|
Brake Block
A railway brake is a type of brake used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration (downhill) or to keep them immobile when parked. While the basic principle is similar to that on road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be effective on vehicles left without a prime mover. Clasp brakes are one type of brakes historically used on trains. Early developments In the earliest days of railways, braking technology was primitive. The first trains had brakes operative on the locomotive tender and on vehicles in the train, where "porters" or, in the United States brakemen, travelling for the purpose on those vehicles operated the brakes. Some railways fitted a special deep-noted brake whistle to locomotives to indicate to the porters the necessity to apply the brakes. All the brakes at this stage of development were applied by operation of a screw and linkage to brake blo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratchet (device)
A ratchet (occasionally spelled rachet) is a mechanical device that allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction. Ratchets are widely used in machinery and tools. The word ''ratchet'' is also used informally to refer to a ratcheting socket wrench. __TOC__ Theory of operation A ratchet consists of a round gear or a linear rack with teeth, and a pivoting, spring-loaded finger called a '' pawl'' (or ''click'', in clocks and watches) that engages the teeth. The teeth are uniform but are usually asymmetrical, with each tooth having a moderate slope on one edge and a much steeper slope on the other edge. When the teeth are moving in the unrestricted (i.e. forward) direction, the pawl easily slides up and over the gently sloped edges of the teeth, with a spring forcing it (often with an audible 'click') into the depression between the teeth as it passes the tip of each tooth. When the teeth move in the oppo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Air Brake
A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on April 13, 1869. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted. The Westinghouse system uses air pressure to charge air reservoirs (tanks) on each car. Full air pressure causes each car to release the brakes. A subsequent reduction or loss of air pressure causes each car to apply its brakes, using the compressed air stored in its reservoirs. Overview Straight air brake In the air brake's simplest form, referred to as a ''straight air system'', compressed air is directed to a ''brake cylinder'', causing its piston to apply force to mechanical linkage, which linkage is conventionally referred to as the ''brake rigging'' (see illu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923. Formed in 1862 after the amalgamation of the Eastern Counties Railway and several other smaller railway companies the served Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Lowestoft, Norwich, Southend-on-Sea (opened by the in 1889), and East Anglian seaside resorts such as Hunstanton (whose prosperity was largely a result of the 's line being built) and Cromer. It also served a suburban area, including Enfield, Chingford, Loughton and Ilford. This suburban network was, in the early 20th century, the busiest steam-hauled commuter system in the world. The majority of the Great Eastern's locomotives and rolling stock were built at Stratford Works, part of which was on the site of today's Strat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It amalgamated with several other railways to create the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at Railways Act 1921, grouping in 1923. The Midland had a large network of lines emanating from Derby, stretching to St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras, Manchester Central railway station, Manchester, Carlisle railway station, Carlisle, Birmingham Curzon Street railway station (1838–1966), Birmingham, and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, Bristol. It expanded as much through acquisitions as by building its own lines. It also operated ships from Heysham in Lancashire to Douglas, Isle of Man, Douglas and Belfast. A large amount of the Midland's infrastructure remains in use and visible, such as the Midland Main Lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heberlein Brake
A Heberlein brake is a continuous railway brake used in Germany that is applied by means of a mechanical cable. Train braking is therefore initiated centrally from the locomotive using a winder. This causes the brake clips to be applied on individual wagons, assisted by a Servomechanism, servo system which makes use of the rotation of the axle. The brakes operate automatically if the cable snaps. A typical feature of ''Heberlein'' brakes is the clearly visible cable run on top of the wagons, but cables can also be led underneath the wagons, as on the ''Spreewaldbahn'' railway line. ''Heberlein'' brakes were eventually largely replaced by compressed-air brakes or, sometimes, by vacuum brakes on narrow gauge railway vehicles. Modern use The ''Heberlein'' brake is still permitted as an operating brake on German railways due to it being both continuous and automatic, and at the low speeds on narrow gauge lines this means it is perfectly safe. On several narrow gauge railways in Sax ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Webb (engineer)
Francis William Webb (21 May 1836 – 4 June 1906) was an English railway engineer, responsible for the design and manufacture of locomotives for the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). As the LNWR's chief mechanical engineer, he also exercised great influence in political and public life in the Cheshire town of Crewe, once being described as the 'King of Crewe'. Early life Webb was born in Tixall Rectory, near Stafford, the second son of William Webb, Rector of Tixall. Career Crewe Works Showing early interest in mechanical engineering, on 11 August 1851 at the age of fifteen he was articled as a pupil of Francis Trevithick at Crewe Works.Griffiths, p.51 Webb joined the drawing office in 1856, at the end of his training. He became Chief Draughtsman on 1 March 1859. On 1 September 1861 he was appointed Works Manager at Crewe and Chief Assistant to John Ramsbottom. Whilst Works Manager, Webb was responsible for the installation of Bessemer converters and the star ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weverton, Maryland
Weverton is an unincorporated community hamlet located in the southern tip of Washington County, Maryland, United States, near the north shore of the Potomac River. Its population is about 500. Weverton is located at the intersection of MD Route 67 and U.S. Route 340. The nearest incorporated communities are Harpers Ferry, West Virginia ( to the west) and Brunswick ( to the east). Weverton's approximate elevation is above sea level. Weverton Cliffs, at the southern end of South Mountain where that ridge is interrupted by the Potomac River, are a landmark on the Appalachian Trail; they sit nearly at the halfway point of the trail and are well-known to through hikers. Weverton is the northwestern end of CSX Transportation's Metropolitan Subdivision, a 79-mile rail line that runs to Washington, D.C. History Founded in the 1820s, Weverton was a speculative venture intended to be a mill town to use the waterpower of the Potomac and transportation provided by the Chesapeake ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area with 1.17 million residents. Founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the ''Hartford Courant''), the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public High School), and the oldest school for deaf children (American School for the Deaf), founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1817. It is the location of the Mark Twain House, in which the author Mark Twain wrote his most famous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Coupling
A coupling or coupler is a mechanism, typically located at each end of a rolling stock, rail vehicle, that connects them together to form a train. The equipment that connects the couplers to the vehicles is the draft gear or draw gear, which must absorb the stresses of the coupling and the acceleration of the train. Throughout the history of rail vehicles, a variety of coupler designs and types have been developed worldwide. Key design considerations include strength, reliability, easy and efficient handling, and operator safety. Automatic couplers engage automatically when the cars are pushed together. Modern versions not only provide a mechanical connection, but can also couple brake lines and data lines. Different countries use different types of couplers. While North American railroads and China use Janney couplers, railroads in the former Soviet Union use SA3 couplers and the European countries use Scharfenberg coupler, Scharfenberg and Buffers and chain coupler, screw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (founded in 1821), are published by Times Media, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, in turn wholly owned by News Corp. ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'' were founded independently and have had common ownership only since 1966. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. ''The Times'' was the first newspaper to bear that name, inspiring numerous other papers around the world. In countries where these other titles are popular, the newspaper is often referred to as or , although the newspaper is of national scope and distribution. ''The Times'' had an average daily circulation of 365,880 in March 2020; in the same period, ''The Sunday Times'' had an average weekly circulation of 647,622. The two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
