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LMS Railway dynamometer car

Contributed by The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust

The LMS no.1 Dynamometer Car in 2009 after conservation work and restoration to its appearance in the 1930s. © PRCLT

This dynamometer car was built in the same year that TITANIC sank.This vehicle was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company in 1912 to test the performance of their steam locomotives on the railways. In the 1930s, under ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, this dynamometer car was based at the important railway centre of Derby and used in the high speed testing of some of Britain's most powerful locomotives of the day. In a period when the private railway companies were in competition with each other to design the most powerful locomotives, dynamometer cars were the essential tool to enable the testing of engines for features such as horsepower and speed. This particular dynamometer car also marked a significant advance in British engineering design by being the first one to use a 'mechanical integrator' on board to produce accurate test results. This piece of equipment worked in a similar way to the mechanical computer designed by Charles Babbage in the 19th century.

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About this object

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Location

Newton Heath Carriage Works

Culture
Period

Built in 1912 and used until 1970

Theme
Size
H:
393.7cm
W:
1633cm
D:
274cm
Colour
Material

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