Western Railroad Discussion > OT Planeorders.com...and a train photo

Sorry. Couldn't help it.    I know the sound of a radial engine 10 miles away.  (a round motor, as we say in aviation)  I still have half a lung full of 140 octane. 
  So when a DC-7 flew over my house today, had to go to the local (Paso Robles) CA
airport and check it out.  A real live flying DC-7. Ex Eastern Airlines.  Prob a DC-7B.   Last Bastion of these and the Connies were in the shuttle service between NY, Boston and DC.

T.O. hp about 3500 per engine, 2200 in cruise.  18 cyliners in 2 rows plus power recovery turbines (also called the "Parts recovery turbine"  haha)
They run them on 100LL gas now at reduced power, as 140 (the purple stuff) is no longer available.

Paso Robles is on the SP (UP) coast line near san luis obispo.



 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/15 20:14 by pdt.

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Nothing like the sound of a reciprocating high horsepower aircraft engine.

And here's a train photo from near by.  The Margarita local passing 8 DODX flat cars with tanks at East Garrison, across from Camp Roblets, about 15 miles north of the airport.
East Garrison has 2 tracks, each with a circus unloading ramp. Capacity about 20 cars.

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Nice series, thanks for sharing.  Looks like the crew was nice enough to let you in "the office."

Kent in CArmel Valley

Nice... those DC-7's...and the others in the family, are the real deal!

I have the "entrance card"  an ATP  with DC9 and B737 ratings, among other things.  Also flew Convairs with R2800's and the Allisons.
The fact that they can keep these R3350's running is amazing.  Of the all the large recip engines, these are the most complicated and toughest to keep running. High pressure, high metal stress, lots of moving parts, and the recovery turbines. It's why u don;t see many DC7's, Connies, and B29's operational.  A lot easier to keep a DC-6/4/3, a convair, B24 or anything with R2800 or smaller engine going. ALso amazing that the P2V's with R3350's are still around fighting fires.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/15 20:41 by pdt.

Tank you very much for sharing ;-)

pdt ---
I didn't know you were a pilot.  How wonderful!  What is your
favorite model of recip?  Jet?

Thanks SO much for this great trip down memory lane!
In the early 1950s,  flew in DC-7s and other recips -- which
I called  "propeller planes" back then.  I was just a schoolchild
back then, but I do remember how very LOUD those DC-7s
were back then!  Ya got used to the noise after a while -- the
brain compensates.  I really enjoyed my many trips on those
then fairly-new planes.  Even today, the sound of one of those
beauties flying overhead brings back memories I ahd forgotten
I had.  Tghe world's only flying B-29 flew right over my home
some time ago -- and man, did she ever sound great!

 

Nice post. I spent time at Camp Roberts in 1969 for heavy weapons training before spending a year on the rivers/canals of VN. Navy sent all their Brown Water crews there for heavy weapons . Also while in VN we had Skyraiders a few times for air support in the Delta . I think they had the R3350's if not they sounded nice !!! My Dad flew Navy R4D's in WW2 !!
------------  Ken

Yes the skyraider had R3350 engines. I was in a squadron of them in 1959. We changed one engine the whole cruse, it was over time...
Stayed in the PI to help with a jug change while the ship was at sea. Sure glad I had high mechanical scores...I was  an AT2 at the time.
Swede..........Albany,Or.

Kemacprr Wrote:
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> while in VN we had Skyraiders a few times for air
> support in the Delta . I think they had the
> R3350's if not they sounded nice !!!

All or at least the vast majority of Skyraiders used in Vietnam did indeed have the R3350 engine.  A great sounding engine indeed!!!

Tanker 60 looks good after Erickson bought out Butler Aviation. They have three DC-7's flying. One is on contract to CalFire. Also flying MD-87's. No they are not part of Erickson AirCrane. He sold it and started Aero Tankers. Based in Madras Oregon. Also moving his WW II planes from the Tillamook Air Museum to Madras and starting another museum.
Lynn

I liked flying planes that weren't broken the most. haha, but true. The 440's were such a classic airplane.  It was like flying a piece of history.   The 580's fwere so overpowered, and the allisons were cool looking, but a systems nightmare. DC-9's..a real workhorse. Generaly underpowered, but fast at altitude. Very forgiving..u can land it sideways.  Of course they are the ones I flew the most, too.   But I did fly the 727 a bit and never liked it. 

When I worked on the RR, I liked GP-7/9's cause they were the easiest to kick cars with and do drops.  GP-35's with automatic transition..so slow. U could reverse the field to kick cars, but I have no idea how it effected the motors.   I don;t know anything about the new stuff.

Thanks for posting!  You'll find that here on TO there are a lot of us who are suckers for any form of transportation, whether it travels on rails, rides the roads or takes to the skies.  Back about 35 or 40 years ago the Perris Airport had a DC-3 that would go aloft when then was a large group of skydivers who wanted to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.  It was always a treat to hear this old bird flying over Orange Empire Ry. Museum.  One day I went over to the airport and found a man working on one of the radial engines.  He told me that the plane was built in 1939, and had flown the "Hump" in Southeast Asia during World War II.  After the war, it was one of the planes flying the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49.  When he told me the vintage of the aircraft, I said, "We have two LA streetcars at our Museum that are newer than that."

Photo: Classic biplanes at the Buttonwillow (CA) Airport, ready to do battle against agricultural pests.  Sept. 1982

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Great shot! I didn't realize they had any four engine tankers still flying.... That's great.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

Nothing more frustrating than hearing four round engines approach in the skies over North Seattle -- and being unable in the moment to run outside to look up!

It's fantastic to still be able to hear that sound in any form in the 21st Century. I grew up with daily overflights of Convair 340s in Fresno, different that four motors but still with that full, deep chorus. And am fortunate enough to be right under the flight path now of Kenmore Air, with a magnificent fleet of pristine round-motor DeHavilland Beavers on floats, flying to and from the San Juan Islands.

Round engines are the greatest. Especially when you learn just exactly how those multiple pistons deliver their reciprocating thrust to the prop. Now that's a crankshaft!

~ BZ

I like aircraft, too but I thought this was railroad forum.

This may be Trainorders, but everyone (almost) here loves a good airplane photo once in a while.

Ed

sp3663 Wrote:
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> I like aircraft, too but I thought this was
> railroad forum.

Better airplanes than politics...

ATSF5964 Wrote:
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> sp3663 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I like aircraft, too but I thought this was
> > railroad forum.
>
> Better airplanes than politics...

LOL....I totally agree.