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- Think about it: if everything else (boiler pressure, cylinder bore and stroke) stayed the same, a locomotive with 72-inch drivers would go half again as far in one revolution as one with 48-inch drivers. So engines built for speed would have the larger drivers, and engines built for power would have smaller ones.
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How does the size of a driver affect a locomotive's top speed?
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Why does a steam locomotive have more power than a small cylinder?
There's a lot more than driver diameter that affects locomotive speed. Condition of track and condition of the engines running gear are big factors. But, assuming everything is kept in tip-top mechanical condition, there are other design considerations to be taken into account.
The diameter of the drivers affect the locomotives top speed and pulling ability. The driver diameter is used in the equation for tractive effort. The drivers are made of a "wheel" and a "tire".
For steam locomotives with out trailing trucks, such as the 4-4-0 American type, the size of the drivers had a significant impact on the size and shape of the firebox and grate area. Grate area then impacts steaming ability - and thus speed and power.
In this example, when standing still, each driver supports approximately 35,600 pounds. At speed, as each driver rotates, the dynamic augment adds to this load for a portion of the revolution (downward rotation) and subtracts from this load (upward rotation) for a portion of the revolution.
Heavy slow freight required more power then speed so smaller diameter drivers were used and matched with an appropriate cylinder and boiler size to accommodate that need. Passenger locomotives normally had large drivers to enable a faster top speed and usually had less power then most freight locomotives.
Jan 6, 2024 · Locomotives with smaller drive wheels, which have more mechanical advantage than large ones, pull harder — especially at low speeds, which is important when starting a heavy freight train — but move slower. Think of a steam locomotive’s driver in terms of a lever.
Feb 21, 2016 · Steam Locomotive Rail Wheel Dynamics Part 1 - Precedent Speed. The Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) has received a few pointed questions about the feasibility of a modern steam locomotive to operate efficiently and safely at higher speeds since announcing "Project 130" in May 2012.
