032 - How A Steam Locomotive Works

[@kernowdel]

I'm 57. Been driving and near enough need driving diesels all my working life and I never knew why they made the 'chuffing ' noise. Do now. Thank you.

[@TheEmpressMouse]

Best and clearest explanation I’ve ever seen.

[@zarahshah4127]

this video helped a lot, simple and easy explanation

[@ernestomerchan8434]

Como aumentar la coagulacion sanguínea

[@mansukhbhaijotania2110]

Zarah Shah to j

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Well, thanks for making this video! It's very interesting to see how locomotives in the olden days functioned. :)

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Very good movie! This made my day on Christmas. Thank you for sharing

[@johnmacci786]

I myself having travelled as a child in steam engine for regular routes in India , it feels like having lived through history.

[@ompalsingh5961]

Nice video that helps the newcomers in the field of boiler.

[@TheMacValk]

Super interesting! Finally I know how a steamengine works 😁 thanks a lot

[@smailwaltit38]

thank you very much. i needed this video to understand Carnot engine diagramme

[@woobyvr9654]

I think the fireman was under explained his job is to keep the locomotive alive so tending to the fire like you said but also making sure the boiler has water otherwise BOOM there goes your train

[@frankservant5754]

Fully exhaustive and highly informative. Well thought-out and very detailed, esp the graphics and animation. Great video.

[@usmaniyousaf2269]

so nice explanation... too powerful.

[@BeingRomans829ed]

Very good. Thank you.

[@jreicker1]

Of course locomotives need gears. The requirements of a freight loco (high torque, slow speeds, heavy loads = smaller wheels (like low gear on your car or bicycle) are very different from a passenger loco (smooth running, high speed = large wheels (like high gear on your car or bicycle). Instead of developing a transmission and gears they designed different locos for the different jobs.

[@nicparker3809]

You have to admit that a train shooting fire and smoke is better. DARN!

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

Great explanation. However, I'm curious about one subject the video didn't really cover: The actual start-up of the train. In a vast majority of the cases, the piston wouldn't be aligned enough with the connecting rod and the to present enough resistance in the initial revolution to cause problems. But if hypothetically they ended up more or less completely aligned when stood still, wouldn't the pressure from the piston simply snap the attachment rods to the wheels off, or make the piston housing explode from the pressure not being released properly, or deform the mechanical parts, or any number of other things? Or is my assumption that the assembly was mirrored on both sides of the locomotive, and thus being at the same stage of the cycle at any one time, faulty? If that is the case, that the pistons worked at, say, 90 deg difference, there wouldn't need to be a starter engine or some other contraption helping it out of a potential bind. So, how did it actually work, to avoid that sort of thing?

[@AnArmoredMarch]

I'm pretty sure they used a little hand jack at the very back of the train to help get it rolling if it needed help. Super simple solution to a very complicated problem haha

[@pux0rb]

This was solved easily. The Piston on the opposite side was offset by 90 degrees. That way, if the piston on one side was fully to one side of the cylinder, the one on the other side was in the halfway point. There was, therefore, no "dead zone".

[@donaldjenkins7923]

In the days of some of these locomotives . It took 10 hrs from a cold start to make steam. One man would come in get the fire going work his 10 hrs shift then turn it over to the engineer

[@HorseCrazieGirl15]

Thomas and Friends brought me here.

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

nice

[@MnktoDave]

This is a cool video...thanks for posting!

[@sweetpotato1247]

I really loved this video it helped me understand how a steam engine works, Just one thing. This question might seem dumb but I'm dumb so what do you expect but how do steam engines that seem to lack cylinders work? like the e2 class, do they have a hidden cylinder?

[@sawspitfire422]

On some locos the cylinders are located on the inside of the wheels, and on some there are locos with cylinders inside and outside (3 and 4 cylinder locomotives)

[@NCF8710]

Some steam locomotives are steam turbine powered and don't have the classic cylinders and valve gear.

[@thatoldmilkcarton7029]

There was ONE class of Locomotive that had a turbine, it was a one off prototype, was deemed a failure and scrapped.

[@ArsenicShooter]

Nice! Thank you!

