STEAMday Sunday (2/4/2024 Edition)

Hello StDaySun fans!  Life is good; it’s StDaySun and the sun is out again in Central MA!

Several of you have posted your 4-6-6T tank engines over the past few weeks, so I went to the archives to see what I could dig up for my B&A example.  It is a K-line model converted to PS3.  There is a minor operating glitch that can be seen in the video of the train backing into the station.  Did you see it?

John

My Steamday post for February 4, 2024 is a model of Boston & Maine 2-6-0 “Mogul” steam locomotive #1455 (Lionel Trains 6-38019). It has TMCC, a Pittman motor, and appeared in the 2005 Volume 1 catalog at an MSRP of $599.99. The pictures and videos show it pulling two Lionel wood passenger coaches (Lionel L2227100 Boston & Maine Wood Coach 2-Pack #2) on my 12’-by-8’ layout.

The B&M ran Mogul steam locomotives on branch lines in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and in Boston commuter service. Locomotive #1455, a member of the B&M’s B-15 class, was built by ALCO in Manchester, New Hampshire in November 1907. After being superheated, the total weight of engine and tender (including coal and water) was 220,890 pounds, with a weight of 128,000 pounds on its 63-inch-diameter driving wheels. It produced about 25,000 pounds of tractive effort at 200 pounds-per-square-inch boiler pressure. The railroad sold it in July 1956.

As shown in my photo taken on June 1, 2017, B&M #1455 is preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum in Connecticut.

MELGAR

Fine looking steamers all Enjoy your STEAMday Sunday.

Here’s a photo of B&A no. 403 I was looking for earlier.  She’s being pushed into the engine house by “Tales of a Docksider” star NYC shop switcher X-8688.

John

@Steam Crazy posted:

Hello StDaySun fans!  Life is good; it’s StDaySun and the sun is out again in Central MA!

Several of you have posted your 4-6-6T tank engines over the past few weeks, so I went to the archives to see what I could dig up for my B&A example.  It is a K-line model converted to PS3.  There is a minor operating glitch that can be seen in the video of the train backing into the station.  Did you see it?

John

@Steam Crazy,

John,

I'm not sure if I saw anything unusual but now you've tweaked my curiosity. The only possibility I saw is at the very end of the video when the engine went out of view behind the transformer and the images became blurred. Not sure what caused that but did the car just behind the engine derail on the curve?

MELGAR

Hi Mel,

I was hoping to pique someone’s interest with that question!  You’re close, the lead car didn’t derail, but the “glitch” occurred just before the end of the video.

You may want to look again, because the first person to ID the glitch gets the coveted Arnold D. Cribari Reward, a free pass to the next StDaySun!

John

A big Sante Fe 2-10-4 having had some overhaul work done at Alco Schenectady and now on loan to the New Haven for testing, blasts through Mel's gap on the way toward Maybrook with mostly empties.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5KvwgK8GNnMyXqeS9

@Steam Crazy posted:

Hi Mel,

I was hoping to pique someone’s interest with that question!  You’re close, the lead car didn’t derail, but the “glitch” occurred just before the end of the video.

You may want to look again, because the first person to ID the glitch gets the coveted Arnold D. Cribari Reward, a free pass to the next StDaySun!

John

Receiving the coveted Arnold D. Cribari "Reward" (or is it "Award") would indeed be an honor but I've viewed the tail end of the video multiple times almost frame-by-frame without any further idea. Is the award a free pass TO next Sunday's Steamday or FROM next Sunday's Steamday? I don't see an overload on the transformer dials and the last image in the video looks normal again. You must have spilled your coffee...

MELGAR

Well for today I have pictures of my "infamous" Lionel NYC 0-8-0 switcher (sans tender).  This is the one that failed on Christmas Eve 2022 just before my 8 year old nephew was to arrive to see the Christmas trains for the first time.  Its been nearly 2 years trying to get it repaired and I finally have it back.  Its a handsome engine, but has not been a reliable operator so far.

Here's my Lionel TMCC C&O  O-8-0 which I bought back in 2007 brand new.   I caught a sale at one third off.  It was a deal I couldn't pass up.   I believe it is the same engine that MELGAR posted on yesterday's SwSat.  His was in Boston & Albany markings.    This locomotive has been a great runner and fine puller.  It's been pretty much a trouble free unit.  I'm very happy I purchased it!  

Taking the grade at Patburg Ave.  Headend brakeman Stretch Wilkerson protects the crossing.

Taking on water at the tank.

Mel, spilled my coffee or my beer?  I agree, “award” is more appropriate, but it’s an honor to be associated with Arnold no matter what we call it!

i won’t torture you any more.  The glitch is the rear truck shorting when it hits the curve.  You can see the sparks.  Maybe it’s my O42 curves, it occasionally shorts in forward, too, on one particular curve.  The truck swivels freely without any obvious defects.

Thank you for taking up my challenge.  It was fun!

John

forward

@Steam Crazy posted:

Mel, spilled my coffee or my beer?  I agree, “award” is more appropriate, but it’s an honor to be associated with Arnold no matter what we call it!

i won’t torture you any more.  The glitch is the rear truck shorting when it hits the curve.  You can see the sparks.

I disagree with that analysis.  The light you saw was the dumping of some of the fire.  The fireman momentarily pulled the wrong lever.

@Steam Crazy posted:

Mel,

The glitch is the rear truck shorting when it hits the curve.  You can see the sparks.  Maybe it’s my O42 curves, it occasionally shorts in forward, too, on one particular curve.  The truck swivels freely without any obvious defects.

John

John,

I did some approximate measurements. The overall wheelbase of an MTH 4-6-4 Hudson is about the same as the tank engine - 11 inches. The wheelbase of the rear truck on the Hudson is about 1-5/8 inches and about 2 inches on the tank engine. So, I would expect the tank engine to more prone to derailment on curves, especially in reverse. Also, the rear truck on the tank engine can contact the bottom of the tender sides in a curve while the rear truck of the Hudson can pivot more freely. I run the tank engines on O-54 and O-72 and will try them in reverse next time they're on the layouts. If Lionel runs the tank engine again, I would buy one.

MELGAR

Mel, an excellent and interesting analysis, thank you, but I think Kazar is the only one that got it right!

John

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