Mallet locomotive

The Mallet type (read: Malleh ) is a special type of steam locomotives with zweigeteiltem engine for winding mountain trails. It was developed in 1884 by Swiss engineer Anatole Mallet. With the principle of shared engines resemble Mallet type locomotives Günther Meyer, but in contrast to those they have only one bogie (see schematic diagram ).

Mallet

The Mallet design has two independent suspension kits. The rear undercarriage is connected in a normal manner to the frame. The front suspension along with its own frame and its own piston steam engine, however, is movably connected via a pivot pin with the main frame of the locomotive.

Characteristic of the Mallet type is also the operation of the steam engine with composite action, the high- pressure cylinder on the rear engine group had. This one did not require any portable high- pressure steam lines. Composite locomotives acting on various engine groups high and low pressure cylinders, however, tend to be very alternating spin both engines. Another fundamental disadvantage of composite Mallet locomotives was also in the lack of aptitude for higher speeds. With the introduction of the superheated steam it was natural, therefore, to dispense with the composite action.

Find or found use in both mountain and narrow gauge railways as well as standard-gauge railways in heavy freight service Mallet locomotives. So created, especially in the U.S., the largest ever built steam locomotives and brought it as articulated locomotives to very large distribution.

Ready-to Mallet locomotives

Germany

In Germany operative Mallet locomotives are still in the meter-gauge Harz narrow gauge railways. Even the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum has an operational field train - Mallet locomotive for a track width of 600 mm.

In the main study ( for a re-commissioning ) are a machine at Brohltalbahn and the Museum Railway Bruchhausen- Vilsen - Asendorf ( German Railway Club ), respectively.

The last representative of its genus is maintained operable Germany's only standard gauge Mallet locomotive Type Bavarian BB II Former German Reichsbahn (1920-1945) number 98 727 in the Railway Museum Darmstadt- Kranichstein.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, operational Mallet locomotives are (as of 2010 ) in the meter-gauge Blonay -Chamby (BC ) in western Switzerland (SEG G 2x2 / 2105 ) and in the SBB under the care of SBB Historic (SCB Ed 2x2 / 2 196, standard gauge ).

Type Triplex

In an extension of the " Mallet- principle " the American Baldwin Locomotive Works ' built 1914 to 1916, four so-called Triplex locomotives. The Erie Railroad Triplex had three vehicles with the drive configuration ( 1'D ) D D1 ' and the Virginian Railway triplex with the drive configuration ( 1'D ) D D2'.

These were principally Mallets who possessed an additional drive set with two low-pressure cylinders under the tender. In these machines, however, the firing of the huge boiler was problematic. Since the exhaust steam of the power set was performed under the tender via a second smokestack on the tender, he was indeed to preheat the boiler feed water, but not for Zugentfachung on the blowpipe under the flue is available. In addition, the tensile force of this triplex was ( they should be able to pull 640 piece 50 -ton cars) larger than the frame and couplings of the concatenated car would allow. They were probably the zugstärksten ever built steam locomotives, but could only provide their traction at very low speeds. Triplex locomotives were therefore not a success.