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What was the weirdest steam locomotive ever produced for U.S. rails?

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  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Peak District UK
  • 809 posts
Posted by cabbage on Friday, March 13, 2009 3:14 PM

 Given the auspicious date of today I feel it is time for me to introduce my own entry into this thread:

"My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen May I proudly present to you.

The Youngermann Patent Locomotive."  

The Youngermann Patent Locomotive may look perplexing to the casual observer -to the seasoned observer it is quite simply insane... It is in theory a dual bogie simple expansion locomotive of 0-6-0+0-6-0 configuration. The obvious thing is that the front bogie has wheels that are twice the diameter of the rear bogie. The idea, (according to the patent), is that the loco starts off on the small wheels and then switches to the larger wheels once the locomotive is moving at a high enough speed. Thus the locomotive has the high starting torque required of a goods/freight locomotive, with a good high speed running characteristics of an express locomotive. As far as I know, no locomotive has ever been built to this patent and it would seem that the only people to directly profit from its design -were the accounts dept of Her Majesties Patent Office to the sum of 1 Pound Sterling 17 Shillings paid annually for the period of 7 years...

regards

ralph 

The Home of Articulated Ugliness

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Rochester NY
  • 335 posts
Posted by scottychaos on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:28 PM

 This one isnt SUPER weird..but its quite unusual!

 

 

Its the Lehigh Valley Railroad's "Lilliput"..built by the Mason Machine Works in 1862.

built new in that 2-2-0 configuration!

Scot 

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 19, 2009 12:33 PM

cabbage

 Given the auspicious date of today I feel it is time for me to introduce my own entry into this thread:

"My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen May I proudly present to you.

The Youngermann Patent Locomotive."  

The Youngermann Patent Locomotive may look perplexing to the casual observer -to the seasoned observer it is quite simply insane... It is in theory a dual bogie simple expansion locomotive of 0-6-0+0-6-0 configuration. The obvious thing is that the front bogie has wheels that are twice the diameter of the rear bogie. The idea, (according to the patent), is that the loco starts off on the small wheels and then switches to the larger wheels once the locomotive is moving at a high enough speed. Thus the locomotive has the high starting torque required of a goods/freight locomotive, with a good high speed running characteristics of an express locomotive. As far as I know, no locomotive has ever been built to this patent and it would seem that the only people to directly profit from its design -were the accounts dept of Her Majesties Patent Office to the sum of 1 Pound Sterling 17 Shillings paid annually for the period of 7 years...

regards

ralph 

Do you have a picture?  Dinner

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