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How to build a locomotive.


Subdeacon Joe

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Thanks for sharing!

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OSHA would have a field day...........pouring steel with no eye protection!!

 

In fact, no eye protection anywhere!

 

 

Darned near no protection of any kind anywhere, except for some gloves. And workers riding on a part as a counterweight while it was being transported? Oh, the horrors!

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Absolutely fascinating. The steam engine, in all its incarnations, did more to change the world than any other invention ever, with the possible exception of the microchip. Change like that in such a small span of time will never happen again on this Earth.

 

Steam locomotives were still in relatively common use when I was born, and were used well into the 70's in Mexico. Some may still be in use in China, South America, and South Africa. There was one here that was used in the tourist industry up until a few years ago, but re-certification became so prohibitively expensive (WELL into the 6 figure range), that it is no longer running. :(

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WOW!

Thanks for sharing Joe. Veeeeery Interesting. Now I understand why the Railroads went away from steam.

 

Like was said before, Osha would have a field day. Those were iron men working with iron components.

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I hear you can just print one out from your computer nowadays.

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Having a little trouble getting the sheets of cast iron to feed but I'll get it figgered out.

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My BIL. has two locomotives that can pull people and cars and yet he rides on the and operates them from the coal car or maintenance car !

 

Got some tracks in the back yard.

 

 

Goggle CRR and you can see some vids.......that steam locomotive I think is the best ! ;)

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Those things were/are like living monsters. They hiss, they quake, they rumble and they scare the bejeebers out of little kids.

 

But the moan of a steam engine, on a star filled night, is something you will not soon forget. Kind of like the howl of a pack of wolves, it stays with you.

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Those things were/are like living monsters. They hiss, they quake, they rumble and they scare the bejeebers out of little kids.

 

But the moan of a steam engine, on a star filled night, is something you will not soon forget. Kind of like the howl of a pack of wolves, it stays with you.

 

Can you imagin' one posse comin' in to a stage ridin' on one of dim thins' ? :o

 

I like da hissin' da quakein' an rumblein'.......it lives and it howls two.......I respect it ! ;)

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Just with in the last few years china finally pulled all there main line steam locomotives from there coal and iron mine work and retired them infavor of diesel electric power. Also up until about 4 or 5 years ago the Ohio Central Railroad regularly used a 4-8-4 coal firedsteam loco in it's mainline freight service but the gentleman that owned the railroad sold the entire line and all the equipment except the steam roster which he kept for his private collection. The last I heard I believe he was building the largest working roundhouse and turntable in the country to house his collection and continue equipment restorations must be nice to be wealthy enough to own your own steam railroad.

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Just with in the last few years china finally pulled all there main line steam locomotives from there coal and iron mine work and retired them infavor of diesel electric power. Also up until about 4 or 5 years ago the Ohio Central Railroad regularly used a 4-8-4 coal firedsteam loco in it's mainline freight service but the gentleman that owned the railroad sold the entire line and all the equipment except the steam roster which he kept for his private collection. The last I heard I believe he was building the largest working roundhouse and turntable in the country to house his collection and continue equipment restorations must be nice to be wealthy enough to own your own steam railroad.

Sadly, I will never know, Longhorn. But they are a hoot to watch in action. Little town of Snoqualmie, Washington has/had a working railroad museum. They ran coal and early diesel engines on a short 20 mile trip. Don't know if they still do so, but they

have a lot of rolling stock in various stages of reconstruction. Looks like a costly operation. Don't see much cash flow so I don't

see much hope.

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As one who has seen many machining ops from various industries with the smallest parts (micro-conductors) to some of the largest (ship building) this is fascinating...Thanks...

 

GG ~ :FlagAm:

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The V&Trr, California Western (Skunk) both offer steam powered tourist lines. The Calaveras and Big Trees rr in Felton still does I think. I think there is one near Yosemite but Ive never been on that one. The California Railway Museum in Sacto operates a short tourist ride too.

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Sadly, I will never know, Longhorn. But they are a hoot to watch in action. Little town of Snoqualmie, Washington has/had a working railroad museum. They ran coal and early diesel engines on a short 20 mile trip. Don't know if they still do so, but they

have a lot of rolling stock in various stages of reconstruction. Looks like a costly operation. Don't see much cash flow so I don't

see much hope.

