herself travelled in this luxurious coach.

Back in Station Hall.

England - Sep18 - National Railroad Museum - York
We left Durham in the morning and headed south for York. York is a walled city in northeast England that was founded by the ancient Romans. There is lots to do in York. Our first stop: the National Railway Museum. Rail transport was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the Industrial Revolution. It started in England. We entered the museum into the Great Hall. George Stephenson, the Father of Railways and one of the giants of the Industrial Revolution, greeted us. Stephenson was a man of humble origins but was a self-taught engineering genius and a hard worker. He invented the mining safety lamp, and was responsible for the first practical railway in 1825: the Stockton - Darlington Railway for hauling coal from the pithead to the ports. That was followed by the Liverpool (seaport) - Manchester (center of England's booming cotton industry) railway. Stephenson and his son Robert won the 1930 Rainhill Competition to determine what locomotive would run on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway and their winning entry The Rocket proved to be the prototype of the modern locomotive. This statue once looked over the Great Hall at Euston Station, which was the first main line terminus in London, opened in 1838. From the great British historian Paul Johnson: "The Industrial Revolution is often presented as a time of horror for working men. In fact it was the age, above all, in history of matchless opportunities for penniless men with powerful brains and imaginatins, and it is astonishing how quickly they came to the fore. ... Capitalists, often swell landowners .. were anxious to recognize, promote and reward talent." "The dispute over who invented rail travel will probably never be resolved. It was the creation of dozens, perhaps scores, of inventive men, all of them of humble origins, many mere workmen."

The first thing we saw in the Great Hall was this big steam locomotive, cutaway, so you could see how it worked. It brought back memories of "Steam", which was a required course at the Naval Academy plebe year. We learned, in detail, how a high-pressure steam system worked. At that time, U.S. Navy ships had not yet switched to gas turbines.

The little steam locomotive that started it all: The Rocket. It did for land transporation what the 1903 Wright Flyer did for aviation. Seeing the Rocket was one of the highlights of the trip for me. This, obviously, isn't the original Rocket. It is a replica also cutaway so you can see how it works. One might say that coal mining led to the development of steam powered land transport. They needed a way to transport the coal from the mines to its destination. Gravity, horses and rail carts were used, then stationary steam engines and cables, but something more was needed. The breakthrough came when the engine itself became part of the transport.

Here is a better picture of what the Rocket actually looked like.

This is the original Rocket displayed in the London Science Museum. Now it is being displayed around differnet museums in England. In fact, it will probably be here in the National Railway Museum in a month or two.

There was a 20 minute talk scheduled in front of the Rocket so Lynnette and I attended. It was kind of funny. The talk was supposed to be for children, but no children showed up. Instead there were about 20 older adults like us! The presenter handled it well, though. He laughed and said he would "modify" the talk a little bit. Then he proceeded to give an outstanding presentation on the history of the Rocket. He told us about the Rainhill Trials which was a competition run in October 1829 determine what would provide the best motive power for the then nearly-completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Five locomotives were entered, running along a 1 mile length of level track at Rainhill, in Lancashire. I wish I had a transcript of his talk because he description of how the other four entries quickly dropped was funny. On the other hand, the Rocket just kept running and running, like the Energizer Bunny. As a result George and Robert Stephenson were given the contract to produce locomotives for the railway. The construction of the Livermore - Manchester Railway itself was an impressive accomplishment by George Stephenson. Passengers and goods could now travel between Liverpool and Manchester quicker than ever before, boosting trade and industry. The railway helped fuel Manchester's growth into a booming manufacturing centre. Railway developers nationally and internationally wanted the same advances. They copied the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Between 1830 and 1845, over 35 lines sprung up all over Britain, in a period known as 'Railway Mania'. The success was reported abroad, and the Liverpool and Manchester became the blueprint for hundreds of new railways around the world.

There are at least two other replicas of the Rocket in the US, both built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1929; one is at the Henry Ford Museum in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, the other at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. The firebox where the fuel -- coke -- was shovelled in is at center left lower. Previous locomotive boilers consisted of a single pipe surrounded by water. Rocket had 25 copper fire-tubes that carry the hot exhaust gas from the firebox, through the wet boiler to the blast pipe and chimney. This arrangement resulted in a greatly increased surface contact area of hot pipe with boiler water. Additionally, radiant heating from the enlarged separate firebox helped deliver a further increase in steaming and hence boiler efficiency.

Here's a better look at the multiple copper fire-tubes carrying the hot exhaust gas from the firebox. The rest of the boiler is filled with water.

Steam runs from the boiler to the two cylinders. The angled cyliders were an innovation -- most previous designs had the cylinders positioned vertically. Rocket was later modified so that the cylinders were set close to horizontal, a layout that influenced nearly all designs that followed. Another innovation was the pistons being connected directly to the driving wheels, an arrangement which is found in subsequent steam locomotives.

