Turbine waterwheels. Gas, steam, and water turbines have a casing around the blades that contains and controls the working fluid. Credit for invention of the steam turbine is given both to Anglo-Irish engineer Sir Charles Parsons (1854–1931) for invention of the reaction turbine, and to Swedish engineer Gustaf de Laval (1845–1913) for invention of the impulse turbine. Modern steam turbines frequently employ both reaction and impulse in the same unit, typically varying the degree of reaction and impulse from the blade root to its periphery. The word "turbine" was coined in 1822 by the French mining engineer Claude Burdin from the
Steam turbine locomotive turbine failed after eleven years in heavy service. The Turbomotive was converted to piston drive in 1952, renamed "Princess Anne" and shortly after entering service was withdrawn following the deadly Harrow and Wealdstone railway accident in 1952. Another locomotive was built by Beyer-Peacock, using the Ljungström turbine by Fredrik Ljungström. Like one of Ljungström's early designs, the driving wheels were under the tender. Performance was disappointing, however, partly because of poor heating of the boiler. Another unit was rebuilt by the North British Locomotive Company. In its first incarnation (described below) it had an electrical transmission. Only a few tests