Giesl ejector

Last updated
Steam locomotive with Giesl flat ejector in Austria Austria 95112.jpg
Steam locomotive with Giesl flat ejector in Austria
Austrian 0-12-0T and 0-6-2T fitted with Giesl ejectors, Eisenerz depot, August 1971 Austrian rack locos fitted with Giesl ejectors.jpg
Austrian 0-12-0T and 0-6-2T fitted with Giesl ejectors, Eisenerz depot, August 1971
Smokebox with Giesl-ejector on the CSD 534.0432 in museum Luzna u Rakovnika Smokebox with Giesl-ejector 534-03.jpg
Smokebox with Giesl-ejector on the ČSD 534.0432 in museum Lužná u Rakovníka

A Giesl ejector is a suction draught system for steam locomotives that works on the same principle as a feedwater injector. This ejector (German: Ejektor, Flachschornstein or Quetschesse) was invented in 1951 by the Austrian engineer, Dr. Adolph Giesl-Gieslingen. The Giesl ejector ensures improved suction draught and a correspondingly better use of energy. The existing blastpipe in a locomotive is replaced by several, small, fan-shaped, diverging blast pipes, from which the diffuser gets its flat, long, drawn-out shape.

Contents

Fuel savings

Giesl claimed that his ejector enabled a saving in coal of 6–12% – although in practice the maximum saving was closer to 8% – and an increase in power of up to 20%. Many railway administrations converted their steam engines to use Giesl ejectors, including the ÖBB, ČSD and Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) in East Germany, as well as railway companies in Africa, China and in Japan (such as on the Class D51). The licence fees were not paid in every case, it being said that often they almost cancelled out the saving in coal. In the DR it was assessed that the Giesl ejectors would pay for themselves within a year, as a result of which they converted over 500 locomotives; primarily the Classes 38.10, 50, 52 and 65.10.

Use in the United Kingdom

Ejector from Edward Thomas, on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Giesl Ejector - 2009-03-01.jpg
Ejector from Edward Thomas, on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

Talyllyn Railway

In 1958, Dr Giesl-Gieslingen approached British Railways to offer a free trial of the ejector. When this offer was turned down, the inventor made the same offer to the preserved Talyllyn Railway in Wales, and locomotive No. 4, Edward Thomas was fitted with one. [1] Although a coal saving of 40% was officially announced at the time, this has since been disputed by the railway's chief engineer. [2] The ejector was removed in 1969, and no difference in coal consumption was found. [3] The ejector is now on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn.

British Railways

In 1962, Bulleid Battle of Britain class 4-6-2 34064 Fighter Command was fitted with a Giesl ejector on the grounds that a desired spark arrestor would "suffocate" an ordinary blastpipe. It quickly became apparent, following some adjustment, that the ejector improved the locomotive design, and it was held in high regard by the crews. [4] A BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 92250 was also fitted with a Giesl ejector, but with "indifferent" results. [5]

National Coal Board

W. G. Bagnall 0-6-0ST No. 2 "Florence" (17592116039) W. G. Bagnall 0-6-0ST No. 2 "Florence" (17592116039).jpg
W. G. Bagnall 0-6-0ST No. 2 "Florence" (17592116039)

The National Coal Board had a vast array of coal mines all around the UK and therefore employed a massive fleet of steam locomotives. With the requirement for locomotives, NCB acquired locomotives from various locomotive builders such as Hunslet, W.G.Bagnall, Peckett, Andrew Barclay and many more builders, which all provided locomotives of various designs to the NCB, the most notable locomotives were the Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotives. The National Coal Board wanted to improve its steam locomotives and experimented with different blastpipe arrangements, and notably worked with Livio Dante Porta and Hunslet to create the Porta locomotives. [6] The NCB also upgraded many of its locomotives with Giesl ejectors, with 25 of its Hunslet Austerity locomotives being upgraded to have them. NCB also upgraded a number of other locomotives such as the W.G Bagnall 0-6-0ST 3059 Florence No 2 to have Giesl ejectors, Florence No 2 is preserved at the Foxfield Railway. [7]

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

As a consequence of the experience with Fighter Command, and for the same reasons, during the 1980s the preserved Bulleid West Country class 4-6-2 34092 City of Wells was similarly fitted at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Australian Railways

New South Wales Government Railways

NSWGR only had one locomotive in its entire fleet which was fitted with a Giesl ejector. The locomotive being 3616, a member of the NSWGR C36 class 4-6-0. In 1957, 3616 was fitted with a Giesl ejector along with its new Belpaire boiler. 3616, has made it into preservation. In the ownership of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum located at Thirlmere, the locomotive is a static exhibit in the Thirlmere Train Hall.

