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.
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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Notes from the railway archive
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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.
Locomotive Technology
A Mallet locomotive articulates its front engine beneath a single boiler
A Mallet combines articulation with compound steam expansion. Separate those two ideas when reading a locomotive photograph, drawing, or museum description.
Railway Objects
A railway token once made single-track authority something a driver could hold
A railway token belonged to a particular section and operating system. Read the object, its place names and its records together when studying single track.