 

 

"must be nice to be wealthy enough to own you're own steam railroad."

 

 

 

 

 

YA TANK ? ! ;)

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Riding in the cab of one of these beasts on a long, fast run will convince anyone that they are, indeed, alive. The "chuff..........chuff.........chuff", as the drive wheels spin on the rails, trying to get some purchase, the low hiss of the sanders, blowing sand under the drivers, the steam blowing from the valves, billowing from the stack, the rods pushing the drivers faster and faster, its now sounding like chuffchuffchuffchuff!, chuffchuffchuffchuff!, chuffchuffchuffchuff!.

 

And inside the cab. MY GOD!! The roar, the heat, the noise from the firebox doors slamming open and closed as the fireman stomps on the pedal to trip the doors open, the roar of the fire when the doors are open, the waves of heat pouring from the open doors. Looking into the firebox is a preview of hell on wheels with the devil himself breathing flame at you. The rattle and scrape of the fireman's shovel digging into the coal, valves popping and hissing, the whistle of the wind thru the open windows and around the back of the cab, the all-pervasive rumble of steel wheels on steel track and the clicking-clacking as the wheels hit the joints. And the whole time, the engine is bucking and swaying with the irregularities in the track. If you hit a tunnel, you are swallowing smoke and sparks the whole time you're in it. Between the sweat and the coal dust, your face is black except for two "raccoon eyes" from your goggles. You've just buckled yourself into a living, fire-breathing dragon out of the mists of antiquity and lived to tell the tale.

 

Damn! I want to do it again!

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The Union Pacific Railroad is the only Major Railroad left in the country to still have a steam program. There was talk about CSX reviving theirs but to this day just talk. The Union Pacific has the largest steam locomotvie currently on the rails the last of the 4-6-6-4 Challengers what a monster she is they run her and her little sister a 4-8-4 mountain out of Cheyenne Wyoming on several railfan appreciation tours every year. Years ago philanthropist Ross Roland took a retired and completely refurbished 2-8-4 Berkshire formaly of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and for 30your days ran loaded coal trains across West Virginia in an effort to prove coal powered steam was still a viable rail option ut it never went anywhere.

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AWESOME VIDEO! Thanks for posting.. B)

 

I've noticed in the replies nobody has mentioned the Durango-Silverton tourist train..I hope it's not stopped running, we rode on it back around '03, and had a great time! Was hoping to ride it again someday..

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Never mind..Marshall Mo just answered my question.. :lol:

 

You must have put in your reply about the same time I was typing mine in..Glad to see she's still running!

 

As much as I liked the "Back To The Future" movies, I never did like the fact they trashed that cool old locomotive at the end of the last one..Although that is one spectacular crash scene.. :o

 

I guess they could simulate that with computers nowadays..

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THANK YOU JOE!

 

Lake Louise, what a beautiful spot. And those old railroad hotels were palaces.

 

Banff Springs Hotel is not too shabby either.

http://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/?cmpid=google_bsh_search-branded_branded-e&s_kwcid=TC%7C1025556%7Cbanff%20springs%20hotel%7C%7CS%7Ce%7C20496278940&gclid=CMuij5uG5rUCFShgMgod0CwA7g

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I'm sorry I didn't mean to leave out those wonderful tourist railroads i was just giving reference to the main freightlines and large locomotives still in use. The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn MI. has a nice collection of rail equipment but the queen of the ball there is their former Chesapeake and Ohio 2-6-6-6 Allegheny which has been housed inside the building for years and I have it on good authority that if her tender was loaded with coal and filled with water because she is in such good shape you could probably fire her up and run her down the main line although I don't believe there are to many bridges that will be support her almost 1,000,000 pound weight but in draw bar test back in the day the 2-6-6-6 broke the draw for it's tender at almost 9,00 hp thats almost twice as powerful as any modern day diesel electric locomotive.

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Sorry the test locomotive broke it's drawbar during the test at around 8,700 hp.

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