VIA Passenger Train Stranded Xmas Eve on Prairies Due Loco Freezeup . . .

-22F or -30C is pretty cold and they are blessed they were able to get back to a town where everybody was safe. Kudos to the locals who showed true hospitality in their small town.

In thev1980's I saw a VIA train in Mission City BC.  It was around 30 there, which was not really all that cold.  But the train was powered by F units and had steam heat.  The outside of the WB train was covered with ice.  Crew said the train was in very cold conditions to the east.

Were there many power failures with passenger power with the older F units in places that get "artic blows"?

I am sure 645's explanation is correct.  After all, had it been a simple problem, we likely would never have heard about it. It seems a warning as to how close to the bone these things are run these days. Broken down loco on the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border and the nearest capable replacement may be as far off as Toronto? Good grief! that's sort of like New York City and DesMoines! 

It's a big country and negative 30 Celcius is really "just another day" on the Canadian prairies at this time of year. Nothing really "extreme" about it. Surely it's "routine" to these locomotives as this isn't a regular occurrence. So, something "unusual" happened to it. 

Thank goodness for the hospitality of the local folks!  :-)

What am I   ?..... Clues... 7a     number ten valve, number 15 valve.

Gregg posted:

What am I   ?..... Clues... 7a     number ten valve, number 15 valve.

You're  Vapor-Clarkson steam generator!  I know you.  Remember me and all the fun we had inside the booster units on the Chief?

Hi Tom .  I had seconds thoughts about posting this because my experience with a steam generator was almost nil and over 40 years ago .... I was called off the brakeman's  spare board to work as a fireman because of a shortage of head end men. Fortunately the Engineman  took the time to show me how things worked. 

Anyone want to try this one..... o o o o o o  or  _______________________________

 BTW.. I though I was pretty hot stuff riding in the F unit and actually getting paid....

One more question..... how much extra work did a  fireman on a steam  engine have to do to keep the  steam up in  a passenger train??    Would he even  notice???

Gregg, the low-pressure steam requirement of the passenger cars wasn't even significant when compared to the high-pressure steam consumption of the cylinders.  As you may recall, the steam pipe had to be just "Cracked" open at the rear, in order to create a flow through the train.  Aboard the passenger cars, the steam warmed the cars; heated the water for hand washing; provided hot water in the dining car; and - on cars so equipped - was needed for the air conditioning.  Steam ejector air conditioning was used by Milwaukee Road and Santa Fe, but most railroads used mechanical air conditioning which did not use steam.  It was enough to keep a steam generator busy, but the output of a steam generator was but a small fraction of what a locomotive boiler produced.

So, although I would have had to have been a Fireman while in elementary school to have known for sure, I would safely say that the steam gauge on a steam locomotive never even quivered when the locomotive coupled onto a passenger train and the carmen cut in the steam to the cars.

Morning crew.... Thanks so much for the explanation Number 90, You brought back  some great memories.

  Now     Anyone want to try this one..... o o o o o o  or  _______________________________

Each car of a passenger train was connected with a communicating  appliance (air hose / signal line/ signal cord)   that when pulled  blew a whistle in the engine.  

  o o o o o o   when running      increase steam heat.

-____________________________   _Shut off steam heat,,,, 

NUMBER 90,

I enjoy your posts. They are interesting and you know what you're talking about...

MELGAR

Myth buster time.  Is it true that the warmer the water is when exposed to freezing temps, the faster it will cool to freezing?

I think it's true....   But have no back up   whatsoever. It's actually minus 30 here today.