765

Great photo, thanks!

Yes...that is a great photo.

Too much smoke...

That is a lot of smoke..but 765 is so good lookin' I paid no attention to it.

 

Ed

Nice photo. Theres a piece of machinery...Photos cant do justice.

well, having been in the "business" of steam, THAT was the first thing I noticed.

Ahhh yes....the old age story..the engineman does not like smoke, with good reason.

The photographer loves it..makes a neat photo.

 

E

Remember Ed, that is your opinion. Actually, I prefer a nice light haze to the exhaust, thrown up high and/or trailing back over the train. I'm sure that Rich would agree.

Yep...what he said. 

Is that the engineer or the fireman?

 

Larry

Could be a combination of both. If the Engineer doesn't give the Fireman enough draft, then the Fireman is always trying to play catch up and forces the fire (especially critical on an oil burning steam locomotive).

 

Then again, the NS Dispatcher may have called on the radio and requested "lots of smoke".

I think that's what is in play here. I recall that on the deadhead home from CVSR, somewhere out around Dawkins (just a little east of Fort Wayne) the dispatcher did call and make a request for smoke. Why I'm not sure...

 

If a steam locomotive is making black smoke, that's because there is too much fuel being fed into the firebox for the amount of air being pulled through the fire. That is usually the fireman's job, but if the engineer shut down the throttle without giving the fireman a heads up first so he could cut back his firing rate, that would cut the draft dramatically, resulting in black smoke.

 

In this shot the throttle is obviously not open very far because the smoke is just laying back over the train. It is not being very forcefully exhausted from the stack.

Either that or the Engineer is an Navy Man (Destroyers) and he has a habit of making smoke....

But, to those in the know, it denotes poor firing practice--That black smoke is literally unburned fuel.

 

Would you be happy to see a photo of a sail boat lying still in the water with limp sails, or would you prefer to see one leaning into the wind with the sails billowing full? Do you enjoy watching your favorite baseball team run up the error count? Do you think it's cool when a plane lands on an aircraft carrier and the tailhook grabs the third cable, or do you think it's cooler when it misses and has to go around again?

 

Occasional black smoke comes with the territory.  But personally, I prefer to see the magnificent steam locomotive being operated at her most efficient and high-performance level--and black smoke means that's not happening.

It's sort of like those guys with diesel trucks who like to drive around making black smoke. To them it may look impressive, but in reality it's just wasted fuel and poor combustion.

But, to most "railfans", a steam locomotive is "supposed" to make a lot of smoke...