36o SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— G. 



Saturday, September 3. 



Excursion to Leeds district to visit : — 



(i) Savile Pit and Whitwood Silkstone Pit (Messrs. Henry Briggs, 

 Son and Co., Ltd.) for an inspection of a new method of supporting 

 underground readings and of surface arrangements. 



(2) Yorkshire Coal Owners' Association Rescue Station, Wakefield, 

 for demonstrations of breathing apparatus, model underground galleries, 

 etc. 



(3) Kirkstall Super-Power Station (using pulverised fuel) of the 

 Leeds City Electricity Dept. 



(4) Yorkshire Post printing works. 



Monday, September 5. 



Discussion on Railway traction : — 



Sir Seymour B. Tritton, K.B.E. — Steam power. 



The technical press having dealt exhaustively with details of the modern 

 steam locomotive and the high speeds recorded, it is impossible to introduce 

 novel proposals, but a resume is set forth for discussion. 



The general design has altered little from the earlier types, but details 

 have been altered out of all recognition. 



The energy obtained by explosion in the internal combustion engine is 

 compared with the elastic drive of steam. 



The tendency of present-day propulsion is by prime mover running at 

 high speed with a reduction gear to the driven member. Examples : marine 

 turbine, the road motor-car, and, on rails, locomotives of the ' Sentinel ' 

 type. 



Development of the powerful steam locomotive on these lines is 

 questionable. 



The boiler — the vital part of the locomotive — and its development to its 

 present form seems to have reached the limit, and the water-tube boiler, in 

 the author's opinion, is the form in which most progress can be made, 

 though other forms using very high pressures are referred to. 



The progress made with the boiler has been followed by that of valve 

 gears, especially of the ' poppet ' type. 



The use of special steels and alloys is essential to the development of the 

 steam locomotive if its weight is to be kept within permissible limits of the 

 restricted ' loading gauge ' of this country. 



Sir Henry Fowler. — Oil engine power. 



At the inception of what is called the internal combustion engine, its 

 application to railway transport was naturally considered by engineers. 

 It will be remembered that Sir Frederick Bramwell, about fifty years ago, 

 looked to it supplanting the steam engine in every direction. Our President, 

 Sir Alfred Ewing, dealt with this in his address last year. 



The use of a heavy and cheaper oil by Diesel and others made the matter 

 a more practical proposition, whilst recent developments have given us a 

 more flexible engine. A great deal of work has been done on the subject 



