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Tender Locomotives 0-2-2 „Northumbrian” and 2-2-0 „Planet”[Inhalt]
UIC Classification A1 and 1A
Image of “Northumbrian” that shows the steam chest on top of the fire box
Image of “Northumbrian” that shows the steam chest on top of the fire box

Although the first locomotives already had two coupled axles, the simplest design consisted of a two-axle locomotive with only one axle driven. A difference can be made here between the variant in which the front axle is driven and the variant in which the rear axle is driven.

Depending on the designation system, these two forms are denoted as follows:

NorthumbrianPlanetUICA11AWhyte0-2-22-2-0Switzerland1/21/2France011110Turkey1212

The first locomotive ever to be built with the 0-2-2 wheel arrangement is Stephenson's “Rocket”, which won the Rainhill race in 1829 and brought with it many new innovations which were picked up by other locomotives of the time to come. Although the “Locomotion No. 1” from 1825 already had coupled axles, no heavy loads had to be towed on the Rainhill. So Stephenson decided that the additional complexity for coupled axles was not worth it and therefore only powered the front axle.

Stephenson reduced the diameter of the rear wheels to save cost and weight. On the other hand, the front wheels could be made larger in order to keep the rotational speed within limits at increasing speeds. He now delivered eight more locomotives to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, all of which had the same wheel arrangement. From then on, he moved the boiler further forward in order to put a larger proportion of the weight on the front axle and thus get more traction. The name commonly used in Anglo-Saxon countries for this wheel arrangement was taken from one of these eight engines, the “Northumbrian”.

Image of “Planet”
Image of “Planet”

A problem with the 0-2-2 locomotives was that the cylinders were located at the rear of the locomotive due to the front driving axle, where the firebox was normally located. In order not to get excessively long steam pipes, the steam chest also had to be attached to the rear. So only two options were open: either the firebox had to be on the front side of the locomotive, so that the driver and fireman were separated, or a complex returning flue had to be installed so that the firebox and steam collection were next to or on top of each other.

The solution was to move the driven axle to the rear and thus leave the steam collection and cylinders at the front. The first engine with this design was “Planet”, which Stephenson developed in 1830 for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The cylinders were located above the carrying axle and inside the frame, which led to optimal, very short steam paths and was to become the dominant design in British locomotive construction well into the 20th century.

These two wheel arrangements were very popular in the 1830s, until they were replaced by 2-2-2 wheel arrangements in express service and four-coupled in other duties. The only later applications for steam locomotives with 0-2-2 or 2-2-0 wheel arrangement were in the area of tank locomotives, when low-cost traction units were developed for low-density branch lines. These were used in German-speaking countries dubbed “omnibus locomotives” or “luggage locomotives”, were used in the autotrains in Anglo-Saxon countries and formed the basis for the development of steam railcars.

Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway “Austria” and “Moravia”
Austria-Hungary | 1837
2 produced
Model of the “Austria”
Model of the “Austria”

For the opening of Austria's first steam-powered railway, the Kaiser-Ferdinands-Nordbahn ordered two two-axle steam locomotives from Stephenson in Newcastle. They were of a standard type offered at the time and had a rear driven axle with five foot wheels. After a voyage across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, they were unloaded in Trieste and transported across the Semmering by horse-drawn carriage. They were baptized with the names “Austria” and “Moravia”.

After all, “Austria” was the locomotive that undertook the first test run on the line between Floridsdorf and Deutsch-Wagram on November 13, 1837. It is therefore considered the first steam locomotive that ran in Austria. A memorial in Deutsch-Wagram has been commemorating this journey since 1987.

With their 20 hp, they were soon too weak for most tasks. As a result, they had to hand over more and more services to the three-axle locomotives ordered directly after them. Since the operation of two-axle locomotives in Austria was forbidden after a serious accident in France in 1842 and a conversion to three-axle locomotives was not possible, they were soon parked and scrapped.

General
Built1837
ManufacturerStephenson
Axle config2-2-0 (Planet)
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Empty weight16,535 lbs
Service weight20,062 lbs
Adhesive weight9,921 lbs
Axle load9,921 lbs
Fuel capacitycoal
Boiler
Grate area5.8 sq ft
Firebox area32.6 sq ft
Tube heating area258.3 sq ft
Evaporative heating area290.9 sq ft
Total heating area290.9 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter60 in
Boiler pressure51 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 10 x 16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power27 hp (20 kW)
Optimal speed15 mph
Starting effort1,150 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
last changed: 03/2023
Liverpool & Manchester No. 1 “Rocket”
Great Britain | 1829
only one produced
Replica in June 2011 at Tyseley
Replica in June 2011 at Tyseley
Tony Hisgett

One of the most significant locomotives of all times was the „Rocket”, built in 1929 by George and Robert Stephenson for the Rainhill Trials which were held by the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. In these trials, the L&MR wanted to determine the design for a locomotive that could successfully operate light passenger trains over longer distances. The new locomotive had to achieve an average speed of 10 mph (16 km/h) over the 70 miles from Liverpool to Manchester and back. The limit for four-wheeled locomotives was set to four and a half tons, while six-wheeled locomotives were limited to six tons.

