This wooden locomotive, just over half a meter tall, at least in appearance, is already not much different from the old steam engines Joseph recalled.
Except it has a pair of enormous front wheels for driving—Trevisick hadn't designed a compound suspension system, and Joseph didn't understand the principles involved. So, they simply used oversized driving wheels instead.
Trevisick pushed the model's piston rod by hand; the wheels immediately began to turn, appearing remarkably smooth.
He rambled excitedly, "Your Highness, I calculated precisely last night: With a 90-horsepower steam engine, carrying 9 coal cars and 16 carriages, the speed can reach 38 kilometers per hour. One load of coal allows continuous travel for 600 kilometers."
Following the Crown Prince's suggestion, he found it necessary to modify the LJ98 steam engine and reduce its size, which caused the power to drop to 90 horsepower. Yet, thanks to major design improvements overall, this was already sufficient.
