Turbine Locomotive LMS + Schools Class S Rly

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Six colour cards, make up 2 very classic British engines. The one is a turbine locomotive, and from the picture looks to have some kind of boxy arrangements down the side of the boiler similar to a saddle tank.

Perhaps John A can actually enlighten us as to what a turbine locomotive was in this particular instance? !!

This pack must have been popular, as it was produced no less than three times. In 1949 it cost1/8d, in 1950 1/9d and in 1952 2/0d!

[John Ashworth]

This locomotive looks fairly conventional but was in fact driven by a steam turbine ahead of the coupled driving wheels. It was non-condensing, and had a reversing turbine, engaged for use with a dog-clutch.

This was one of the few experimental turbines which really did beat conventional engines on thermal efficiency, despite having no condenser. This has to be called an engineering success; it covered over 300,000 miles between 1936 and 1945, and was finally taken out of turbine service in 1949. It was rebuilt as a conventional Pacific, and was eventually written off in the catastrophic accident at Harrow in 1952.

Click the picture to see more pictures and diagrams -

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Thats very interesting, especially the diagrams of the turbines.

Very advanced.

I wonder why the technology was not adopted given that the engine lasted so long and did 300,000 miles?