Teddy Train Buffs

Lizzie had been watching Charlie trying out all the engines and was fascinated by all the switches and dials. Charlie suggested she might like to climb up onto the footplate to be his assistant, to which she readily agreed.

"What type of engine is this?" she asked Charlie when they were both stood in the driver's cab of the Charles. "Does it run on electricity or diesel?" she asked, knowing what modern trains used.

"Neither!" laughed Charlie. "These old engines ran on steam!" he declared.

"Gosh!" replied Lizzie. "Like what comes out of the spout of an electric kettle? How would that work then?"

"Well, let's see!" Charlie began, trying to make it as simple as possible for someone not so mechanically minded. "There's a fire box here which the fireman would load coal into and burn. The coal burns at 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. That's really hot! You wouldn't be able to touch most of these levers and switches without some sort of protection if this steam engine was running!

A water tank sits next to the fire box. The heat from the burning coal causes the water to boil. As the water boils, it makes steam - like a kettle. The steam builds up in pressure and causes pistons to move. Pistons are basically just cylinders in a tube and can move back and forth. The pistons are attached to rods and the rods are attached to the train's wheels. As the pistons move, the rods and wheels move and the train moves forward."