Main components found on a typical steam locomotive include:
The diagram, which is not to scale, is a composite of various designs in the late steam era. Some components shown are not the same, or are not present, on some locomotives – for example, on smaller or articulated types. Conversely, some locomotives have components not listed here.
Alternative names shown below are often, but not always, reflective of differences in terminology in the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies (shown as UK+) and in countries that follow Northern American practice (shown as US+). A slash ( / ) indicates alternative terms in use within the same jurisdiction.
Numbers in parentheses (e.g. 20) point to numbers of related entries, both in this list and in the main diagram.
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material to heat water in the locomotive's boiler to the point where it becomes gaseous and its volume increases 1,700 times. Functionally, it is a steam engine on wheels.
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway is the most significant difference in rail terminology. These and other terms have often originated from the parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world. In English-speaking countries outside the United Kingdom, a mixture of US and UK terms may exist.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, two powered driving wheels on one axle and no trailing wheels. This type of locomotive is often called a Jervis type, the name of the original designer.
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into superheated steam or dry steam. Superheated steam is used in steam turbines for electricity generation, steam engines, and in processes such as steam reforming. There are three types of superheaters: radiant, convection, and separately fired. A superheater can vary in size from a few tens of feet to several hundred feet.
The GWR 4100 Class was a class of steam locomotives in the Great Western Railway (GWR) of the United Kingdom.
A steam turbine locomotive is a steam locomotive which transmits steam power to the wheels via a steam turbine. Numerous attempts at this type of locomotive were made, mostly without success. In the 1930s this type of locomotive was seen as a way both to revitalize steam power and challenge the diesel locomotives then being introduced.
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney. Early locomotives had no smokebox and relied on a long chimney to provide natural draught for the fire but smokeboxes were soon included in the design for two specific reasons. Firstly and most importantly, the blast of exhaust steam from the cylinders, when directed upwards through an airtight smokebox with an appropriate design of exhaust nozzle, effectively draws hot gases through the boiler tubes and flues and, consequently, fresh combustion air into the firebox. Secondly, the smokebox provides a convenient collection point for ash and cinders ("char") drawn through the boiler tubes, which can be easily cleaned out at the end of a working day. Without a smokebox, all char must pass up the chimney or it will collect in the tubes and flues themselves, gradually blocking them.
The Victorian Railways V Class is a steam locomotive, used on the Victorian Railways in the period 1900-1930.
The South African Railways Class 16E 4-6-2 of 1935 is a class of passenger steam locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 10B 4-6-2 of 1910 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.
The South African Railways Class 10A 4-6-2 of 1910 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.
The South African Railways Class 6L 4-6-0 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 5B 4-6-2 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 3 4-8-2 of 1909 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal.
The ČSD Class 387.0 were 4-6-2 express passenger steam locomotives operated by the Czechoslovak State Railways between 1926 and 1974. Forty-three of these 2,100-horsepower (1,570 kW) pacific locomotives were built by the Škoda Works, Plzeň in five series between 1926 and 1937, intended for the heaviest long-distance express trains.
The South African Railways Class MG 2-6-6-2 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.
The South African Railways Class GM 4-8-2+2-8-4 of 1938 was an articulated steam locomotive.
The Central South African Railways Rack 4-6-4RT of 1905 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal Colony.
The MÁV class 601 is a class of Hungarian four cylinder Mallet -type locomotives, which was designed to haul long and very heavy cargo on very steep railway tracks. With their 22.5 meter length and 2200 KW power, they were the largest and most powerful steam locomotives which have ever built before the First World War in Europe.
The L&YR 2-10-0 was a prospective design for a class of 2-10-0 steam locomotives on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Initial designs were made by George Hughes between 1913 and 1914, but none of the class were built. If they had been, these would have been the UK's first 10-coupled locomotives in regular service.
registration: there are other constraints (such as a cap on daily views) to freely access this source. Carlson, Neil (14 November 2011). "Glossary of steam locomotive terms". Classic Trains. Waukesha: Kalmbach Media. Retrieved 7 July 2019.