Locomotives at the start of railways

[philip_bullin2]

Some of the old locomotive in 00 and working would be of interest such as one built by Richard Trevithick and others

[LCDR]

The original Penydarren locomotive was built to run on plateways and as such could not run on modern railways, although the replica does have a set of flanged wheels to make this possible. On the other hand 'Locomotion' was built to operate on Stephenson type edge rails.

 

Working replicas of these and other primitive locomotives have been built during the second half of the 20th Century, and can be seen at various museums. 'Locomotion' for example was being used to haul visitors at the Open Air Museum at Beamish.

 

In model form only Triang has manufactured a working model here in the UK  and produced Stephenson's 'Rocket' in 4mm scale but this hasn't been available for a number of years (1963 to 1984). Hornby did once make a live steam 3.5 inch gauge model of the same locomotive but this too is no longer available.

 

The contenders in the 1829 Rainhill Trials would indeed make an interesting set of models, which could be used by modellers to re-run the trials. The 'Rocket' of course, plus 'Novelty', and 'San Pareil' together with tenders and replica carriages for them to haul. Triang only made a first class closed carriage, but it might be better for a open carriage and a coal wagon could also be made to accompany the models.

 

Part of the problem for finding suitable early locomotives to make as models is the limited use most modellers would make of them. Mainstream modellers tend to model the post World War 2 period, especially the British Railways steam to diesel period, or the modern era with contemporary diesel and electric types. There is a guaranteed sale of models from these periods and especially the prestigious type like Mallard and Flying Scotsman. Pre-grouping models are popular only up to a point, and tend to be of types that survived long enough to appear in BR days. Locomotives and rolling stock which was in service before 1870 is not in the least popular (a topic discussed in an earlier thread) and is not made commercially. 

 

The pioneering period from 1825 to 1870 was a time of great experimentation and change. New designs were appearing to grace all the new railways as they opened, especially during the Railway Mania of the 1840s and 1850s. And what a mixed bunch they were! Thomas Crampton promoted locomotives with huge single driving wheels in rear of the firebox, and two or three axles of carrying wheels under the boiler. There were locomotives with vertical cylinders which needed a bell crank to convert vertical motion to horizontal motion to drive the driving wheels. There was a spate of locomotives which had a midway jackshaft driven by inside cylinders but then drove the wheels with outside rods. Some locomotives had the boiler underneath the driving axle with huge 8 or 9 foot diameter single driving wheels.

 

With all these peculiarities the dilemma for a manufacturer as to what to produce. 

 

The most common type eventually became a 2-2-2 tender locomotive of the 'Jenny Lind' type, and a Continental manufacturer (German Trix) used to make a similar 'Der Adler' model in HO which turn up second hand now and again. 

 

How many modellers would choose to add these old-fashioned models to their collection I wonder?  I might for sheer curiosity value but I don't think it would supercede my interest in post Natiionalisation steam and electric trains.

 

[JJ73]

May be this might help perhaps...

 

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& this...

 

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