Re: (erielack) 6-foot-gauge locomotive drawings

[olsenkbce_@_juno.com]

Pete,

I am unaware of any drawings of the six foot gauge engines.  The
photographs that I've seen of them the were very conventional looking,
but a whole lot bigger than anything else on the rails at that time.

At the time that the broad gauge lines were constructed, firebox size was
limited by gauge since they were slung between the driving wheels.  Wider
gauges gave larger grate areas and could carry larger boilers.  

The widest gauge ever used was England's seven foot gauge Great Western
Railway.  The dimensions of the LIVERPOOL give some idea of what could be
done as of the late 1840's.  She had 18" diameter cylinders with a 24"
stroke.  Total heating surface was 2260 square feet, with a boiler
containing some 300 tubes.  Her driving wheels were 8 feet in diameter. 
(Sadly, I do not have similar statistics for Erie engines.)  It is not
surprising that the Great Western Railway achieved speeds up to 57 mph at
a time when the best standard gauge trains made only about 40 mph.

In both England and America broad gauges were popular whenever builders
faced mountainous terrain and believed that only larger engines could
generate sufficient steam to overcome steep grades.  It should be pointed
out however, that in the case of the Great Western, the grades were not
that steep and the principle advantage of a broad gauge was additional
stability at high speeds.

Aside from break-of-gauge transfer expenses, the heavier broad gauge
trains were costly to operate and the right-of-way was also more
expensive.  Technological improvements eventually brought the power and
speed of standard gauge locomotives up to the level of their broad gauge
counterparts.  

Kevin Olsen
Wayne, NJ


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