OIL FUEL ON BRITISH RAILWAYS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 37, 8 November 1920, Page 2

OIL FUEL ON BRITISH RAILWAYS

EXPRESS TRAIN RUN WITHOUT « COAL. The use of oil for firing. locomotive engines was introduced on British railways a good many; years ago, the Great Eastern in particular nt one lime having over 100 of them j but the system was abandoned w-hwi the price of oil began to rise as compared with that of coal.' According to tlia "Daily Mail," however, conditions again, appear to havo become more favourably to liquid fuel, and the. London, and North-Western Railway have adopted it. An express train from Euston to Birmingham was drawn by an engine run entirely on oil fuel. It was an ordinary coal-burning locomotive of the "Precursor" typ.;, which when coal-fired consumed aliout 701b.' per mile. Now that it is oil-tired it burns about.3olb. of oil per mile. For some months it has been running experimentally on ordinary passenger service, drawing both express and slow stopping trains, and the company have expressed themselves as completely satisfied with the results obtained. The occasion was regarded as of such significance that ft large number of representatives of the Admiralty, Ministry of Transport, and other Government Departments, as well ns engineering experts of other railway companies, travelled in a special saloon next to two engine. At Birmingham, which was reached many minutes ahead of the ecliedties of the wide application of the system even to domestic purposes was discussed bv the experts. Some of the advantages of p.L fiwng in regard to railways, t is .claim <1, are that steam can be raised in less """J half fe-l «™i in the transport of fuel pumps and pipes take the place of hundreds of workmen; the• s rniuou task of the firemen censes to exist, ns the furW « f« (1 automatically and the constriction of the feed is such that it is not affected by the oscillation of the engne. Exc'nt tlmt the proportionate smoke, smute, or cindcra