Online Catalogue last updated 18th of October 2024
If any man was qualified to write a comprehensive book from experience on the state of steam locomotive construction at its zenith, and of the world's major steam locomotives, it was Andre Chapelon, the Frenchman who designed some of the world's most advanced steam locomotives.
The 2nd edition of 'La Locomotive a Vapeur', first published in France in 1952, has long had an almost legendary status as the best book of its type, and one which contains a large amount of technical information. Now, thanks to a masterly translation by George Carpenter it is available for the first time in English.
Here the reader will find not only considerable technical details of Chapelon's own designs, and the performances they were capable of, but also a very fair and realistic assessment of many other designs, especially from France, Britain, Germany and America although the locomotives of many other countries are also featured. By way of introduction, Chapelon also looks at all the vital parts of the steam locomotive, current practice, constructional methods etc.
To bring the book up to date, George Carpenter has added a considerable amount of information in various addenda, including one on Chapelon's designs which were never built. In addition other contributors have written further addenda covering the work of the small number of steam locomotive engineers who have worked, and still are working in many cases, on advancing the steam locomotive, since the French edition of this book. Finally, a colour section has been added covering both Chapelon's locomotives, and the work of those included in the addenda,
George Carpenter, the translator of this book, knew Andre Chapelon well and has been actively involved in steam locomotive development projects and improvements to existing locomotives since 1960. In the 1970s he worked with Chapelon on projects for high powered coal-burning locomotives deriving from the most recent American types, but applying the Chapelon principles of improved and more efficient draughting, enlarged steam flow circuits and Houlet type superheater elements giving higher steam temperatures. These features were combined with compound drive to enable maximum power to be increased by about 30%, alternatively offering a substantial reduction in fuel consumption at the power outputs of previous locomotive types of equivalent dimensions. Railroads showed interest in this solution during the Energy Crises, when the cost of diesel fuel rose fourfold, but ultimately were reluctant to carry out the necessary re-tooling of workshops and depots and the re-training of shop and footplate staff had steam traction been re-introduced.
George Carpenter also worked with Col. Kenneth Cantlie, designer of the notable Chinese Railways 4-8-4 now at the National Railway Museum at York, whose design Andre Chapelon admired, and Dr. Adolph Giesl-Gieslingen on applications of the Giesl Ejector on locomotives of various railways, including those in China, India and South Africa. Later, in the 1980s, as a director and chief consultant of Shoemaker & Associates, an American engineering consultancy firm, he was closely involved in projects for 6000 and 9000 H.P. steam turbine locomotives, an alternative considered by Chapelon at the 1955 Liege Traction Congress, with electrical transmission and Henschel type atmospheric condensing, intended to provide equivalent tractive effort/speed characteristics to two or three 3000 H.P. diesel-electric units.
More recently he has worked with consulting engineer Robin Comyns-Carr on a 4500 H.P. freight locomotive project for North America using a once through coil tube boiler working at 120 bar, triple expansion prime mover, electrical transmission, enabling dynamic braking to be provided, and condensing.
He worked with Ing. Livio Dante Porta, who he has known for many years, on the latter's paper 'Steam Locomotive Development in Argentina - its Contribution to the Future of Railway Technology in the Under-Developed Countries' presented to THE INSTITUTE OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS in 1969, and was author of the paper 'Andre Chapelon: Master of Steam Locomotive Development' to the Joint I. MECH. E./NEWCOMEN SOCIETY Chapelon Symposium in 1986.
He lives in London and has been a committee member of the INSTITUTE OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS Railway Division since 1969, and previously worked in the traction Division of the former ENGLISH ELECTRIC CO. LTD., and in the Railway Brake Division of WESTINGHOUSE BRAKE & SIGNAL Co. LTD.
Code No. 009445, 631 pages, ISBN 0953652300, $280.00