Zylinderhähne

Cylinders are steam engine components that house pistons that propel the vehicle. Typically, there are two cylinders in the front of the vehicle, one on each side. They are alternately fed steam from the steam chest , with every full rotation of the driving wheels, in the amount set with the cutoff .

Steam in cylinders pushes the pistons inside, mechanically linked to the driving wheels, propelling the vehicle. The used steam is then expelled through a blastpipe, where it mixes with smoke from the firebox in the smokebox, and together they are exhausted to the atmosphere through a chimney.

Wenn den Zylindern kein Dampf mehr zugeführt wird, kühlen sie schnell ab, weil sie baulich von den Wärmequellen der Dampflokomotive getrennt sind. Dampf kann so vergleichsweise schnell in den Zylindern kondensieren. Da Wasser im Gegensatz zu Dampf nicht komprimierbar ist, kann dies, wenn sich genug davon in den Zylindern ansammelt hat, die Zylinder beschädigen und einen katastrophalen Ausfall des Antriebsstrangs verursachen.

To prevent this, steam engines come equipped with cylinder cocks. They are usually operated by a lever from inside the cab , and allow water to be expelled from the cylinders. However, since steam escapes through the cocks too, they should only remain open for a short time, typically just a few seconds, when the vehicle begins moving from a standstill.

Cylinders can also fill with water if the boiler is overfilled , or from running the vehicle with the cutoff set in the opposite direction.