[@benrusso9751]

That was very complicated

[@hazemsaeed8710]

How much pressure start moving

[@kevp9601]

What Can I Say, KZbinrs., This is not KZbin, It's Heaven! :-D

[@Ichigo_Keba]

Ok I am starting to watch stuff on how steam locomotives work because I am wanting to build my own, I get what’s going on but the valve in the cylinder doesn’t make sense to me. How does the steam get into the pistons.

[@koolmckool7039]

There's a tiny little hole that the valve doesn't cover, which is how steam gets through to the piston. When the piston moves, the valve now covers the hole, but allows a second hole to open, allowing steam to flow into the piston, pushing it in the opposite direction.

[@sjepsen808]

Where was the picture of the cut away train taken? Shown at 2:08 .

[@WanderingYankee]

+Steven Jepsen This picture is from Steamtown USA in Scranton, PA. If I remember correctly, this display was located in the old roundhouse.

[@starionnsw]

how do they switch in to revers

[@onceANexile]

But, why dont the cylinders RUST.?

[@RakeshKumar-ig3ts]

how to make reverse

[@thisisblasphemy8061]

whould it be possible to genetically fuse a person into a train or make a person in to a train

[@AuthenticNicholasMeyer]

Sometimes I'm truly amazed by the mechanical ingenuity of our ancestors.

[@peters972]

The exhaust steam does not merely escape, it is used to draw heated air and smoke through the boiler pipes as it blows up the chimney. This is a crucial part of the design. Thank you.

[@LordRusty5]

Very informative! Definitely not a comedy! Great information contained in this video!

[@m0ther_bra1ned12]

Why is this video categorized as comedy? 0_o

[@MrPatdeeee]

I enjoyed the video, but disappointing it did not cover IN detail all the linkages from the piston to the wheels and back via the "reversing" mechanism. I have looked EVERY where, I found a number of "animations" which were good, but they ALL (that I can find) fall short of explaining IN detail the above. Inquiring minds want to know!" I have pondered this since I was six years old. Still do not have a meaningful idea of "HOW" the linkages do what they are designed to do. I am 83 yrs old. And STILL seeking a simple animation that covers IN detail all the linkages and what EACH does. Oh well. ONE YEAR LATER: Thank Jesus, I have found out the answers to MY questions above. I wish I knew how to put this new found golden info on an animated video. It is quite slick HOW several levers can control SO much of what is going on, on most all steam locomotives.' Sadly I do not know how to do this. And sadder: just putting it in print would be as useless as teats on a bull. Oh well.

[@davidgosling7430]

I also would like to know.

[@cymond]

Where did you find the information?

[@WanderingYankee]

Inquiring minds want to know!

[@RogersMuseum]

I want to use this video in our museum exhibit. It is a free museum, donations only. We are doing a locomotive interactive. We would like to make this video part of this exhibit. Could you send me a copy of this video?

[@WanderingYankee]

Yes, you can. I know, my username is not the same as the channel name, but I created this video, animated it, and provided the narration. I give you (and everyone else) permission to use this video for whatever (legitimate) educational purposes you require, with no required compensation.

[@insylem]

What about directional control? Forward vs Reverse?

[@DS_Fire]

Watch this video, kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGixcnWLoN56pc0 It gives a pretty good explanation of just the piston and directional movement.

[@jayvonnoelsmith8445]

Steam locomotives are so amazing

[@stnicholas54]

That was an excellent and very informative clip. Gotta dash ! .... whuff chuff chuff chuff chuffity chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff chuffity whuff chuff chuff chuff chuff .............

[@JoshuaWebbs]

can someone explain to me how the wheel rods know to move the train forward or backwards. besides the reverser regulates the direction.

[@mr.pattonshistoryandpoliti5895]

Josh Webbs The "Johnson Bar" or reverser adjusts the intake piston to either start the piston so the wheels turn forward or backward. The reverser is a one stop mechanism, where, when the lever is put full forward, it can be adjusted to reduce the amount of steam going into the cylinder once it gets going. This makes the engine run more efficiently, much like a transmission.

[@sitarnut]

Hi Melissa… topping video here. Best, most concise explanation I've found, with meaningful animation. It made my Christmas too, as I've scored a train set for grand son. Now I can tell him how it really works. What else is up your sleeve for us?

