Dynamometer car
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A dynamometer car is a railroad maintenance of way car used for measuring various aspects of a locomotive's performance. Measurements include tractive effort (pulling force), power, top speed, etc. Although now, advanced calculations make the dynamometer join the ranks of obsolete equipment such as cabooses and steam locomotives, it was certainly a valuable asset when it was used.
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[edit] History
The first dynamometer car was probably one built in about 1838 by the "Father of Computing" Charles Babbage. Working for The Great Western Railway of Great Britain, he equipped a passenger carriage to be placed between an engine and train and record data on a continuously moving roll of paper. The recorded data included the pulling force of the engine, a plot of the path of the carriage and the vertical shake of the carriage. The work was undertaken to help support the position of The Great Western Railway in the controversy over standardizing the British rail gauge.
[edit] Trivia
The 1930 movie Danger Lights reportedly contains the only motion picture footage of a dynamometer car.
[edit] External links
- Testing a Locomotive - Comprehensive details of how a dynamometer car is used for performance testing
- Rail Training & Test Cars photos of some prototype cars.
- Carriages of LNWR: 6-wheeled Dynamometer Car
- Laboratory on Wheels Details (including publicity article from February 1951) of the Victorian & South Australian Railways' dynamometer car
- Esoteric Test Equipment
- National Model Railroad Association, Kitbash Korner: ML&S Dynamometer Car building a model of a dynamometer car.
[edit] References
- M. V. Wilkes (2002). "Charles Babbage and his world". Notes and Records of the Royal Society 56 (3): 353 – 365.
- K. K. Schwarz (2002). "Faraday and Babbage". Notes and Records of the Royal Society 56 (3): 367 –381.
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