Crewe type (locomotive)

Last updated March 21, 2019

The Crewe type locomotive was a series of designs of steam locomotive by Alexander Allan and William Buddicom during the 1840s. It was widely copied elsewhere, particularly in France.

A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material – usually coal, wood, or oil – to produce steam in a boiler. The steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotive's main wheels (drivers). Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled behind.

Alexander Allan was a Scottish mechanical engineer. He was born at Montrose, Angus, in 1809 and died at Scarborough, Yorkshire on 2 June 1891.

History

During the early 1840s Alexander Allan and William Buddicom of the Grand Junction Railway (GJR) created the design incorporating inclined outside cylinders and a double frame. It was built due to combat the frequent failure of crank axles on contemporary inside cylinder locomotive designs. The earliest examples were built by Buddicom at Chartreux for the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest in 1844 where the type became known as 'Le Buddicom'.^[2]

The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Western Railway. The line built by the company was the first trunk railway to be completed in England, and arguably the world's first long-distance railway with steam traction.

The cylinder is the power-producing element of the steam engine powering a steam locomotive. The cylinder is made pressure-tight with end covers and a piston; a valve distributes the steam to the ends of the cylinder. Cylinders were cast in cast iron and later in steel. The cylinder casting includes other features such as valve ports and mounting feet. The last big American locomotives incorporated the cylinders as part of huge one-piece steel castings that were the main frame of the locomotive. Renewable wearing surfaces were needed inside the cylinders and provided by cast-iron bushings.

A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind. The frame may in turn be supported by axles directly attached to it, or it may be mounted on bogies (UK) / trucks (US), or a combination of the two. The bogies in turn will have frames of their own.

The first British examples were built at Crewe Works in 1845 by the GJR^[3] and from 1846 by the GJR's successor, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), with a 2-2-2 wheel arrangement for passenger classes and 2-4-0 for freight.

Crewe Works British railway engineering facility

Crewe Works is a British railway engineering facility built in 1840 by the Grand Junction Railway. It is located in the town of Crewe, in Cheshire. It is currently owned by Bombardier Transportation.

The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the world.

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and two trailing wheels on one axle. The wheel arrangement both provided more stability and enabled a larger firebox than the earlier 0-2-2 and 2-2-0 types. This configuration was introduced in 1834 on Robert Stephenson's 'Patentee locomotive' but it was later popularly named Jenny Lind, after the Jenny Lind locomotive which in turn was named after the popular singer. They were also sometimes described as Singles, although this name could be used to describe any kind of locomotive with a single pair of driving wheels.

The first of these GJR 2-2-2 locomotives, Columbine, is preserved at the Science Museum in London.^[3] It carried GJR fleet number 49,^[3] and was withdrawn from service in 1902 by the LNWR, carrying their number 1868.^[3]

These designs were widely copied by other railways both in the UK and overseas during the 1850s and 1860s.^[4]

Related Research Articles

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The locomotives of the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway were all 0-6-0ST, with inside cylinders, to the designs of LNWR Chief Mechanical Engineer, John Ramsbottom, the first three locomotives being built by the LNWR Crewe Works, England, in 1873. Later, to work the extension of the line to Newry, two similar locos were built at Crewe in 1876. The sixth and final locomotive was added in 1898. The locomotives were consecutively numbered, in order of building, from 1 to 6 and also carried names. Locomotive No.5 Carlingford was withdrawn in 1928 and scrapped.

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References

↑ "Alexander Allan". Grace's Guide. Grace's Guide Ltd. 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
↑ Ellis, Hamilton (1968). Pictorial encyclopaedia of railways. Hamlyn. pp. 51–52.
1 2 3 4 "Grand Junction Railway locomotive 'Columbine'". Science Museum . Retrieved 22 January 2019.
↑ Ellis, Hamilton (1949). Some Classic Locomotives. George Allen and Unwin. pp. 19–32.

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[1] "Alexander Allan". Grace's Guide. Grace's Guide Ltd. 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

[2] Ellis, Hamilton (1968). Pictorial encyclopaedia of railways. Hamlyn. pp. 51–52.

[SciMus-3] 1 2 3 4 "Grand Junction Railway locomotive 'Columbine'". Science Museum . Retrieved 22 January 2019.

[4] Ellis, Hamilton (1949). Some Classic Locomotives. George Allen and Unwin. pp. 19–32.