[@pkell501]

Well I am 72 and only now learned from this video - many thanks for the excellent lesson

[@matty37676]

They do not have gears, however the cutoff (reverser) can be adjusted to increase/decrease the amount of time, relative to the valve motion, that the steam is admitted to the piston. When used effectively this can produce more economical running and prevent wastage of vital steam.

[@SuperZiggyCraft]

I though I knew all the basics, but I actually didn't know why the dome existed. Thank you for this simple yet detailed explanation.

[@labrat748]

Excellent narrative on how a train steam engine works..thanks.

[@RogersMuseum]

It is the Rogers Historical Museum, Rogers Arkansas

[@WanderingYankee]

No, the pictures are from Steamtown, USA in Scranton, PA en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamtown_National_Historic_Site All other animations were created with MSPaint

[@dottoreeff]

Very, very good. Endlich die Dampflok auch erklärt für Doofe wie mich ! Thanks alot

[@thomaspeacock9375]

What a fantastically made video! Very informative and simple 👍👍

[@harishankara1792]

This video helped me a lot

[@scottprenzler4764]

So where is the steam return back into the boiler ? Or is there one ? Does the steam turn into condensate and return to the system ? Figured the tubes would burn up if it ran low on water

[@WanderingYankee]

Once used, the steam does not return to the boiler. It is expelled directly from the piston. The exception would be with the Mallet-type locomotives that have two sets of drive wheels (such as the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy or the 4-6-6-4 Challenger). High-pressure steam from the boiler is used to power one set of drive wheels. Then the steam is routed to the other set of drive wheels with a piston that can utilize a lower pressure. Then it is exhausted out to the sides. Edit: Oh, and running out of water would be REALLY bad! Water under pressure helps keep the temperature down (just like the radiator in your car). Without water, the steel can heat up enough to deform and weaken causing a catastrophic explosion. In other words, if you run out of water, you're going to have a bad day!

[@scottprenzler4764]

@@WanderingYankee so since there’s no condensate return to the water supply, then the range, I’d assume, wouldn’t be very far ?? I know water droplets expand 1700x so 25,000 gallons is a lot of steam. (I say 25,000 cuz I seen Big Boy the other day). Not a train guy just work in the refinery ops and was thinking about this. Very cool! Dont guess pulling an extra tank of water and pumping to boiler as needed was a thing.

[@thomasvandevelde8157]

Sorry to report this but... You´re only partially right. Steamlocs, like all steamengines, do not run on vapour but dry steam. See this video to get the full picture: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4qxg5uCZcmXerM It is A LOT more complex than is shown here.

[@tendividedbysix4835]

That's awesome, can't believe I could make an electric dynamo easier than I could a friggin steam engine, this stuff is tricky!

[@juhamentu359]

Could you also show, how the engine stops and changes its direction? I mean the Walschaert system....?

[@GeeDuhbyaArbusto1]

This shouldn't be listed under the "Comedy" category.

[@RetailThrone]

Informative!

[@comrademartinofrappuccino]

Melissa Garris can you make a video about zepplins?

[@shirleymental4189]

Would a stem engine work in outer space?

[@WanderingYankee]

Yes, but you would need some modifications. The most important one would be sealing and supplying oxygen to the firebox. Most of the engine would function just fine since it is (mostly) sealed. The boiler/pistons can operate in the neighborhood of 20 times more than normal atmospheric pressure (~around 300 psi). In a vacuum, the difference is only 1. The other issue would be traction. Here on Earth, gravity holds the train down. In space, you would need wheels that can grip a rail, just like rollercoasters do.

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Nice & Thanks :)

[@Victor1234979]

Steam... valve, and half life of locomotive crew

[@biankafondatiova2447]

very helpful video! thanks very much it actually helped me to do my railroads project!

[@stephensfarms7165]

Thanks. 🙏

[@JamesDTapley]

This was very interesting! Technically steam loco's do need gears however this is the reverser and lets different amounts of steam into the cylinders.

[@gizzly50]

But how do I get my spare ribs into the smoke box?

