Steam dummy

 ( Steam Locomotive Types ) 

A steam dummy or dummy engine, in the United States and Canada, was a steam locomotive enclosed in a box structure made to resemble a passenger railroad car.

Steam dummies had some popularity in the first decades of railroading in the U.S., from the 1830s but passed from favor after the American Civil War.

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Overview It was thought that the more familiar appearance of a coach presented by a steam dummy, as compared to a conventional steam locomotive, would be less likely to frighten when these trains had to operate in city streets.

Ralcon Wagner (2016). 9781467116862, Arcadia Publishing. . ISBN 9781467116862

Jeff Suess (2015). 9781626195752, Arcadia Publishing. . ISBN 9781626195752

Later it was realized that it was actually the noise and motion of the operating gear of a steam engine that frightened horses, rather than the unfamiliar outlines of a steam engine.

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Production Baldwin Locomotive Works manufactured steam dummies or steam motors for many American tramways. Baldwin Locomotive Works Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives, 2nd Ed., Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1881; pages 150-152, with photograph. Baldwin exported to places such as Australia where they were known as 'steam tram motors' – and New Zealand, where two, both built in 1891, survive at museums today. Four were imported for the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition and tracks were laid from the Redfern railway station to the Exhibition site. Intended as a temporary transport installation, this became the genesis of a larger tram network and probably the exhibition's most lasting legacy.

H. K. Porter, Inc. preferred the term "noiseless steam street motor" in their 20th-century catalog, although they used the term "dummy" (in quotes) in the 19th century. In the 20th century, they offered 0-4-0 and 0-4-2 wheel arrangements. H. K. Porter Company Builders of Light Light Locomotives, 10th Ed., Pittsburgh, 1908; pages 102-105, with photos. In the 19th century, they also offered a double-ended dummy with a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement. Light Locomotives, 6th Ed., H. K. Porter & Co., Pittsburgh, 1889; pages 32-33 (0-4-0) and 42-45 (0-4-2 and 2-4-2), 61-66 descriptive text, 94-95 empirical use data. Porter recommended using anthracite or coke as a fuel in order to avoid smoke. Side flaps to hide the mechanism were optional. Operating speeds between were reported by 19th-century users.

In the UK, the Great Western Railway equipped two engines each from the 2021 and 517 classes with coach bodywork between 1906 and 1911.

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See also

• Doodlebug
• Multiple unit
• Steam railmotor
• Tram engine

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