On railways and locomotives // Stage 9a: restday in Darmstadt
My virtual bicycle tour to Girona continues. I got tired, the weather was rainy, and there was lots to see and experience in Darmstadt. So, I decided to stay put, have a rest day, and went to see old locomotives in the Bahnwelt Darmstadt-Kranichstein.
Old locomotives are interesting for many reasons. First of all, steam locomotives are great examples of engineering ingenuity. Steam engine is not very efficient, especially it was not at all efficient in the beginning. James Watt's great invention was to make steam engine more efficient, and thus enable the industrial revolution. The, during the next century or so, engineers tinkered with the design and came close to the theoretical maximum efficiency. But then diesel and electric locomotives replaced steam ones, for the simple reason of being simpler to operate and maintain, and also being more powerfull - as there is a real limit for making ever stronger steam locomotives.
But then, besides locomotives, railways have played - and continue to play - great role in building empires and destroying them during wars. In the USA, railways were the means for conquering the West, to moving people and things around. As railways are rather permanent, new cities arose along the rails, and especially in crossings. Here also steams locomotives played significant part: they required water and coal at regular distances, thus stations and people serving them. We see these cities when we look at the maps - in similar manner as we see cities build because of telegram lines.
By the way, the term 'engineer' used to mean the operator of the engine, the locomotive.
The Bahnwelt Darmstadt-Kranichstein has an impressive collections of locomotives of all types, maybe the best I have visited. There is a good railway museum in Berlin, and I have visited railway museums also in Riihimäki, Ruse and Riga.
In the evening, just walking around the city, having dinner and checking that my bike is still ok, and all other gear as well. It is a routine when travelling bike, almost obsessing about the bike and clothes and everything. For now, everything is ok.
Old locomotives are interesting for many reasons. First of all, steam locomotives are great examples of engineering ingenuity. Steam engine is not very efficient, especially it was not at all efficient in the beginning. James Watt's great invention was to make steam engine more efficient, and thus enable the industrial revolution. The, during the next century or so, engineers tinkered with the design and came close to the theoretical maximum efficiency. But then diesel and electric locomotives replaced steam ones, for the simple reason of being simpler to operate and maintain, and also being more powerfull - as there is a real limit for making ever stronger steam locomotives.
But then, besides locomotives, railways have played - and continue to play - great role in building empires and destroying them during wars. In the USA, railways were the means for conquering the West, to moving people and things around. As railways are rather permanent, new cities arose along the rails, and especially in crossings. Here also steams locomotives played significant part: they required water and coal at regular distances, thus stations and people serving them. We see these cities when we look at the maps - in similar manner as we see cities build because of telegram lines.
By the way, the term 'engineer' used to mean the operator of the engine, the locomotive.
The Bahnwelt Darmstadt-Kranichstein has an impressive collections of locomotives of all types, maybe the best I have visited. There is a good railway museum in Berlin, and I have visited railway museums also in Riihimäki, Ruse and Riga.
In the evening, just walking around the city, having dinner and checking that my bike is still ok, and all other gear as well. It is a routine when travelling bike, almost obsessing about the bike and clothes and everything. For now, everything is ok. 
Kommentit