Pneumatic Railways

[LongBranchMike]

Does anyone on here know about pneumatic railways (not atmospheric railways)? Such as those developed and proposed by Thomas Rammell in and around London in the 1860s and 1870s, like the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway?

 

[hexagon789]

Does anyone on here know about pneumatic railways (not atmospheric railways)? Such as those developed and proposed by Thomas Rammell in and around London in the 1860s and 1870s, like the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway?

That seems to have been an atmospheric railway of sorts, so can I ask what the distinction is?

When you put 'pneumatic railway' my first thoughts went to the brief use of compressed air locomotives on some railways, but I don't think that's what you meant

 

[Midnight Sun]

The Victorian Hyperloop: the forgotten pneumatic railway

 

[LongBranchMike]

@hexagon789 Here's an example of a briefly worked pneumatic railway (the train carriage itself is the piston):

Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway

 

[ASharpe]

When you put 'pneumatic railway' my first thoughts went to the brief use of compressed air locomotives on some railways, but I don't think that's what you meant

I thought it would be about the Paris Metro but that's are a different type on pneumatic.

This idea of fixed machinery/energy transfer systems and rather simple trains makes a lot of sense sometimes. Things like battery trains or evolutions of the parry people mover are going to be the next steps in that direction. Compressed air is a bit 19th century.

 

[hexagon789]

@hexagon789 Here's an example of a briefly worked pneumatic railway (the train carriage itself is the piston):

Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway

Understand now - atmospheric uses a piston linked to the carriage, pneumatic the carriage is the piston

 

[hexagon789]

I thought it would be about the Paris Metro but that's are a different type on pneumatic.

This idea of fixed machinery/energy transfer systems and rather simple trains makes a lot of sense sometimes. Things like battery trains or evolutions of the parry people mover are going to be the next steps in that direction. Compressed air is a bit 19th century.

And compressed air doesn't seem to have been especially successful but there are numerous interesting schemes to read about

 

[ASharpe]

And compressed air doesn't seem to have been especially successful but there are numerous interesting schemes to read about

I like to think I know about thermodynamics - so I can see problems with a pneumatic system. But this is a rail forum and I don't even know how a steam injector works - the mind boggles.

 

[nidave]

Does anyone on here know about pneumatic railways (not atmospheric railways)? Such as those developed and proposed by Thomas Rammell in and around London in the 1860s and 1870s, like the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway?

Isn't there an urban legend about the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway concerning a train full of skeletons?

 

[hexagon789]

Isn't there an urban legend about the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway concerning a train full of skeletons?

It seems so, one of the links mentions the story of a woman in 1978 who swore she saw skeletons in Victorian attire riding a train at Crystal Palace

 

[hexagon789]

I like to think I know about thermodynamics - so I can see problems with a pneumatic system. But this is a rail forum and I don't even know how a steam injector works - the mind boggles.

These might interest you, indeed the whole website is full of interesting one-offs or unusual schemes:

Compressed-Air Locomotives

Douglas Self, Compressed-Air Motors,Mékarski,Bonnefond,Robert Hardie,Wantage Tramway

www.douglas-self.com

These were what I had in mind when I first read the thread title.

 

[LongBranchMike]

@hexagon789 Very interesting, but not pneumatic railways in the sense of externally generated air pressure or vacuum.

 

[LongBranchMike]

@Doyle87 That report of train and skeletons was never verified, nor were they seen again.

 

[hexagon789]

@hexagon789 Very interesting, but not pneumatic railways in the sense of externally generated air pressure or vacuum.

Hmm, I understand that now. It was just until I looked at the links above that was all I could think of that might've fitted

 

[bassmike]

It seems so, one of the links mentions the story of a woman in 1978 who swore she saw skeletons in Victorian attire riding a train at Crystal Palace

Probably meant High Level---ask her what she was on and where can I get some?

 

[edwin_m]

I like to think I know about thermodynamics - so I can see problems with a pneumatic system. But this is a rail forum and I don't even know how a steam injector works - the mind boggles.

The systems that used on-board compressed air certainly had thermodynamic problems, to the extent that the Mekarski trams had to have a coal-fired stove to warm up the compressed air and prevent freezing when it expanded. Which rather defeats the point of having a system that is clean at the point of use and doesn't need the vehicles to be fueled up! I suppose in principle the same issue would apply to the pneumatic railways, but as the pressure is that much less it's probably negligible. The atmospheric railway, at least in the form use by Brunel where there was a vacuum ahead of the piston, was inherently limited because the tractive effort was limited by the pressure difference (which even in theory couldn't exceed one atmosphere and was probably much less) and the area of the piston.

 

[hexagon789]

Probably meant High Level---ask her what she was on and where can I get some?

High level?

 

[30907]

High level?

Nice one

 

[bassmike]

High level?

Old high-level stn closed @ 1955

 

[hexagon789]

Old high-level stn closed @ 1955

I thought Crystal Palace was on two levels or is that seperate from the old high level/low level situation?

 

[hexagon789]

Nice one

Not sure I get the joke!

 

[bassmike]

Not sure I get the joke!

Don't worry.

 

[hexagon789]

Don't worry.

Oh I got the second bit , it was the "high level" reference I didn't get.