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Steam Carriages

Heartland

Heartland

master brummie
There was a time in the early 1830's when there were carriage companies formed for the purpose of using steam power to haul carriages along the turnpikes and common roads. They included the use of Dr William Church's carriage which was assembled at Bordesley Green and the steam drag of Heaton Brothers. The Heatons decided to withdraw their engine after trials but the Church carriage continued in use for a short time until the opening of the London & Birmingham Railway when the company chose to withdraw also and the stock was put up for sale. Church then built a railway locomotive which saw trials on various lines before exploding at Bromsgrove.
 
The fatal explosion of the steam engine at Bromsgrove killed two men and several others were scalded: A Mr. Horton was the maker of the boiler of the engine called the Surprise. The boiler had been constructed with plates of insufficient thickness.
 
Pedrocut said:
The fatal explosion of the steam engine at Bromsgrove killed two men and several others were scalded: A Mr. Horton was the maker of the boiler of the engine called the Surprise. The boiler had been constructed with plates of insufficient thickness.
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Did they have pressure relief valves back in those days?
 
Richard Dye said:
Did they have pressure relief valves back in those days?
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Richard, I was looking at these two grave markers quite recently. If I hazard a guess by the dates, high pressure steam boilers were still in development and there were quite a few boiler accidents. I formed the impression that with all that stored energy, design and material flaws seemed to a significant part. There are quite stringent regulations now about steam boilers and pressure vessels.
 
This is from https://www.leser.com/-/media/files/engineering/leser_engineering.pdf , which would seem to indicate the ones available were not much good at that time
The invention of the steam engine and the growing use of steam boilers for steam supply during industrialization lead to the necessity to protect life and property from explosions.
The early and simple safety valves used a weight to hold the pressure of the steam, however, they were easily tampered with or accidentally released. In 1856 John Ramsbottom invented a tamper-proof spring loaded safety valve which became universal on railways and later on stationary installations.
Only 30 years later in 1885 LESER presented its first safety valve and since then remains the safety valve manufacturer with the longest history.
 
Morturn said:
Richard, I was looking at these two grave markers quite recently. If I hazard a guess by the dates, high pressure steam boilers were still in development and there were quite a few boiler accidents. I formed the impression that with all that stored energy, design and material flaws seemed to a significant part. There are quite stringent regulations now about steam boilers and pressure vessels.
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Mort, I think you are correct regarding the material quality a flaws along with the possibility of marginal d3signs!
 
mikejee said:
This is from https://www.leser.com/-/media/files/engineering/leser_engineering.pdf , which would seem to indicate the ones available were not much good at that time
The invention of the steam engine and the growing use of steam boilers for steam supply during industrialization lead to the necessity to protect life and property from explosions.
The early and simple safety valves used a weight to hold the pressure of the steam, however, they were easily tampered with or accidentally released. In 1856 John Ramsbottom invented a tamper-proof spring loaded safety valve which became universal on railways and later on stationary installations.
Only 30 years later in 1885 LESER presented its first safety valve and since then remains the safety valve manufacturer with the longest history.
Click to expand...
Mike, that is a very interesting link and albeit somewhat of a history lesson. I think your comments regarding the early safety valves plus Morts comments regarding the quality and consistency of boiler materials steel/iron were the lions share of the issues!
I plan to digest further into the link to better understand the evolution of safety valves.
 
A steam boiler pressure test, often a hydrostatic test, verifies the boiler's structural integrity and safety. It involves filling the boiler with water and raising the pressure to 1.5 times the working pressure, checking for leaks or weaknesses. This is a crucial safety measure, especially for older or repaired boilers
sadly lives were lost for shody workmanship and poor materials
n 1840, pressure tests on boilers were likely less rigorous and standardized compared to modern practices, but the basic principle remained the same: verifying the boiler's structural integrity under pressure. These tests likely involved observing the boiler's behavior under pressure, looking for leaks or signs of weakness.