[@muhammadzulqarnain1680]

kit a like if you love steam engines.

[@watch2talk]

Ty so much, man

[@kerryjames7150]

A non saturated is described , what happened to the suiper heating .

[@slycat1939]

Thanks I learned something I was wandering about.

[@muhammadnasrawangolra2112]

wao. cleared my mind sir. thanks a bundle!

[@parkershaw8529]

Are two cylinders phased 180 degrees against each other? If yes, then, how does the locomotive starts to move if the pistons happens to be top and bottom dead center please?

[@robertbrown2728]

90 degrees on a two or four cylinder loco and 120 degrees on a three cylinder loco

[@TrainsInRomania]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!!

[@ceyhunmemmedov]

Thanks a lot. Simple and very smart system

[@Ollieeeee2002]

awesome video, thank you!

[@syedhaseeb9041]

very knowladgable

[@venkatasaiprasannachigiche1704]

Thanks for the lucid explanation

[@dammm3731]

two men fireman??? HOW DARE YOU

[@Giovani25x]

I always wanted to know how they worked

[@tomli7476]

awesome

[@LinucNerd]

Now that is awesome! Thanks for the infomation.

[@elmerlarimer9026]

love it and like steam train

[@Nyancat703]

Werent there any steam locomotives that condensed the "used steam" again in order to refill the boiler less often ?

[@LardGreystoke]

There were types that sent steam into one cylinder at high pressure and then the "old" steam was re-used in a second set of cylinders.

[@WanderingYankee]

@@LardGreystoke Correct. That system was used with Mallet-type locos that had duel sets of drive wheels. Steam was not recondensed to replenish the boiler.

[@anteater555]

How is water put into the boiler mid operation?

[@michaelbeary]

it'd be nice to see a superheating system video

[@Fearofthemonster]

What happens if the locomotive stops when the valve is just in the middle. Does that mean it is impossible for the locomotive to start unless the valve is shifted manually by the crew?

[@Qkumber]

steam locomotives have two cylinders that are offset to one another. If one stops in the way you describe, the one on the otherside is in the correct position to start the process. Stationary steam engines and steam traction engines that only have one cylinder, have a large flywheel that can be spun manually in order to start them off.

[@123mcmimo123]

very nice man now i know how it works

[@gristlevonraben]

cool video

[@jayashreeneogy]

Gristle Von Raben have. seen. c62. steam. engine in hokaydo

[@optimuscprime]

I would like to run one of the engines a 100 miles an hour.

[@WanderingYankee]

Get you a Mallard! Those streamlined beauties often ran at 100mph during the 40s'.

[@04u2cY]

I can't begin to imagine how much damage would happen if those connecting rods breaks at full speed the engineer would be in lots of trouble.

[@paulbislin8471]

Louie Niglio that occurred several times during steam age. It had the potential to derail an engine.

[@Damontable]

Thanks you so much for this video. It explains things very well.

[@LuckyNuggetPro]

Thank You

[@newstart49]

Two questions; What decides the direction of movement (Forward or backwards) ? How do you obtain reverse? Is there an engine brake? Ok- that's three.

[@paulbislin8471]

newstart49 in the video you can see that the valve isn‘t running in synchron with the piston, it is either running ahead or behind and that decides on which side of the piston the steam is entering the cylinder space. The running ahead or delay of the valve makes that the engine is running forward or backward and the degree of the delay makes the amount of the steam that enters the cylinder. The valve is actuated by the controls in the cab. The engine brake is usually an airbrake like that on a freight or passenger car, pressing a brake shoe against the wheels. But there were few engines that used the Riggenbach-brake in addition. That brake uses the cylinder similar to a compressor to brake the train by compressing air, the compressed air is then released to the outside. Usually the Riggenbach-brake was used on engines working on heavy grades (downhill).

[@gambart2002]

Great explanation, thanks

[@leejeffrey5924]

So the fire box is where the fire is. Wow. You learn something new every day.

[@cbussery]

Some steam locomotives seem to make more than two chugging sounds per wheel revolution. Do the cylinders alternate their movements forward and back or do they both move forward and back together? Please answer.

