56 replies to this topic

[Don Weaver]

Greg,

 

The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad has brought back their steam engine and is now offering rides through the Smokeys...

[MG Brown]

Most excellent. Bless you for volunteering.

[Cheater]

Mick,

 

I am actually one of a small number of paid staff, although I would make more working in fast food.

 

That's the only negative about this position; they wouldn't give me the $50 an hour I requested.

[MG Brown]

Where I come from they call the small compensation given to staff who are for all intents and purposes volunteers a "stipend." But I digress.

[Pablo]

Greg will surely climb the ladder very quickly. They hit the lotto when they found him. 

[Champion 507]

Cheater, congrats, dude! I know you'll do well. Nothing like getting paid to play.

 

S&A 750 and I go back to about 1986 IIRC. Every year from the early 1980s through the mid 1990s, Southern Railway (then later Norfolk Southern starting in 1982 or 1983) ran steam train excursions from Memphis, TN, to Corinth or Luka, MS, or Sheffield, AL, as part of a fundraising event for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis. SR 4501, S&A 750, and C&O 2716 made these runs over the approximately 15 year timespan. Those were the ones I saw or rode behind. I don't know if N&W 611 ever made that trip or not. I was only able to attend four of those events, so I'm not sure what all the steamers were that made that run.

 

Norfolk Southern maintained their own steam shop/overhaul facility near Birmingham, AL. I was vice president/program chairman of our local railroad group in the mid-1980s (all the slot car tracks were gone). I would periodically call and talk to Doug Karnes, the head of NS's steam shop to get the latest news from him on what they were working on so I could add it to our newsletter.

 

The Memphis excursion was supposed to be S&A 750's maiden trip after a major overhaul. It almost didn't make it. Mr. Karnes told me that on a break-in run, a crank pin on one of the drivers broke and the side rods ended up getting wadded up, bringing everything to a loud, screeching halt. As luck would have it, there was a sister locomotive on display somewhere in GA. NS was able to get permission to remove and use the rods off that locomotive to fix the 750. In return, NS would cosmetically straighten the damaged rods and reinstall them on the display locomotive.

 

The 750 showed up right on time! But due to so many seats being sold, requiring at least a dozen or more passenger cars, the 750 just simply wasn't big enough to pull all that weight. NS still owned and maintained four vintage SR FP7 diesels in their historical fleet. Two of them were coupled back to back between the tender of the steam locomotive and the passenger cars to help provide the needed pulling power for the heavy train. For me, not only was it a treat to see the steamer, but also the two vintage F units that were built about 1950.

 

Okay, fast forward two years to 1988. We (us railfans) got word that a movie called Biloxi Blues was being filmed in Arkansas, a hundred or so miles away from where I live and S&A 750 was in the movie! How cool is that??? So one day a buddy of mine and I drove over there and got to see 750 and the train. The vintage style passenger cars were lettered "Lackawana" from a museum or tourist railroad in the northeastern part of the US. It was a hot summer day and we had to wait for several hours in between filming runs, so we got baked in the sun.

 

So, yes, I have very fond memories of S&A 750. That's also a mighty handsome E8 #6901, too.    

 

Hey, maybe you could drive your 1930 Model A to 'work' on a nice day.  

[Dan Ebert]

Good for you, sounds like fun. But for me after 38 years at the General Electric Locomotive Plant in Erie, PA, the last thing I want to do is work on them again. LOL.

 

As the saying goes, nice place to visit... but...

[Dave Crevie]

Oddly, many of the workers at NRM were retired railroad workers. Some were still employed by a railroad. It gets in your blood and once it does, there is no cure. I used to get put on fireman's duty on the hot days. Most others couldn't take the heat.

 

And one of my fondest memories is being on boiler watch overnight. In the still of the night, the engine talks to you. You can hear it breathe, feel its heartbeat. I love restoring old cars, but my biggest thrill was always bringing one of these magnificent beasts back to life after it had been sitting for years in some forgotten park or abandoned railyard. Something you just can't put into words.

 

PS: I remember the 4501 in Crescent Limited colors. Tried to get on one of those trips, but they were always sold out before I could get tickets. Have some old 8mm movies of it, though.

[Cheater]

But for me after 38 years at the General Electric Locomotive Plant in Erie, PA, the last thing I want to do is work on them again.

I can understand that, Dan.

Thankfully, the only things I have to do are open the doors, turn on the lights, and take money.

As I said before, I have more interest in railroad history than in the nuts and bolts of locomotives and trains.

And I love watching the kids when they visit...

[Dave Crevie]

Obviously there are far more railfans than people restoring old trains. That is why there is a National Railroad Hysterical Society. So many of the procedures used in locomotive maintenance have been forgotten. I learned from the old timers, but they are all gone now. A sad situation, considering that railroads formed this nation. With the heavy restrictions the FRA has placed on the operation of steam trains, it won't be long before those operations cease completely. It will be much the same as watching a slide show compared to watching a movie. Nice to look at, but without action, there is no interest.

[Dave Crevie]

Been watching some YouTube video of the 4014. Geezus that thing is huge! Looking at the positions of the radius rods, I'd say it isn't working hard. No "chuffs" from exhaust means the loco is not stressed at all. Can't wait to chase this one when it comes to the Chicago area.

Currently it is on the return trip from Superior back to St. Paul. Those of you in that area can check UP Steam Tracker to see where it is in real time. Well worth the effort even if you are not a train buff.

[Dave Crevie]

 

Video of 4014 running with exposition train two days ago.

