Locomotive Technology
A fireless locomotive stored heat instead of carrying a fire
A fireless steam locomotive carried stored thermal energy instead of an onboard fire. Museum examples reveal why industrial railways used this unusual design.
RAILWAYS · HISTORY · DISCOVERY
Follow the line. Find the story.
Explore railway history through maps, museum objects and the places that connect them, from Montana to rail networks around the world.
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Railway Engineering History
The Fell centre rail gave mountain trains another place to grip
The Fell railway system used horizontal wheels against a raised centre rail. Explore how that differs from a rack railway and what to look for in museum evidence.
Railway Engineering History
Vacuum brakes: how letting air in could stop a train
Explore the pressure principle behind automatic vacuum brakes and why a railway brake hose needs its historical system context.
Locomotive Technology
A steam locomotive’s fusible plug belonged to its boiler protection
A fusible plug was one part of steam-boiler protection. Explore its historical role and the questions to ask when viewing one in a museum.
Railway Engineering History
Railway catch points and the problem of a runaway movement
Catch points tell a story about vehicles running back on gradients. Read their purpose in context when studying historic railway plans.
Locomotive Technology
How a steam injector feeds water into a locomotive boiler
A locomotive injector uses steam to feed water back into a pressurised boiler. Follow the three connections on a museum example.