Heisler locomotive
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The Heisler locomotive is one of the three major types of geared steam locomotives and the last to be patented.
Charles L. Heisler received a patent for the design in 1892, following the construction of a prototype in 1891.
In 1897, Heisler received a patent on a three-truck locomotive.[2] As with Class C Shay locomotives, the tender rode on the third truck. Unlike the Shay, Heisler's design did not have a continuous string of line shafting running the length of the engine. Instead, the tender truck was driven by a line shaft above the shaft driving the main engine trucks, connected to it through spur gears. This patent also covered use of a 4-cylinder 'V4' cylinder configuration.
The Heisler was the fastest of the geared steam locomotive designs, and yet was still claimed by its manufacturer to have the same low-speed hauling ability[citation needed].
Builders
The first Heislers were built by the Dunkirk Engineering Company of
A & G Price of Thames, New Zealand received an order for a Heisler locomotive in 1943 from Ogilvie and Co, sawmillers of Hokitika, who wanted to purchase a Heisler locomotive but were unable to do so as production of Heisler locomotives had ceased in 1941. The resulting locomotive, maker's NO 148 of 1944, was the last Heisler-design steam locomotive to be built, and closely followed Heisler practice but with the addition of a Belpaire firebox and front-mounted water tanks that featured a unique curved leading edge.
Variants
Heislers were produced mostly in two- and three-truck variants in sizes ranging from 17 to 95 short tons (15.2 to 84.8 long tons; 15.4 to 86.2 t). There was one single-truck,
Notable survivors
Roughly 625 Heislers were produced, of which some 35 still exist. Approximately eight of these survivors are currently operational.
Works No. | Year | No. of trucks | Weight | Preserved as | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1375 | 1918 | 2 | 53 short tons (47.3 long tons; 48.1 metric tons) |
Chicago Mill and Lumber Company 4 | Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania | Displayed with a Climax and a Shay. |
1594 | 1929 | 2 | 32 short tons (28.6 long tons; 29.0 metric tons) |
White Mountain Central Railroad 4 | Clark's Trading Post in Lincoln, New Hampshire . |
|
1401 | 1899 | 2 | 37 short tons (33.0 long tons; 33.6 metric tons) |
Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge RR 2 | Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton, California . |
Oldest known operational Heisler.[3] |
1306 | 1915 | 2 | 40 short tons (35.7 long tons; 36.3 metric tons) |
W. H. Eccles Lumber Company 3 | Sumpter Valley Railway in Baker County, Oregon. | |
1369 | 1918 | 3 | 75 short tons (67.0 long tons; 68.0 metric tons) |
Pickering Lumber Company 2 | Travel Town open-air museum in Los Angeles. | |
1479 | 1923 | 2 | 55 short tons (49.1 long tons; 49.9 metric tons) |
9 | Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia. | Static display. |
1351 | 1916 | 2 | 47 short tons (42.0 long tons; 42.6 metric tons) |
Bluestone Mining & Smelting 1. | Roots of Motive Power in Willits, California. | |
1198 | 1910 | 2 | 60 short tons (53.6 long tons; 54.4 metric tons) |
Curtiss Lumber Company 2 | Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in Garibaldi, Oregon. | Awaiting boiler work. |
1917 | 2 | CRAIG MT. LBR. CO. #3 (Craig Mountain Lumber Company (Idaho)) | Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in Garibaldi, Oregon. | Operational. | ||
1930 | 1929 | 3 | 90 short tons (80.4 long tons; 81.6 metric tons) |
West Fork Logging Co #91 | Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe, Washington . |
Awaiting boiler work. |
3 | 78 short tons (69.6 long tons; 70.8 metric tons) |
Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe, Washington . |
Static display. | |||
1591 | 1929 | 3 | 90 short tons (80.4 long tons; 81.6 metric tons) |
Cass Scenic Railroad 6 | Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in Cass, West Virginia. | Operational. |
1446 | 1920 | 2 | 36 short tons (32.1 long tons; 32.7 metric tons) |
Pacific Lumber Co. 9 | Scotia, California. | Static display. |
1260 | 1912 | 2 | 36 short tons (32.1 long tons; 32.7 metric tons) |
2 | Silver Creek and Stephenson historical railroad in Freeport, Illinois. | Operational |
1082 | 1904 | 2 | 20 short tons (17.9 long tons; 18.1 metric tons) |
Pukemiro , New Zealand. |
Static display. | |
1450 | 1921 | 2 | 26 short tons (23.2 long tons; 23.6 metric tons) |
Ferrymead Railway, Christchurch, New Zealand. | Stored in the locomotive shed. | |
1494 | 1924 | 2 | 24 short tons (21.4 long tons; 21.8 metric tons) |
Shantytown, near Greymouth , New Zealand. |
Statically restored in 2011 for display within the park's environs. | |
1502 | 1924 | 3 | 90 short tons (80.4 long tons; 81.6 metric tons) |
Potlatch 92 | Locomotive Park in Lewiston, Idaho. | Unrestored state on static display. |
1565 | 1928 | 3 | 80 short tons (71.4 long tons; 72.6 metric tons) |
4 | El Salto, Mexico, along the Durango-Mazatlan highway. | |
1923 | 2 | Ohio Match Company #4 | Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, WA | Static display. Last operated in 1958. | ||
A & G Price 148 | 1943 | 2 | Ogilvie and Company "Gladstone" | Steam Scene, Christchurch, New Zealand, | Last Heisler design locomotive built; in full working order; boiler ticket will expire in 2022. |
Advantages and disadvantages
The Heisler locomotive's gearing was inside the frame and thus protected, unlike that of a Shay locomotive. However, the Heisler's drive shaft, which was located in the center of the frame, limited firebox space. For this reason, when A & G Price built their Heisler, in 1943, they used a Belpaire firebox, to mitigate problems with burning wood and accommodating the drive shaft.
Conversions
Similar to the Climax, some Heislers, especially two-truck ones, were converted to diesel or gasoline power, retaining their gearing and drive shafts, but their steam boiler is replaced by an internal combustion engine.
References
- ^ Charles L. Heisler, Locomotive, U.S. Patent 482,828, Sept. 20, 1892.
- ^ Charles L. Heisler, Locomotive, U.S. Patent 585,031, June 22, 1897.
- ^ "History of". Roaring Camp Railroads. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
Further reading
- Casler, Walter C., The Heisler Locomotive, 1891–1941, published by Benjamin F. G. Kline Jr., 1982. ISBN 978-0-9966963-6-4
External links
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