Hey there, Trainwire! Long time, no see (text, that is
...)
Romance of steam? Oh puleeze. Ever run one of those things on a 100 degree August day? Even for only 9 miles?
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You wear long sleeves just to keep the hair on your arm.
LOL!!! ROTF-LOL!!!
Never rode in any Steamers - only rode Diesel-Electric Locomotives (mostly 2nd Generation units); but have seen a few Videos shot In-Cab, during drags with Steam Power.
Those Engineers never sat still! Pulling - and I mean PULLING on the Throttle in either direction! Every time the Locomotive passed a Flange Greaser, the Throttle had to be brought down, then back up again - or end up with the wheel slip hazard of the century!
Firemen stoking the Firebox here and there, (not as often as I figured). Everyone looking for the next Block Signal's Aspect - and confirming it... loudly!
All under a mind boggling >90 dB "Roar + Clackity-Clack"!
No wonder Old Timers (from Steamer Crews) are/were almost 100% deaf! All the ones I met, had a universal term:
"What?"
"Huh?"
or the commonly used
"Whaddyasay?"
Servicing every 250 Miles sure makes for an overhead nightmare!
Like the Old Timers said;
"Watching Steamers' or 'Not Having To Run / Maintain A Steamer' is a great experience", which I fully agree with! Those classics were simply amazing to watch!, even more interesting to understand their functionality.
I was reading an Article in "Trains" Magazine, which discusses Helpers - modern (RCE/DP), "Manned Helper Sets" of Diesels, and in the days of Steam.
The Steam operation is very interesting - though being the Helper Crew in Tunnel Territory must have really sucked! (read: Tunnels filled with smoke - and lots of it!).
Apparently, in Grade Ascending Helper jobs, once the Helper ("Pusher") got the "High Ball" whistle from the point Locomotive, and the reply whistle was given, the Engineer in the Helper would open the valve (throttle) fully wide - sitting on sanded rail, and leave it until the point loco started; then backed down as the train gained speed (without backing down so far as to create slack, or pushing too hard as to toss cars out).
Same article shows a Helper Set of Diesels (Cut-In Helpers) in Ascending Grade Tunnel Territory, with the picture taken about 10 cars out of the Tunnel.
In the background, there is a HUGE cloud of black smoke rolling out of the Tunnel.
The Helper Set is a 4 Unit Lash-Up of "Tunnel Motors" (SD 45 T-2s from EMD), and the trailing 3 units are totally covered with soot! The 1st unit is "1/3 sooty"
This shot was taken when "SP Stilled Owned SP"
Must have been back in the 70's or 80's, since the "Southern Pacific" stenciling was not the "Speedline" type, and there were still Oscillating Headlights on the units - with no Ditch Lights.
On the same subject - kind of!; S.P. had the "Cab Forward" versions of Steamers (2-6-6-0 Articulated???), which must have made Tunnel Districts - and mostly any District Jobs, a lot less "Smokey" - and possibly much cooler.
I do feel bad here, as this thread deals mainly with Electrified Equipment, an area of which I have very little experience with.
All the equipment I have dealt with, had some type of Prime Mover coupled to a local Genny.
Sorry to "thread Drift" towards Non-Electrified Railroads so much!
Scott35