Western Railroad Discussion > I'm back after a long while away... Napa Valley Railroad

After a year and a half away, I have decided to rejoin the party. I have a lot of older stuff from the last year and a half that I have been away, and I will post as I have time. Let's start with a little recent action in the Napa Valley of California along the roue of the Wine Train. 

Jamie Miller

Photo # 1 NVR 71 leads the lunch train south near Oakville on Saturday the 15th of October. 

Photo # 2 NVR 71 and train continue south, cresting the summit of Yountville Hill. 

 

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Now back up north, we catch the southbound Quatro Vino train, lead by NVR 65 ton center cab # 52. 

Photo #3 Rolling south between Thoman and Rutherford. 

Photo #4 The QV continues it's journey back to Napa, seen here just south of Yountville. 

Jamie Miller

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What is the function of the car between the two FA's ?

LOL!! I knew that question was coming. The train has a generator car in the consist built into a similar box car. However, on hot days, or other unforeseen issues, that generator will fail. There is a back up generator in the box car between the locomotives. It does look funny, yet it serves a purpose. 

UP9000 Wrote:
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> LOL!! I knew that question was coming. The train
> has a generator car in the consist built into a
> similar box car. However, on hot days, or other
> unforeseen issues, that generator will fail. There
> is a back up generator in the box car between the
> locomotives. It does look funny, yet it serves a
> purpose. 

Darn, I thought you were going to tell us that the boxcar was a Lindsay "Ghost".

Cheers,
Jack

What an aesthetic fail those exhaust mufflers are!.  Otherwise, those PAs are sure in gorgeous shape.

Ed

They're actually FPA4 MLWs, built much later than the PAs. Anyone have a record of what prime movers
the NVR is running in those?

Out



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/16 08:25 by callum_out.

70, 71, and 72 have the original prime mover. A 251 I believe. 73 has the awful EMD natural gas burning prime mover in it. And it's been nothing but a pain to the railroad. It has sat idle for some time. 

I just don't see that mystery boxcar in the middle of the FPA's providing electrical power to the train. I don't see any electrical connections.
Are you sure these FPA's aren't taking LNG from inside that classic 40' boxcar?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/16 19:17 by The_Chief_Way.

Trust me, it's a generator in the box car. I have been in there on a hundred degree day when the other one failed. I used to work there.

Posted from iPhone

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> I just don't see that mystery boxcar in the middle
> of the FPA's providing electrical power to the
> train. I don't see any electrical connections.
> Are you sure these FPA's aren't taking LNG from
> inside that classic 40' boxcar?

If you look closely at the second picture you can see the electrical cables between the lead unit and the boxcar. Up near the top of the car.

Thats the MU cable for the locomotives up top. HEP is a single cable that is down low, its out of sight in the side profile. If you look closely at the front shot of the FA you can see the receptacle's reed cap for the female end of the cable to insert and the cable runs under the coupler where it terminates at the plow and into the carbody. Yes, its a generator car, natural gas comes from a new fuel cell that replaced the diesel cell under the locomotive.


Jeff

Posted from iPhone



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/16 02:46 by CDTX.

Thanks Jeff!