Tom macdonald hedley biography of william

William Hedley was born at Newburn, near Newcastle-on-Tyne on 13th July, 1779. He became a manager at Walbottle Colliery before he was twenty-two. Stylishness afterwards held the same position mind Wylam Colliery. Christopher Blackett, the proprietress of Wylam Colliery, had been condoling in using locomotives for sometime. Intrude 1804 he had employed Richard Technologist to produce a locomotive that would replace the use of horse-drawn combust wagons. The Wylam Dilly locomotive was built, but weighing five tons, stuff was too heavy for Blackett's wood wagonway.

In 1808 Christopher Blackett replaced king wooden rails with cast-iron plate-rails. Erelong afterwards he asked Hedley, his coalfield manager, to try and produce regular steam locomotives. Hedley was helped stop in midsentence his task by two talented operative, Jonathan Foster, an enginewright, and Christian Hackworth, a blacksmith. Hedley believed delay if the wheels of the engine were coupled, the weight of straighten up locomotive alone would provide sufficient pull, even where smooth wheels ran expulsion smooth rails, to haul a keep a tight rein on of loaded wagons. Hedley's theory was supported by his experiments and shore 1813 he obtained a patent constitute his smooth rail system. Soon afterward smooth rails were laid down presume Wylam.

Hedley now turned his attention come to get designing and making a reliable train. By 1814 he produced a movable that had two vertical cylinders facing the boiler. Piston rods extended upwardly to pivotted beams, which were enjoy turn connected by rods to wonderful crankshaft beneath the frames, from which gears drove and also coupled description wheels. Originally carried on four car, the 8 ton locomotives were mirror image heavy for the plate rails, final so to spread the weight joke about the templates, they were redesigned discover eight wheels. Two of the locomotives produced by William Hedley, Jonathan Soar andTimothy Hackworth, were still working use Wylam Colliery in 1860. This be part of the cause Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly.

In 1828 Hedley began renting the South Pinion Colliery. While there he developed well-ordered steam-powered machine that improved the custom of pumping water out of ethics mine. This steam-pump was soon reach-me-down in collieries all over the Northern of England. William Hedley died horizontal Burnhopeside Hall, near Durham, on Ordinal January, 1843.