Steam locomotives of the 21st century

Last updated

LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado under construction in 2002 2002-00186wm.jpg
LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado under construction in 2002
The frames of LBSC H2 Atlantic 32424 Beachy Head under construction at Sheffield Park, Bluebell Railway in 2009 32424 Beachy Head frames.JPG
The frames of LBSC H2 Atlantic 32424 Beachy Head under construction at Sheffield Park, Bluebell Railway in 2009

Despite the advent of electric and diesel locomotives in the mid-20th century, steam locomotives continued to be used and constructed into the 21st century.

Contents

Steam locomotives constructed in the 21st century fall into two broad categories: those that use advanced steam technology to be commercially competitive with diesels; and those built to more traditional designs for hauling tourist trains. Even locomotives in the second case likely use some modern methods and materials. These include welded boilers, to simplify construction, and roller bearings to improve reliability. For safety reasons, asbestos is not used for boiler lagging and is replaced by other materials, such as glass fibre. If the locomotive runs on main lines, safety systems such as the Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) and an On-Train Monitoring Recorder (OTMR) must be fitted.

Revenue operations

JS-class steam locomotives were used in active service at a rural coal mine in western China until January 2024. [1] They hauled coal trains until 2022, after which a few remained as switchers. In Eritrea, steam locomotives are still used in irregular revenue and commercial service. Due to oil shortages in North Korea, steam engines have started to be brought back into service. In the Tuzla region of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the coal mines use still use WWII German built steam locomotives. On the island of Java in Indonesia, several sugarcane tramways still use steam locomotives. [2] [3]

Railfan & Railroad stated in 2022 that "the only places on earth to see steam locomotives in revenue freight service are small switching operations in China, North Korea and Bosnia," but that these were "sporadic at best." [2]

Advanced steam construction

A leading proponent of advanced steam technology is the Swiss company DLM AG. [4] [ when? ]

On August 25, 2009, Team Inspiration of the British Steam Car Challenge broke the long-standing record for a steam vehicle set by a Stanley Steamer in 1906, setting a new speed record of 139.843 mph (225.055 km/h) over a measured mile at Edwards Air Force Base, in the Mojave Desert of California. [6] [7] Both the old and new records are only slightly faster than the record for the fastest ever steam locomotive record. The next day Team Inspiration broke a second record by setting a new speed record of 148.308 mph (238.679 km/h) over a measured kilometer. [7]

Traditional steam construction

Built

Denmark

Germany

India

Switzerland

  • BRB H2/3 Class 6 built between 1992 and 1995, 1x for the BRB as H2/3, 1x for MTGN and 4x for the Austrian State Railways (ÖBB).

United Kingdom

United States

  • Steam into History 4-4-0 No. 17 "York". Completed in 2013 by the Kloke Locomotive Works. Although not based on a specific locomotive aside from the looks of American steam locomotives in the 19th century, it is still considered a newbuilt. It runs on oil instead of wood.
  • Central Pacific Leviathan, a 4-4-0. Completed in 2009 by the Kloke Locomotive Works. Now runs as Pennsylvania Railroad 331.

Under construction

Australia

Ireland

United Kingdom

United States

  • PRR T1 4-4-4-4 duplex No. 5550: The Pennsylvania Railroad built 52 4-4-4-4 duplex locomotives for passenger service, and the last one was scrapped in 1956. The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust was created to construct a fully functional 53rd member of the T1 class. The new T1, to be numbered 5550, is expected to be completed by the year 2030. As of April 2024 the locomotive is 43% complete. [43]
  • Rio Grande Southern Railroad No. 36: a replica of the original RGS Baldwin 8-18-C class 4-4-0 being built for the Ridgway Railroad Museum, was anticipated to have been completed in 2017. [44] As of early 2024 the Palisade, Colorado-based builder does not list this locomotive in its portfolio of projects. [45]
  • WW&F No. 11: The Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway Museum is constructing No. 11, which is meant to be a replica of the original WW&F's No. 7. No. 7 was a Baldwin 28-ton 2-4-4T Forney locomotive (Baldwin classification 10-16 1/4 C-5a) which was scrapped in 1937 along with the rest of the railroad, being badly damaged in the 1931 Wiscasset roundhouse fire. The new locomotive is being constructed traditional techniques and tools, such as a riveted boiler. The project has been underway since 2007. Completed components include the bell and builder's plate, as well as wheel center castings and drive pins. No scheduled completion date is set. [46]
  • V&T Lyon, 2-6-0, replica of original engine. The replica was delivered to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City in 2020 but was not yet operational. [47]

Proposed

United Kingdom

New Zealand

Cancelled

Australia

United Kingdom

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Gresley</span> British engineer

Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific engines. An A1 Pacific, Flying Scotsman, was the first steam locomotive officially recorded over 100 mph in passenger service, and an A4, number 4468 Mallard, still holds the record for being the fastest steam locomotive in the world (126 mph).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steam locomotives of British Railways</span> Steam locomotives used under British Railways (1948 - 1968)

