Hackworth valve gear

Hackworth valve gear on steam locomotive 'Lydia' at the Perrygrove Railway.
Hackworth valve gear on Apedale Valley Light Railway locomotive 'Stanhope'
Hackworth valve gear on Tal-y-Llyn Railway locomotive 'Edward Thomas'

The Hackworth valve gear is a design of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam engines. It is a radial gear, with an actuating lever driven from the crank. The drive may be taken directly from the crank or indirectly via a return crank (as in all pictures). The other end of the actuating lever is attached to a die block which slides in a slotted link. When the link is vertical, the engine is in mid-gear. Forward, reverse and cut-off adjustments are made by moving the link away from the vertical. The valve rod is pivoted to a point on the actuating lever.[1]

  1. ^ "What is HACKWORTH VALVE GEAR?". Retrieved 15 February 2014.