[MSwiss]

Dave, 
 
Jackie is wondering where will be a good place to view it as it passes through Elmhurst and Lombard?

[Dave Crevie]

Anywhere from Poplar Ave. to the east of Elmhurst, on along St. Charles Road west until it cuts off at Crescent Blvd at the west end of Lombard. Follow Crescent until it becomes Pennsylvania at Main St., Glen Ellyn. Follow that until it becomes College Avenue. At Main St., Wheaton, it becomes Manchester Road, then at Winfield Road it becomes High Lake Road.  You can follow that straight into West Chicago. 

 

Parking near where the train will be parked is at West Chicago Community High School. The tracks parallel this route except for a short distance where Crescent curves away from the tracks just west of 355, and rejoins at Glenbard West High School. Otherwise, you can run with the train the whole distance. 

[SpeedyNH]

Seriously cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

It's great to see a thing like that actually running. Think that they might need to train a real fireman, though; most of the time it looked like they were blowing off early as much steam as they were using!

 

Pretty interesting fourth car from the end.

 

I like the rooftop antennas, too. (I'm an antenna guy.)

[Dave Crevie]

It is an amazing locomotive. For those doubting my descriptions of the size of this thing, use some other objects in the various shots for comparison. The 4014 towers over the Rock Island cab diesels in an early shot. And it dwarfs the covered grain hoppers parked on a siding later on in the video.

 

The fourth car from the end is the generator car which will provide power for the exhibit car, which has displays about the U.P railroad, and the "Golden Spike" ceremony whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated this year. That is the reason the 4014 has escaped from its usual abode.

 

As to the abilities of the fireman, you need to know a little about running a steam loco to judge that. There is always some steam coming from the exhaust of the dynamo which provides electricity to light the cab interior and operate some of the guages. The large volume of steam coming from the top of the boiler is from the safety valves, or "pops" as train people call them. These open to vent excess steam pressure from the boiler, and can open under two most common events. Usually, when the loco is coasting, or "drifting," the boiler pressure will rise dramatically because steam isn't being used as fast as when the loco is working. The firebox is still providing the same amount of heat though, and steam is still being created at the same rate as when the loco was straining. Also, the fireman will often bring the boiler pressure up to maximum just before adding fresh water to the boiler. The fresh water injectors use a lot of steam, plus the cold water cools the boiler and causes the pressure to drop.

 

Steam can also be seen coming from below the cylinders. That comes from the cylinder cocks which are opened to blow out water that has condensed in them. Water in a cylinder can cause a hydraulic lock which will damage the cylinder. Larger amounts of steam coming from under the cab is steam being vented from the overflow pipe of the non-lifting type fresh water injectors.

 

One thing that might be alarming to a seasoned fireman is the black smoke coming from the stacks. (the 4014 has two smokestacks) This is called a "dirty stack," and indicates that too much coal is being added to the fire. Generally, a fireman only wants to see white steam coming from the stack. But you have to remember, this is an exhibition run, and there are a lot of people video taping it. And people like to see black smoke in their videos.

 

Two things I didn't like to see. The piston rod packing of the engineer's side cylinder of the front engine is leaking quite a bit. This is a simple fix, and the babbit metal packing is still available from Paxton-Mitchel. Also, the "clanking" that can be heard is a loose main rod bearing. There might still be some adjustment left to tighten it, but if not new bearing halves can be easily made. This loco does not have roller bearing rods, only on the axles. 

 

So, have I bored everyone enough yet? I can go on.    

[MattD]

Good stuff. The Big Boy is a gigantic piece of hardware. Those were the days for American design and manufacturing. Maybe that's why all us old guys like trains and steam in particular.

[SpeedyNH]

Sure, Dave, go on!

 

Great stuff.

[Dave Crevie]

Seriously, Steve? This is a slot racing board, not sure this really belongs here. But Cheater started it.

You should never get me talking about trains. But if you have any real questions, PM me. I'll answer them the best that I can. (Not to bang my own gong, but there is probably no one on this site that knows more about steam locos than I do.)

[SpeedyNH]

Well, you know, this is in fact a thread about Greg's new job with trains, so unless he objects, I'd say feel free to share here. Interesting stuff.
 

I can go on.

 

I'll try to think of something else to get you going again; maybe I could use some help.

 

I loved the eight hits per revolution. Most of my Lionel trains aren't accurate in that regard.

 

Speed

[Cheater]

I can split Dave's comments off into a new thread if he continues to add them here.

I'm interested in his steam knowledge, too.

[Dave Crevie]

Whether you get eight beats per revolution depends on how the engines are timed. Since there is no physical connection like a shaft between the front and rear engines, the relation of the timing changes, usually from wheel slip in one engine.

 

If they time in together, you only get four exhaust beats per rev because the cylinders are exhausting in unison. But change the relation just a little, and you will end up with a syncopated eight-part beat. Get one engine timed at 45 degrees to the other, and you will get a lovely, evenly-spaced exhaust note.

 

Incidentally, compound articulateds only get four beats per rev because the high pressure steam from the rear cylinders is used again in the front low pressure cylinders. You don't hear the exhaust from the rear cylinders. 

 

When a steam loco is fully loaded, and the steam pressure is topped out, you get a stacatto bark that you can feel in your chest. Pure railfan nirvana.  

[Dave Crevie]

Hey, I know old timers that forgot more than I will ever know. It was an honor and privilege to learn from those guys.  Knowledge unfortunately lost forever. 

 

Cheater, if I'm ever down there again, we are going to have a time.

[Cheater]

You bet we will!

[MattD]

I'm all in for train stuff!