A Steam Engine with No Fire? Fireless Locomotive Imperial No. 1 | Curator with a Camera

How does a steam locomotive work without fire? Find out all about the trials and tribulations of 'fireless' locomotive technology and the story of Imperial No. 1, a preserved example built at Andrew Barclay Works in Kilmarnock in 1956, with our curator Anthony Coulls. Fireless locos brought steam power to a variety of settings where an on-board fire was not desirable. For Imperial No. 1 it was Imperial Paper Mills in Gravesend, Kent, where a stray spark could have ruined the whole operation. This episode was filmed at Locomotion in Shildon. To find out more about Locomotion, visit www.locomotion.org.uk/ If it's the National Railway Museum in York you're looking for, head to www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/ Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:26 The history of fireless locomotive technology 02:10 Why no fire? 03:35 Steam reservoir 04:15 How it works 05:55 Running gear 08:00 Exterior features including bell and headlamp 09:03 Exhaust 09:37 Inside the cab 12:00 What does the bell sound like? 12:20 More interior details 14:39 Why hasn't fireless tech taken off? 15:40 Like and subscribe! #steam #railways #trains