There have been differences in opinion on who should be given the credit for designing Rocket. George Stephenson had designed several locomotives before but none as advanced as Rocket. At the time that Rocket was being designed and built at the Forth Banks Works, he was living in Liverpool overseeing the building of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. His son Robert had recently returned from a stint working in South America and resumed as managing director of Robert Stephenson and Company. He was in daily charge of designing and constructing the new locomotive. Although he was in frequent contact with his father in Liverpool and probably received advice from him, it is difficult not to give the majority of the credit for the design to Robert. A third person who may deserve a significant amount of credit is Henry Booth, the treasurer of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. He is believed to have suggested to Robert Stephenson that a multi-tube boiler should be used.

The Rocket towed this car which carried its fuel (coke) and water (for the boiler).

Essentially a prototype, the Rocket was soon superseded by improved designs. I should say something about steam engines. James Watt and Matthew Bolton in particular.

The rails and steam locomotives were purposely designed to haul freight. But they discovered right away that there was a huge market for transporting people, as the roads were horrible at the time. So passenger cars like this were soon in existence.

One of the earliest freight cars.
?
Believe it or not, when this railway carriage was built in 1859, it was the epitome of luxury, the equivalent of first-class in a Boeing 787. Now it is one of the oldest surviving railway carriages in the world. It was in use for 50 years, then 120+ years in museums.

This is an example of a typical industrial steam locomotive, essentially a steam-powered dump truck. Built in 1874, it was named "Bauxite" because it moved bauxite -- from which aluminum is extracted -- for an aluminum company until 1947.

You could walk under this locomotive and check out its bottom.

One of the most interesting, and sobering, exhibits was the Ambulance Trains of World War One. They were essentially hospitals on wheels, used to transport the many wounded through France and England.

The sleek and elegant Mallard, famous for setting the world steam speed record in 1938 and is officially the world's fastest steam locomotive, reaching 126 mph. The sleek locomotive carried passengers from London to Scotland.

This is the Agenoria, one of the world's oldest locomotives, built by railway pioneer John Rastrick. It's a close relative of the first locomotive to run in the United States, the Stourbridge Lion of 1828, which Rastrick also built. Rastrick was one of the Rainhill Trial judges. The Agenoria was built in 1829 for Staffordshire's Shutt End Colliery where it pulled coal wagons for 35 years. Behind the Agenoria is the super sleek Duchess of Hamilton.

Before steam locomotives, wagons like this were pulled on rails by horses.

Eventually diesel engines replaced steam engines.

My Dad, who set up a model railroad layout -- 'O' gauge -- for his grandsons but ended up making it his own hobby would have liked the collection pictured here. One man, J. P. Richards, built all 42 locomotives, 150 coaches and 420 from scratch over 55 years. To be more accurate, he built them to 33mm gauge ('O' gauge is 32mm). The collection represents the rolling stock of the London & North Western Railway from 1902 to 1923. Amazing.

They had a nice exhibit on The Flying Scotsman, whose speed exploits made it world famous. In 1928 the locomotive pulled the inaugural non-stop service from London to Edinburgh and in 1934 it became the first steam locomotive to reach 100mph. However, I did not get a picture of the Flying Scotsman's engine for some reason. Instead, this is a Class C1 steam locomotive built in 1898. It's a nice looking locomotive, but I don't think it goes 100 mph.

Lynnette checks out the Japanese Bullet train. Back in the early 70s, my Dad was stationed in the western Pacific and my Mom, sister and I travelled over there to see him for a month. Once of the things we did was ride on the Japanese Bullet train. I don't remember much from that trip but I do remember riding on the Bullet train! The first high-speed rail system began operations in Japan in 1964 and was widely known as the bullet train. The original 0 series Shinkansen train reached a speed of 130 mph. Now many countries have them and some go over 200 mph.

Of course, trains run through the English Channel Tunnel or Chunnel. This piece of equipement was actually used in the building of the Chunnel. I think it has an electric locomotive and was used to haul fill out.

A sample cross-section of the Chunnel.

The French-built TGV trains run up to 186 mph through the Chunnel.

The Great Hall was opened for use in 1849, only 20 years after the Rocket won the Rainhills competition! It is the largest railway waiting room in the British Isles.

We headed over to the Station Hall which was decorated like the Victorian era.

The Queen herself travelled in this luxurious coach.

Outside, a working steam engine approaches.

Back in Station Hall.

Operating the locomotive is OK but I prefer airplanes. We only stayed half a day here but I could easily have spent an entire day. Recommended.


	Previous	Home	Next

England - Sep18 - National Railroad Museum - York