The steam locomotives of British Railways were used by British Railways over the period 1948–1968. The vast majority of these were inherited from its four constituent companies, the "Big Four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrow Hill Roundhouse</span> Former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, Derbyshire

Barrow Hill Roundhouse, until 1948 known as Staveley Engine Shed, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire, now serving as a railway heritage centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Locomotives of the Great Western Railway</span> List of railway locomotives used by the Great Western Railway

The first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway (GWR) were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different 7 ft 14 in broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s. In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his standard gauge experience to the workshops at Swindon. To replace some of the earlier locomotives, he put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge locomotives and from this time on all locomotives were given numbers, including the broad gauge ones that had previously carried just names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 98</span> Classification of restored steam locomotives

The British Rail Class 98 is a Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) classification that has been used to cover all steam locomotives used on the mainline in Britain, but also has a particular usage for the three Vale of Rheidol Railway-design 2-6-2T locomotives that remained in the ownership of British Rail (BR) after the end of mainline steam traction in August 1968. The locomotives on the Vale of Rheidol Railway were the only steam locomotives ever officially to carry the British Rail corporate blue and the double arrow logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T</span>

The BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T was a class of steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for British Railways. It was essentially a hybrid design, the chassis being closely based on and sharing a number of parts with the LMS Ivatt Class 4, and having a boiler derived from a GWR No.2 boiler as fitted to the GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T and 5600 Class 0-6-2T tank engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Thompson Class B1</span> Class of locomotives

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed by Edward Thompson for medium mixed traffic work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 1000 Class</span>

The Great Western Railway 1000 Class or County Class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. Thirty examples were built between 1945 and 1947, but all were withdrawn and scrapped in the early 1960s. A replica locomotive is under construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 4575 Class</span>

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4575 Class is a class of 2-6-2T British steam locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Collett</span> British railway engineer

Charles Benjamin Collett was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GNR Class H4</span>

The Great Northern Railway Class H4 was a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotive designed for mixed-traffic work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Class V4</span>

The London and North Eastern Railway Class V4 was a class of 2-6-2 steam locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for mixed-traffic use. It was Gresley's last design for the LNER before he died in 1941. The V4s had similarities in their appearance and mechanical layout to the V2 "Green Arrow" class. The V2s, introduced some years before, were large and heavy locomotives, with very limited route availability. The V4 was a lightweight alternative, suitable for use over the whole of the LNER network.

Winson Engineering was a British manufacturer of narrow gauge and miniature railway steam locomotives and rolling stock during the 1990s. It built several new locomotives for heritage railways as well as undertaking major rebuilds of existing locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhymney Railway A class</span>

The Rhymney Railway A class were 0-6-2T tank locomotives introduced into traffic in 1910 and designed by the railway's engineer Hurry Riches. These were substantial sized tank engines, and weighed 64 long tons and were 35 ft 9 in (10.90 m) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brecon and Merthyr 0-6-2T locomotives</span>

Brecon and Merthyr 0-6-2T locomotives were steam tank locomotives of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway including classes 36 and 45.

GWR 6800 Class 6880 <i>Betton Grange</i> New-build British 4-6-0 locomotive

GWR 6800 Class No. 6880 Betton Grangeis a steam locomotive built between 1998 and 2024 as a "new-build" project, originally based on the Llangollen Railway in Denbighshire, Wales, then subsequently at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Described as "building the 81st Grange", the project started in 1998, and the locomotive was earlier expected to be operational by 2013, but subsequently by Autumn 2021, which was then pushed back to 2024. It was expected to be launched under steam in a private member event in January 2024 but was postponed a week before the event. On 11 April 2024, 6880 was steamed up for the first time after more than 25 years of work. All of the original GWR 6800 Class Grange locomotives were withdrawn for scrap by the end of 1965; this project is a creation, from an assemblage of original GWR and newly manufactured components, of a member of this class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LNER Class V1/V3</span> C20 classes of 2-6-2T British steam locomotives

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class V1 and Class V3 were two classes of related 2-6-2T steam locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. A total of 82 V1s were built with 71 being rebuilt into the higher pressure V3s with an additional ten being built as V3s from the final batch of V1s. The V3 was a development of the V1 with increased boiler pressure and a resultant increase in tractive effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GER Class G69</span>

The GER Class G69 was a class of twenty 2-4-2T steam locomotives built by for the Great Eastern Railway by S. D. Holden in 1911–12 following the design of two rebuilt examples of the GER Class M15 designed by James Holden, his father, in 1904. They all passed to the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 grouping and received the classification F6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GER Class M15</span>

The GER Class M15 was a class of 160 2-4-2T steam locomotives designed by Thomas William Worsdell and built for the Great Eastern Railway between 1884 and 1909. The original (F4) class of locomotives were fitted with Joy valve gear which was notoriously difficult to 'set'. This earned them the nickname of 'Gobblers' thanks to their high coal consumption rates. As a result, between 1911 and 1920, 32 of them were rebuilt by James Holden with Stephenson valve gear and higher pressure boilers. Despite this, the nickname stuck for many years after.