[@robertbrown2728]

Each cylinder is exhausted twice per wheel revolution, as steam is admitted and expelled both sides of the piston. As the crankpins on the wheels are 90 degrees apart from the ones on the opposite side of the loco, there is an exhaust stroke at every quarter of a turn from one or other cylinder, even on a two cylinder loco, therefore, 4 chuffs per revolution.

[@violinoscar]

How does the piston move if the starting position has the exhaust valve open? In a small engine you can spin the flywheel but this isn't possible with a big locomotive.

[@Sunitapatidar9090]

same problem with me i make small engine but valve timing is so dificult to set cause of bad timing engine not running

[@mr.pattonshistoryandpoliti5895]

Hardtop Harry Each side is opposite to the other side, normally 90 degrees off, so they don't end up in a "dead" position. One side starts and then the other side quickly catches up.

[@paiboonma5279]

Hardtop Harry

[@adamwoodward2003]

Steam is let into the pistons when the regulator valve is opened in the steam dome.

[@bluestingray8955]

There are two exhaust valves

[@LardGreystoke]

This is the future.

[@pforce9]

The best kept secret that none of you locomotive men seem to want to talk about is the steam ejector. AT some point it occurred to me that there had to be some way to get water back into a pressurized boiler but there was never any talk about how this was done. At this time I did not even know how to phrase the question. It took about three or four days putting the question to google in various ways And then I came across the steam ejector. Finally I found a video of this component and to me, it is the most advanced thing about the entire engine. Two questions, why is it call an ejector when it actually injects and why don''t you guys want to talk about it?

[@seen203]

pforce9 Water injector www.steamengine.com.au/index.php/steam/how-it-works/37-watinj

[@paulbislin8471]

pforce9 where I live it is called injector not ejector. It works with the functions pressure, speed of flow and diameter. Steam from the boiler (boiler pressure) flows through a intermediate sized pipe to the injector, where the diameter is reduced by a cone, a smaller diameter results in a much higher speed but a low pressure, lower than the atmospheric pressure. This makes that the steam takes the water up. After mixing together, the now hot water with low pressure but high speed enters the pipe leading to the feeding valve. This pipe has a big diameter, so that the hot water now has a very low speed of flow, but high pressure, at least higher than the boiler pressure. It’s a bit similar to a electric Transformator: boiler pressure & intermediate diameter & intermediate speed transformed to low pressure & small diameter & high speed and then transformed to above boiler pressure & big diameter & slow speed. That‘s called venturi effect.

[@American97percent]

Категория : Юмор?

[@H.pylori]

Very good explanation of how the steam engine works. So, the locomotive has a piston and valve on each side. They are slightly out of phase so that power is delivered to the wheels at all times. So is the chuffing sound made up of 4 components, or are the sounds so close that at speed there appears to be only two sounds?

[@robertbrown2728]

Each cylinder is exhausted twice per wheel revolution, as steam is admitted and expelled both sides of the piston. As the crankpins on the wheels are 90 degrees apart from the ones on the opposite side of the loco, there is an exhaust stroke at every quarter of a turn from one or other cylinder, even on a two cylinder loco, therefore, 4 chuffs per revolution.

[@H.pylori]

@@robertbrown2728 Sir, thank you so much for helping me with this. While researching the history of the SPLA&SL Railroad, I became fascinated by the engineering that went into making these locomotives work. Amazing what they were able to do in getting everything to work in sequence.

[@robertbrown2728]

@@H.pylori I'm glad to be of help. There are many aspects of steam locos that I don't fully understand, for example - exactly how an injector works, and I'm fascinated by them all :)

[@daredream1986]

where are the other episodes?? its amazing!

[@WanderingYankee]

The 51 other episodes are marked as 'private' as they contain copyrighted material. This was the only engineering-style video. The remainder focused on world history.

[@opdrvr]

Thank you.

[@jamesstuart3346]

Should also be noted that the drive wheels were weighted to pull the wheels past the "dead zone" at the end of each power stroke.

[@robertbrown2728]

The weights on the wheels are to balance the huge mass of the coupling rods, crankpins etc. There isn't really a dead zone because the opposing wheels are set at 90 degrees on a two or four cylinder loco and at 120 on a three cylinder loco.