In fiction

On the fictional narrow gauge Skarloey Railway in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry based on the Talyllyn Railway, the locomotive Peter Sam, based on Edward Thomas , also received a Giesl ejector. Unlike Edward Thomas, Peter Sam retains the ejector to the present day. In Thomas & Friends , the television adaptation, it was depicted as a square chimney (as on his TV series model, his old chimney was never removed and the new chimney was a shroud placed over the old one), but was changed to an accurate Giesl Ejector in the CGI series.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BR Standard Class 9F</span>

The British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for British Railways by Robert Riddles. The Class 9F was the last in a series of standardised locomotive classes designed for British Railways during the 1950s, and was intended for use on fast, heavy freight trains over long distances. It was one of the most powerful steam locomotive types ever built for British Railways, and successfully performed its intended duties. The class was given the nickname of 'Spaceships', due to its size and shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunslet Engine Company</span> Rolling stock manufacturer

The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & Sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LSWR N15 class</span> Class of 74 two-cylinder 4-6-0 locomotives

The LSWR N15 class was a British 2–cylinder 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive designed by Robert Urie. The class has a complex build history spanning three sub-classes and eight years of construction from 1918 to 1927. The first batch of the class was constructed for the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), where they hauled heavy express passenger trains to the south coast ports and further west to Exeter. After the Lord Nelsons, they were the second biggest 4-6-0 passenger locomotives on the Southern Railway. They could reach speeds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes</span> Class of 110 three-cylinder 4-6-2 locomotives

The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as Light Pacifics or informally as Spam Cans, are air-smoothed 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, they were amongst the first British designs to use welding in the construction process, and to use steel fireboxes, which meant that components could be more easily constructed under wartime austerity and post-war economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST</span>

The Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST is a class of steam locomotive designed by Hunslet Engine Company for shunting. The class became the standard British shunting locomotive during the Second World War, and production continued until 1964 at various locomotive manufacturers.

The blastpipe is part of the exhaust system of a steam locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the chimney in order to increase the draught through the fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DRB Class 50</span> Class of 3164 German 2–10-0 locomotives

The DRB Class 50 is a German class of 2-10-0 locomotive, built from 1939 as a standard locomotive (Einheitsdampflokomotive) for hauling goods trains. It had one leading axle and five coupled axles and was one of the most successful designs produced for the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales C36 class locomotive</span>

The New South Wales C36 class was a class of two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, coal-fired superheated, 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotives built by Eveleigh Railway Workshops and Clyde Engineering for the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia.

Adolph Giesl-Gieslingen was an Austrian locomotive designer and engineer.

Córas Iompair Éireann No. CC1, generally known as the Turf Burner, was a prototype 0-6-6-0 articulated steam locomotive designed by Oliver Bulleid to burn turf and built at CIÉ's Inchicore Works in Dublin. CC1 shared some, but not all, of the characteristics of Bulleid's previous attempt to develop a modern steam locomotive, the Leader. Like the one completed Leader, CC1 had a relatively short career and was never used in front-line service. It was the last steam locomotive to be constructed for an Irish railway.

The Lemaître exhaust is a type of steam locomotive exhaust system developed by the Belgian engineer Maurice Lemaître.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimney (locomotive)</span>

The chimney is the part of a steam locomotive through which smoke leaves the boiler. Steam locomotive exhaust systems typically vent cylinder exhaust through the chimney to enhance draught through the boiler. Chimneys are designed to carry exhaust steam and smoke clear of the driver's line of sight while remaining short enough to clear overhead structures. Some chimneys included features to avoid dispersing sparks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steam locomotive exhaust system</span>

The steam locomotive exhaust system consists of those parts of a steam locomotive which together discharge exhaust steam from the cylinders in order to increase the draught through the fire. It usually consists of the blastpipe, smokebox, and chimney, although later designs also include second and third stage nozzles.

<i>Edward Thomas</i> (locomotive)

Edward Thomas is a narrow gauge steam locomotive. Built by Kerr Stuart & Co. Ltd. at the California Works, Stoke-on-Trent in 1921, it was delivered new to the Corris Railway where it ran until 1948. After that railway closed, the locomotive was brought to the Talyllyn Railway in 1951, then restored, and remains in working order at the heritage railway. It has carried the operating number 4 under four successive owners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class NG G16A 2-6-2+2-6-2</span> South African Railways steam locomotive

The Alfred County Railway Class NG G16A 2-6-2+2-6-2 of 1989 is a steam locomotive from the South African Railways era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.G Bagnall 0-6-0ST "New Standard 18"</span>

The W. G. Bagnall New Standard 180-6-0ST is a type of industrial steam locomotive manufactured at W. G. Bagnall's Castle Engine Works and designed by Harold Wood at W.G. Bagnall in 1951. The class was specifically designed for the Port Talbot Steelworks, and ran from 1951 to 1973 in industrial service. Two locomotives, the former Longbridge locomotives, are preserved.

An industrial steam locomotive is a type of steam locomotive which primarily ran on industrial railways to serve a company by transporting or assisting the manufacturing products of that particular company's produce. Industrial railways often transported items such as coal, iron, slate and workers to aid production. In many countries, industrial steam serving coal mines in particular, lasted significantly longer than the nations otherwise mainline steam traction, due to the readily available fuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double chimney</span>

A double chimney is a form of chimney for a steam locomotive, where the conventional single opening is duplicated, together with the blastpipe beneath it. Although the internal openings form two circles, the outside appearance is as a single elongated oval.

References

  1. Potter, D. (1990). The Talyllyn Railway. David St John Thomas. p. 198. ISBN   0-946537-50-X.
  2. Bate (2001), p. 81.
  3. Bate (2001), p. 153.
  4. McIvor, John (2009). "THE GIESL EJECTOR AND 34064 'FIGHTER COMMAND'". SVS Film.
  5. "The Giesl Ejector". The Scottish Railway Preservation Society. 11 January 2009.
  6. "Austerity 0-6-0st type as modified by L.D.Porta & Hunslet". www.martynbane.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  7. "W G Bagnall Works No 3059 Florence No 2 0-6-0ST". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2021-01-05.

Sources

Further reading