What is the most powerful steam locomotive?

What is the most powerful steam locomotive?

the Big Boy
Weighing in at 1.2 million pounds, the Big Boy, built in 1941, is the largest, heaviest, and most powerful operational steam locomotive in the world, according to Union Pacific. The Big Boy stands 17 feet tall and is 133 feet long, 99 feet less than a Boeing 747.

Is the big boy a mallet?

The Big Boys, Yellowstones, as well as many other articulated steam locomotives, used simple expansion (high pressure cylinders all around), and thus, according to the strictest definition of the term, are not true mallets. Because they are both the same size, they operate using the same (high) pressure.

How much fuel does bigboy use?

Under full steam, the Big Boy was said to consume 22,000 lb (9,979 kg) of coal and 12,000 gallons (45,425 L) of water per hour.

Which is more powerful steam or diesel?

Firstly the diesel engine has an impressively high thermal efficiency – with modern diesel engines achieving 45% efficiency compared to a steam engines 10% giving them to achieve greater distances between refuelling stops.

Who created the locomotive?

George Stephenson
George Stephenson, (born June 9, 1781, Wylam, Northumberland, England—died August 12, 1848, Chesterfield, Derbyshire), English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive.

Who makes diesel locomotives?

At the time, 62 percent of all diesel locomotives in service were made by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division (EMD), followed by Alco at 24 percent.

What is a Mallet engine?

A very economical means of using steam the Mallet Type, coupled with both engines being roughly center mounted over each set of driving axles, was able to produce very high horsepower and adhesion with two sets of cylinders (and because of the low pressure steam in the front engine its cylinders were substantially larger than the rear cylinders).

What makes the mallet Molly so special?

Like all Mallets, Molly was articulated, meaning she had at least two sets of drivers with one able to swing away from the boiler… making for an enormous traction base. When taking a tight curve the boiler could overhang the rails considerably. The Mallet locomotives also reused steam from one set of cylinders to another.�

What is the strongest Mallet locomotive in the world?

The strongest Mallet-locomotive of Europe was the MÁV 601 which was built for the Hungarian State Railways, it as a (1’C)C type steam locomotive.

What’s new with the Yellowstone Mallet locomotive?

With a Federal Transportation Enhancement Grant administered through the MN DOT the Lake County Historical Society was awarded a grant to refinish its Yellowstone Mallet Locomotive #229.

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