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Cowcatcher
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Cowcatcher
A cowcatcher, also known as a pilot, is the device mounted at the front of a locomotive to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise damage or derail it or the train.
In the UK, small metal bars called life-guards, rail guards or guard irons are provided immediately in front of the wheels. They knock away smaller obstacles lying directly on the running surface of the railhead. Historically, fenced-off railway systems in Europe relied exclusively on those devices and cowcatchers were not required, but in modern systems cowcatchers have generally superseded them.[citation needed]
Instead of a cowcatcher, trams use a device called a fender. Objects lying on the tram track come in contact with a sensor bracket, which triggers the lowering of a basket-shaped device to the ground, preventing the overrunning of the obstacles and pushing them along the road surface in front of the wheels.
In snowy areas the cowcatcher also has the function of a snowplow.
An idea for a cowcatcher was proposed by Charles Babbage in 1830, during his period of working for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. However, Babbage's invention was not constructed, and it is uncertain whether later manufacturers were aware of Babbage's idea.[citation needed]
The first practical cowcatcher is widely credited to Isaac Dripps, who fitted one to the John Bull in 1833, shortly after steam haulage commenced on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.[citation needed] His design is described and illustrated in David Stevenson's book Sketch of the Civil Engineering of North America, published in 1838.[full citation needed]
On a mainline locomotive, the cowcatcher has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed. The design principle is to push the object upwards and sideways out of the way and not to lift the locomotive on impact.
The typical shape is a blunt wedge with a shallow V-shape in plan. In the later days of steam locomotives, the front coupler was designed to swing out of the way also, so it could not get caught up; this was called a 'drop coupler pilot'.
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Cowcatcher
A cowcatcher, also known as a pilot, is the device mounted at the front of a locomotive to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise damage or derail it or the train.
In the UK, small metal bars called life-guards, rail guards or guard irons are provided immediately in front of the wheels. They knock away smaller obstacles lying directly on the running surface of the railhead. Historically, fenced-off railway systems in Europe relied exclusively on those devices and cowcatchers were not required, but in modern systems cowcatchers have generally superseded them.[citation needed]
Instead of a cowcatcher, trams use a device called a fender. Objects lying on the tram track come in contact with a sensor bracket, which triggers the lowering of a basket-shaped device to the ground, preventing the overrunning of the obstacles and pushing them along the road surface in front of the wheels.
In snowy areas the cowcatcher also has the function of a snowplow.
An idea for a cowcatcher was proposed by Charles Babbage in 1830, during his period of working for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. However, Babbage's invention was not constructed, and it is uncertain whether later manufacturers were aware of Babbage's idea.[citation needed]
The first practical cowcatcher is widely credited to Isaac Dripps, who fitted one to the John Bull in 1833, shortly after steam haulage commenced on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.[citation needed] His design is described and illustrated in David Stevenson's book Sketch of the Civil Engineering of North America, published in 1838.[full citation needed]
On a mainline locomotive, the cowcatcher has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed. The design principle is to push the object upwards and sideways out of the way and not to lift the locomotive on impact.
The typical shape is a blunt wedge with a shallow V-shape in plan. In the later days of steam locomotives, the front coupler was designed to swing out of the way also, so it could not get caught up; this was called a 'drop coupler pilot'.
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