Watching some of these videos that are posted where the engines have been stuck in the snow for days, how much damage was done to these?
With all the valves, piping, boiler tubes and even the tender freezing up it must have been months before these were put back in operation.
Being a plumber and replacing frozen and broken pipes in houses, it doesn't take more then a teaspoon of water in a valve to cause problems. These engines and tenders had thousands of gallons of water on them.
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These engines and tenders had thousands of gallons of water on them.
And all of it is hot.
The injectors can be operated to blast steam back into the tender tank to keep the water there warm.
There's a great article on just this subject in an old issue of Locomotive & Railway Preservation. If you want the issue number let me know.
Watching some of these videos that are posted where the engines have been stuck in the snow for days, how much damage was done to these?
With all the valves, piping, boiler tubes and even the tender freezing up it must have been months before these were put back in operation.
Being a plumber and replacing frozen and broken pipes in houses, it doesn't take more then a teaspoon of water in a valve to cause problems. These engines and tenders had thousands of gallons of water on them.
That's why the railroads had shops, roundhouses, boilermakers, pipe-fitters and mechanics.
Rusty
Thanks guys for the info but I was wondering how much damage was done when these sat out in the snow drifts, stuck, and no fire in the boiler for days until they were dug out!
Mark,
I remember some of the "old timers" telling me that the only catastrophe worse than freezing a steam locomotive was; having the roundhouse burn down around one. Once the fire goes out, as in that movie of the British train stalled/stranded in the big drifts (video above) in 1955, EVERYTHING with steam/water inside, freezes and bursts. So, most likely all the boiler tubes are collapsed, each water line is cracked, each appliance is cracked, etc., etc., etc.. Lots of time spent in the back shop after that freeze-up!
Jack, kind of funny you mentioned "having the roundhouse burn down around one."
Back in 1960, the roundhouse burnt down, here in the Butler yards. It had 58 stalls in it and was a complete round house. But by 1960 most of it was torn down already. I have seen movies of it burning with large volumes of black smoke, probably of all the oil soak and dried out lumber in it.
Excellent example, Mark. Now, just imagine a steam locomotive inside, with a tender full of fuel (coal or oil). That is what happened to Ross Rowland's former Reading 4-8-4 (#2101 I think), while in "winter storage" between Chessie System Safety Express seasons. That is way Mr. Rowland now owns former C&O #614, while his "fried" Reading 4-8-4 is in the B&O Baltimore Museum (painted up as American Freedom Train #1).
A photo of the 2101 after the fire....well part of it anyway.
That is what happened to Ross Rowland's former Reading 4-8-4 (#2101 I think), while in "winter storage" between Chessie System Safety Express seasons. That is way Mr. Rowland now owns former C&O #614, while his "fried" Reading 4-8-4 is in the B&O Baltimore Museum (painted up as American Freedom Train #1).
One thing to note though....2101's original tender (which was full of coal and ignited during the fire) is still in use today. When they cosmetically restored 2101 at Hagerstown, they swapped the burned tender for 2100's tender (which was also in storage at Hagerstown). Then when 2100 was restored in the mid 90's, it ended up with 2101's tender.
So if the tender (which probably sustained the most heat) is still serviceable, makes you wonder just wow damaged the 01's engine really was/is. Not to mention, do you really thing Chessie/CSX would have agreed to move a locomotive from Kentucky to Maryland that was structurally unsound???
Ross has said himself the big factor was at that time that nobody could state beyond a reasonable doubt exactly what damage may have been done by the extreme heat, and they didn't see the point of putting big $$ into an engine that would always be suspect. And from the photos I have seen...the tender still had quite a bit of paint on it behind the bunker so that makes me think it didn't get that hot in those areas.
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