(erielack) Fwd: Steam in Tow Not a dumb question

[Rich Young <ryoungceo_@_yahoo.com>]

- --- Rich Young <ryoungceo_@_yahoo.com> wrote:

> Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 07:29:40 -0800 (PST)
> From: Rich Young <ryoungceo_@_yahoo.com>
> Subject: Steam in Tow Not a dumb question
> To: Green Family <davandli_@_frontiernet.net>
> 
> 
> > 
> > Why couldn't a steam locomotive be moved
> dead-in-tow
> behind the lead locomotive?  There must be a good
> reason or it would have been done.
> > 
> > Dave Green
> > ELHS #1366
> > 
> Dave
> 
> Steam Locomotives HATE to be towed, and can't
> effectively be towed dead.
> 
> Steam Locomotives need steam being delivered to the
> valve spools and pistons while being moved. Valve
> oil
> for lubrication is injected in the steam flow and
> that
> lubricates the spool valve and pison/piston rod. The
> valve spool ( 180 Lbs.) and piston / piston rod (
> 1100
> Lbs) would ride on the bottom of the cage and
> cylinder
> liner and with no lubrication would be history
> without
> some. Also the rods and running gear wear in under
> power and with out pressure on them from the piston
> don't seat where they were broken in at with out
> power
> being applied the rod brass and bearings heat up and
> start galling from pnching and uneven latteral
> rotation. Steam pressure also makes the rings seat
> and
> create pressure all the way around them instead of
> riding on the bottom of the cage/piston liner.
> 
> Now you can remove the rods, but the drivers would
> be
> grossly out of ballance. Rods ( main and connecting
> )
> weigh up to about 2500 Lbs of rotational ballance
> and
> recipricating weight ( parts moving back and forth)
> up
> to about 1700 Lbs. ( Fraction of the main rod
> weight,
> Crosshead, piston rod,piston and valve motion) and
> with the counter weights being balanced for the rods
> on that side they are set to balance the thrust from
> the other side ( Cross Counter Balancing) . Without
> rods the drivers tear up track and literally beat
> the
> engine to death. Locomotives with out rods were
> limited to 15MPH dead in tow. Some roads when towing
> steam to the scrap yards would cut the piston rod at
> the piston or the cross head to keep them in balance
> and tow at  about 35mph.
> 
> So , even in tow you need to have the throttle open
> to
> about 50Lbs of chest pressure to keep the rods tight
> and provide lubrication. So there for you still need
> an Engineer and a fireman. Your chest pressure is
> set
> and will vary from locomotive to locomotive, by the
> engineer to how the locomotive sounds from rod clank
> and banging and even when drifting (coasting) you
> keep
> the throttle cracked for lubrication and to kepp the
> rods from "slapping" (not being tight under power).
> 
> Even today many groups destroy and cause unneeded
> repairs and expense from not doing this correctly.
> 
> Rich Young
> 


	The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
	Sponsored by the ELH&TS
	http://www.elhts.org

------------------------------