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Interesting question .....
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:08 am
by ge_rik
On one of my YouTube videos, I've just had this question ....
Just wondering, is there a particular reason why UK steam locomotives generally had inboard valve gear and/or cylinders? Seems like it would only induce maintenance headaches.
As it's posted on one of my PLR videos, I'm assuming he (or she) is referring to narrow gauge locos. My suspicion is that it made re-gauging locos easier, given there were so many different narrow gauges in the UK (and around the world on which UK built locos ran).
Any thoughts anyone?
Rik
Re: Interesting question .....
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:55 am
by Andrew
Interesting...
But don't most NG locos have their cylinders outside of the frames?
With Victorian and Edwardian SG locos I think I thought it was an aesthetics thing, with clean lines trumping crew convenience. Then they moved outside as they needed to get more powerful, and efficiency/crew convenience became more important - hence the high running plates on BR Standards.
Don't know about industrials though - Austerity tanks for example being a pretty late design but with inside cylinders. Does the type of valve gear play a part - way outside of my knowledge!!!
Andrew.
Re: Interesting question .....
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:30 pm
by TonyW
Back in the day, staff were smaller, obedient and disposable. They did what they were told to do, even if it meant wrapping themselves around a crank axle with an oil can. Later, it was realised that by having it all hanging outside there was little need to go underneath, making life more pleasant for everybody. Prince vs Alco Mountaineer at the FR would be a good example. There is loads of stuff underneath Prince to lubricate and check, and almost nothing under Mountaineer.
Re: Interesting question .....
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 3:50 pm
by Red Star
In the case of the Austerities I'd have thought it was more to do with keeping the cylinders from hitting/catching on anything near the trackside that might be lying about in an industrial setting. But then again Barclay standard gauge industrials had outside cylinders, and think about the huge numbers of them that often worked side by side with Austerities, maybe we'll never know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Andrew wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:55 am
Don't know about industrials though - Austerity tanks for example being a pretty late design but with inside cylinders.