Anatole Mallet, introduction of his book "L'évolution pratique de la machine à vapeur" published in 1908.
AVERTISSEMENT à l'usage des visiteurs francophones.
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"Archeology
is honored in every domain, except for building processes and arts; We
know more details about the Egyptian and Babylonian civilisations that
about the origins of our industries. Universities chairs exists for each
History segment except for History of technical applications of sciences."
Anatole Mallet, introduction of his book "L'évolution pratique de la machine à vapeur" published in 1908. |
Updated march 13th., 2001
Last news
New pages: History of compound system, continuation, by A. Chapelon. Technical data about the G.E.L.S.A. locomotives.
Click here to jump the following blablah
This site was at first intended to be mainly dedicated to André CHAPELON's revolutionary creations. As you may know, he is the first to have successfully applied compounding to locomotives. He obtained equal power from the high and low pressure cylinders when pre-Chapelon machines (the better ones, at least) had about 75% of their total power produced by the high pressure cylinder(s) and only the remaining 25% by the low pressure cylinders...
Click here if you want to know a bit more about my intentions.
I sincerely hope you'll enjoy and have a great time visiting
this site!
Visit often, frequent updates.
A brief (hum!) introduction to the advantages and benefits of (efficient) compound systems applied to locomotives based on Stephenson's concepts (well documented arguments and examples extracted from Andre Chapelon's books, conferences, experiments, reports and letters), as well as other reasons that research for greater efficiency was so strongly supported here in France. There are historic, scientific, economic, political, geographic, and even philosophical reasons.
Condensed technical history of French and foreign pre-Chapelon compound locomotive designers whose work led to the "du Bousquet-de Glehn" French standard arrangement for compound locomotives.
Gaston du Bousquet
Anatole Mallet
Text only version of the pictures gallery page (for faster loading)
Index of technical drawings and graphs, indicator diagrams, ...
Short history and description of railroad companies in France
Typically French accessories visible on pics, for those who are curious
A few words about French numbering systems
Glossary of french acronyms used
Live steam models of french locomotives
F.A.Q.
Learn the right way to operate well-designed single
or dual expansion engines for maximum efficiency, minimum water consumption
and minimum engine, mechanism and chassis wear, as defined and taught
by Chapelon. Superiority of his methods has been largely proven by 40 years
of use in
France with thousands of engines, and it has been
fully demonstrated by mathematical models as well. Very unexpected
for experienced, non-french steam locomotive drivers. They may learn they
have always driven poorly designed machines! Or used good ones inefficiently.
Search or ask me technical information, drawings, ...
Steam locomotive basics (for beginners and children...)
along
a 
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All written material © Thierry Stora 1997, 98, 99, 2000. All rights reserved. Reproduction, translation, total or partial on any media absolutely forbidden without preliminary permission and agreement.
First creation: July 1st., 1998
Last revision: march 17th, 2001
All the pictures, drawings and sound recordings contained on this site are believed to belong to the public domain (mainly from the archives of involved railroad companies), or to History (please note: Capital H) of sciences and technologies. But if I stole anything unintentionally, I will remove the concerned material from these pages as soon as I am informed about it.
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Ce site a pour vocation de mettre à disposition de toute personne ou institution interessée par la question de la documentation: Iconographie, informations historiques, documentation technique, ... sur les locomotives à vapeur françaises en général et sur les locomotives compound en particulier, en attachant une attention toute particulière à l'évolution des connaissances humaines en matière de physique et de thermodynamique liées à la conception de celles-ci.
Qu'on se le dise!!