Since the Stephensons recognized that a single driving axle would be enough for the light trains, they chose the 0-2-2 wheel arrangement for the first time. In this case the driving axle was at the front and the cylinders were mounted behind it at an angle of 38 degrees. The rear wheels were not connected to the driving wheels and only carried the weight of the firebox

The boiler had many features which could be found on later steam locomotives. Instead of a single or two flues, it had 25 tubes which created more surface for the smoke to heat the water. These worked great in conjunction with the blast pipe to provide enough draught. Additionally, the firebox had a water jacket to utilize the direct radiant heat from the hottest part of the boiler.

The original with changed cylinder position in the Science Museum, London
The original with changed cylinder position in the Science Museum, London
Irid Escent

“Rocket” easily won against its rivals in October 1829 and so the Stephensons could share the £500 prize with Henry Booth from the L&MR, who had provided valuable input for the design. It took part in the opening of the railway on September 15, 1830 when the Stephensons had already built the even more advanced “Northumbrian”. The event was overshadowed from an accident in which “Rocket” struck and killed William Huskisson, the MP for Liverpool.

In 1831, when some similar locomotives had already been built, the cylinders of “Rocket” were mounted in a more horizontal way to match “Northumbrian”. It was used on the L&MR until 1834 and then it was unsuccessfully used by Thomas Cochrane to test steam turbines. Rebuilt back to conventional cylinders, it was sold to the Brampton Railway in 1836 and used there until 1840.

After a period of storage, it was donated to the Patent Office Museum (Science Museum) at London in 1862, where it rested until 2018. After some time in the NRM at York, it came to Shildon in 2023. Over the years, several working and stationary replicas have been built. The most popular replica was built for the 150th anniversary in 1979. The original locomotive can today be seen with its nearly horizontal cylinders, while this replica still has them inclined by 38 degrees.

General
Built1829
ManufacturerRobert Stephenson & Co.
Axle config0-2-2 (Northumbrian)
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase7 ft 1 in
Rigid wheelbase7 ft 1 in
Service weight9,524 lbs
Adhesive weight5,952 lbs
Total weight16,748 lbs
Axle load5,952 lbs
Fuel capacitycoal
Boiler
Grate area6 sq ft
Firebox area20 sq ft
Tube heating area138 sq ft
Evaporative heating area158 sq ft
Total heating area158 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter56.5 in
Boiler pressure50 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 8 x 17 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power20 hp (15 kW)
Optimal speed16 mph
Top speed30 mph
Starting effort818 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
prototype
last changed: 09/2024
View on YouTube
Liverpool & Manchester “Planet”
Great Britain | 1830
16 produced
The replica in March 2012 in Manchester
The replica in March 2012 in Manchester
Peter Broster

After a few months in service with the “Rocket”, Stephenson used the experiences to develop an improved successor. Since the placement of the cylinders of the predecessor was unfavorable for the running characteristics, the driving axle was moved to the rear and the cylinders were installed horizontally in front of the driving axle and inside the frame. It was probably the first locomotive with this arrangement, which later became the standard.

This arrangement not only improved the running characteristics, but also allowed the cylinders to be mounted inside the smokebox, thereby reducing losses from condensation. Also new was a steam dome, with which dryer steam could be extracted from the boiler. In addition, the front and rear buffers and couplers were roughly in the places where they are today.

On November 23, 1830, it was able to prove its performances by completing the 31 miles from Liverpool to Manchester in about an hour. The prototype was followed by six more by Stephenson and three made by Fenton, Murray and Jackson to the same design.

In the years that followed, many locomotives were built in several countries based on the “Planet” pattern, so that the 2-2-0 wheel arrangement was later named after it. The Liverpool & Manchester alone got 16 of them. The original “Planet” was first modernized in 1833 and retired in 1840. A replica that was built in 1992 was used regularly until 2017.

General
Built1830
ManufacturerRobert Stephenson & Co., Fenton, Murray & Jackson
Axle config2-2-0 (Planet)
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Service weight17,920 lbs
Adhesive weight11,480 lbs
Total weight29,120 lbs
Axle load11,480 lbs
Water capacity480 us gal
Fuel capacity2,240 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area6.5 sq ft
Firebox area37.4 sq ft
Tube heating area407.7 sq ft
Evaporative heating area445 sq ft
Total heating area445 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter60 in
Boiler pressure50 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 11 x 16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power40 hp (30 kW)
Optimal speed19 mph
Starting effort1,371 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
prototype
Robert Stephenson
last changed: 01/2023
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