Le Belge (locomotive)
| Le Belge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type and origin | |
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | John Cockerill & Cie. |
| Build date | 1835 |
| Specifications | |
| UIC classification | 1A1 |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Driver diameter | 1.52 m (60 in)[1] |
| Weight on drivers | 4,000 kg (8,800 lb)[2] |
| Locomotive weight | 11,560 kg (25,490 lb) (in running order)[2] |
| Boiler pressure | 4 kg[2] |
| Heating surface: – Firebox | 0.86 m2 (9.3 sq ft)[2] |
| – Total | 33.6 m2 (362 sq ft)[2] |
| Cylinders | 2[2] |
| Cylinder size | 280 mm (11 in) (diamater) x 458 mm (18.0 in) (stroke)[2] |
| Performance figures | |
| Maximum speed | 60 km/h (37 mph)[1] |
| Power output | 40 hp (30 kW)[1] (or 50hp[2]) |
Le Belge was a 2-2-2 Patentee type steam locomotive with tender, built in 1835 by the company founded by John Cockerill in Seraing, Belgium. It was the first steam railway locomotive built in Belgium, and was built under license to a design by Robert Stephenson & Co.
Design and operation
The locomotive was built for the first main line on the European mainland, the Brussels-Mechelen line.[2]
Replica
A replica locomotive was built at the workshops of Boissellerie Cognaut for the 150th anniversary in 1980 of the formation of Belgium. It is now displayed at Vresse-sur-Semois Railway Museum.[3]
See also
References
Further information
- U. Lamaille; F. Legein. "La Locomotive, Description raisonnée de ses organes" (in French).
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Belge. |
- "1835. " Le Belge " des ateliers Cockerill". users.skynet.be. from an unfinished album of lithographs by Jacobs and Hergé.