Le Belge
| LE BELGE | |
|---|---|
 Le Belge (replica)
|
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| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | John Cockerill , Seraing |
| Year of construction (s): | 1835 |
| Axis formula : | 1A1 |
| Type : | Patentee (Stephenson) |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over buffers: | 5.453 m |
| Empty mass: | 8.7 t |
| Service mass: | 11.6 t |
| Top speed: | approx. 60 km / h |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1.524 m |
| Number of cylinders: | 2 |
| Cylinder diameter: | 380 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 550 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 6.5 atm |
| Grate area: | 0.8613 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 33.5910 m² |
| Service weight of the tender: | 4 t |
| Water supply: | 2.5 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | coal |
LE BELGE ( French , "The Belgian" ) was the first steam locomotive from continental Europe that was not imported from England, but built on mainland Europe. It left John Cockerill's factories in Seraing near Liège in Belgium on December 30, 1835 , where it had been manufactured as a license replica of Stephenson's locomotives with the assistance of the German mechanic Johann Heinrich Ehrhardt .
The locomotive ran on the first railway line in continental Europe from Brussels to Mechelen (today part of the Brussels – Antwerp railway line ), for which Cockerill's steelworks had also supplied the rails. This line was officially opened on May 5, 1835 in the presence of King Leopold I and Robert Stephenson, although three locomotives that were assembled in England and not identical to LE BELGE were used.
Le Belge
Replica in the railway museum in Vresse-sur-Semois
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k U. Lamaille, F. Legein: La Locomotive, Description raisonnée de ses organes , 4th edition (French)
- ↑ La loco à vapeur de Vresse-sur-semois
- ↑ European Route of Industrial Heritage: John Cockerill on www.erih.net
- ↑ George Stephenson 1831 to 1845: Belgium, Leopold I. on fredriks.de ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Röll, Freiherr von: Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens , Volume 3. Berlin, Vienna 1912, p. 494.
- ^ Société Anonyme John Cockerill on www.albert-gieseler.de
- ↑ 1835. "Le Belge" des ateliers Cockerill (French)
- ↑ Belgium's Steel Network on mikes.railhistory.railfan.net (English)