Here's a more detailed look at boiler pressure testing in the 1840s:

1. The Goal: The primary purpose was to ensure the boiler could safely generate steam without busting
2. Methods: The testing methods would have been less sophisticated than today's hydrostatic testing, which involves pressurizing the boiler with water to a specific pressure. In 1840, they might have relied on observing the boiler's response to steam pressure, looking for signs of leaks, bulging, or other structural issues.
3. Materials: Boilers in the 1840s were typically made of cast iron or riveted iron plates, which had their own inherent limitations and potential weaknesses.
4. Safety: Safety was a primary concern, especially given the potential for catastrophic failures.
5. Standards: There were likely few, if any, standardized boiler codes or regulations in 1840. Safety would have been based on the knowledge and experience of the boiler makers and operators.
In summary: While the specifics of pressure testing in 1840 might be difficult to reconstruct precisely, the fundamental goal of ensuring boiler safety under pressure was certainly present. The methods would have been more rudimentary compared to modern practices, relying more on observation and experience.
 
mw0njm. said:
A steam boiler pressure test, often a hydrostatic test, verifies the boiler's structural integrity and safety. It involves filling the boiler with water and raising the pressure to 1.5 times the working pressure, checking for leaks or weaknesses. This is a crucial safety measure, especially for older or repaired boilers
sadly lives were lost for shody workmanship and poor materials
n 1840, pressure tests on boilers were likely less rigorous and standardized compared to modern practices, but the basic principle remained the same: verifying the boiler's structural integrity under pressure. These tests likely involved observing the boiler's behavior under pressure, looking for leaks or signs of weakness.



Here's a more detailed look at boiler pressure testing in the 1840s:

1. The Goal: The primary purpose was to ensure the boiler could safely generate steam without busting
2. Methods: The testing methods would have been less sophisticated than today's hydrostatic testing, which involves pressurizing the boiler with water to a specific pressure. In 1840, they might have relied on observing the boiler's response to steam pressure, looking for signs of leaks, bulging, or other structural issues.
3. Materials: Boilers in the 1840s were typically made of cast iron or riveted iron plates, which had their own inherent limitations and potential weaknesses.
4. Safety: Safety was a primary concern, especially given the potential for catastrophic failures.
5. Standards: There were likely few, if any, standardized boiler codes or regulations in 1840. Safety would have been based on the knowledge and experience of the boiler makers and operators.
In summary: While the specifics of pressure testing in 1840 might be difficult to reconstruct precisely, the fundamental goal of ensuring boiler safety under pressure was certainly present. The methods would have been more rudimentary compared to modern practices, relying more on observation and experience.
Click to expand...
There are two parts of this testing which was basically static testing that would be appropriate: dynamic testing which would vary the pressure to stress and relax the structure and thermal cycling which would also stress the welds but would identify potential material failures.
An example in today’s world would be the fuel filters on today over the road trucks are dynamically cycled to 10 million cycles, Caterpillar requires 16 million cycles. This is proof testing. As a point of reference, high pressure common rail fuel pressures can run as high as 10,000 psi.
 
“Dr Church's Steam Carriage. The works at Bordesley have in a state of great forwardness a Drag Engine, computed at 50 house power and calculated to take in tow a thirty passenger omnibus with luggage.”
(Aris’s Gazette 1834)
 
Birmingham Journal, Dec 1836. The steam carriage goes on a journey.

“From the provincial papers it appear the roads never were in a worse condition throughout the country than ot the present time, which makes the foregoing trials the more decisive.”
(Sounds familiar)

IMG_5259.jpeg
 

Inshaw Steam Carriage 1882​

1749230474358.jpeg

John Inshaw from the Aston Manor area of Birmingham, seen here at the helm, said that he built this carriage in 1881. As the plate on the side of it gives an 1882 date, the earlier date is probably when construction began, rather than that of completion, a not uncommon situation with pioneer machinery that took a while to build. Be that as it may, it was still in the period when mechanically powered road vehicles in Britain were obliged by a law passed in 1865 not to exceed a speed of two miles per hour in a built-up area.
Also on the side it states that it is a ‘Steam Fire Engine’ and there are some oblique references in later writings about such vehicles of this era that imply that fire engines were able to avoid the stringency of the law. If this is so, then it would help to explain how Inshaw could state: “When loaded with ten passengers, fuel and water, this carriage weighed 35cwt, and the speed on good roads averaged from 8 to 12 miles per hour.” The ‘steerer’ is said to have had “entire control over the carriage, far more than a coachman has over a pair of horses”. Use of the vehicle is reported to have lasted for several years.
 
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