References

  1. Turon, Benjamin (20 February 2024). "Steam operation ends in China". Trains. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 Franz, Justin (11 May 2022). "End of an Era: China's Last Steam Railroad Closes". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. Watson, Matthew (16 March 2021). "Sandaoling Steam Locomotive Finale". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. "Locomotives". Dlm-ag.ch. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  5. Wardale, David (March 2012). "End of the Line - Time is Called on the 5AT Project". Steam Railway Magazine. pp. 90–94.
  6. "UK team breaks steam car record". BBC News. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  7. 1 2 "The British Steam Car Official Land Speed Record Holder". The British Steam Car Challenge. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  8. "Welcome to the Great Western Society Saint Project". Thesaintproject.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  9. "The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust". A1steam.com. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  10. "Centre Guide | Broad Gauge Railway". Didcot Railway Centre. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  11. "GWR Steam Railmotor and Trailer Project". GWR Steam Railmotor and Trailer Project. Great Western Society Limited. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  12. Lyd - A New Lynton & Barnstaple Locomotive. Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways. 2011. ISBN   978-0-901848-09-3.
  13. "The 762 Club" . Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  14. "The Tattoo Locomotive". Rheilffordd Corris Railway. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  15. Rheilffordd Corris Railway (2 October 2017). "The Falcon Locomotive". Rheilffordd Corris Railway. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  16. "James Spooner rides again". Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  17. Johnson, Peter (April 2016), An all-new 'Fairlie' for the FR?, Steam Railway Magazine, p. 40
  18. "Project Blyth". Southwold Railway Trust. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  19. Z199 Australian Steam
  20. "RPSI cuts frames for new-build LMS-NCC 'W' Class Mogul". The Railway Magazine. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  21. "Restoration/conversion of "84030"". Bluebell Railway - Locomotive Works News - 84030. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  22. "82045.org.uk". The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  23. "theclanproject.org". Clan Project Home Page. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  24. "gcr567". The GCR 567 Locomotive Group. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  25. "holdenf5.co.uk". The Holden F5 Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  26. "county1014.org". 1014 County Project. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  27. "churchwardcounty.org.uk". 3840: Churchward County Trust - Building the 41st Great Western Railway '38XX' 4-4-0. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  28. "4709.org.uk". Great Western Society 47XX Project: Recreating Churchward's final masterpiece. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  29. "lms-patriot.org.uk". The LMS-Patriot Project - Creating the New National Memorial Engine. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  30. "b17steamloco.com". The B17 Steam Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  31. "cockothenorth.co.uk". Cock O' The North - Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  32. "p2steam.com". 2007 Prince of Wales - Building Britain's Most Powerful Steam Locomotive. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  33. "v4steam.com" . Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  34. "Tyseley to launch project to complete 'Bloomer' replica". The Railway Hub. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  35. "newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk". LNWR George the Fifth Steam Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  36. Jaman, Paul (12 October 2022). "North Eastern Railway K Class - A New Project for the 2020s". BeamishTransportOnline.co.uk. Beamish Museum. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  37. "g5locomotiveltd.co.uk". The Class G5 Locomotive Company. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  38. "Class G5 Locomotive Company Ltd". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  39. Thomas, Cliff (November 2019). "Mountaineer III - Festipedia". The Railway Magazine. 165 (1424): 83. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  40. "1863mountaineerloco.co.uk" . Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  41. "www.gowrielocomotivetrust.com". Gowrie Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  42. Lamont, Charles. "Catch Me Who Can". www.catchmewhocan.org.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  43. "The T1 Trust". The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  44. "Steam Returns fo Ridgway" (PDF).
  45. "Mammoth Locomotive Works - Portfolio of Some of Our Projects". 6 August 2020.
  46. "Build 11 - Wheel Progress in 2024 - Help Rebuild Maine History!". fundrazr.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  47. Cotey, Angela (3 November 2020). "Replica of V&T 'Lyon' donated to Nevada museum". Trains.com. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  48. https://www.a1steam.com/2018/09/06/v4-design-reaches-pre-launch-stage/ K3 to be built alongside V3 & V4 projects
  49. https://www.a1steam.com/2016/10/?cat=7 V3 & V4 newbuilds
  50. "Newbuild Ben Alder rebuilding Scotlands lost locomotive". New build Ben Alder. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  51. "Stuff".
  52. "The J50 Group". The J50 Group. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  53. "4-4-2T GWR Churchward 2221 – 2240 County Tank". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  54. "claudhamiltonlocomotivegroup.co.uk". Claud Hamilton Locomotive Group - Building a Legend!. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  55. "engine61662appeal.co.uk". Engine 61662 Appeal "Manchester United". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  56. "End of the line for Manchester United steam locomotive". RailAdvent. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  57. "E 4-4-0 SECR Wainwright Various between 31036 & 31587". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  58. "42424". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. Retrieved 31 July 2024.