Steam & Excursion > WMSR 734 Stoker/Tender Q's

I'm curious about some upgrades made to WMSR's 2-8-0.

Video I've seen shows the engine without a stoker. When I rode last October, she had one. The video also mentions the current tank is ex-NYC, from a 4-8-2.

When did the new tender arrive? Was it obtained through an equipment broker like D.F. Barnhardt? What mods were necessary to return it to steam service? Did it still have its stoker equipment when it arrived? Where was the engine side of the stoker obtained? Does the WMSR still have 734's previous tender?

The video I have showed a few angles I don't have on my video ... guess that means I'll have to go back :-) :-) :-) :-)

Thanks!

* JB *

I asked Ray about the stoker it's Chinese made and was adapted to fit the tender. Butch.G

The tender originally had a stoker when first built. 734 has always had the same tender since being put in service on WMSR. When the China stoker was installed, it was a matter of fabricating the needed frame work and associated plumbing. The backhead on 734 was modified to accept a stoker in 1993, when the engine was first returned to service on the WMSR. They had a stoker in mind 5 years prior to actually being installed. Wise thinking on the shops part, the crews are much happier firing with a valve than they are using a shovel!

The current tender came from Cleveland (The 4070 group).

Yes, the previous tender still exists.

RealSteam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The tender originally had a stoker when first
> built.

Being ex-NYC, I figured as much.


> 734 has always had the same tender since
> being put in service on WMSR.

Ok.


> When the China
> stoker was installed

How did this come about? Was it removed from an engine, or is there a catalog of steam parts? Did the UPS driver file a grievance after delivering the box the stoker came in? ;-)


> it was a matter of fabricating the needed frame work and associated
> plumbing.

Nice, little weekend project. ;-) Where's the stoker engine? Is it under the cab or on the tender?


> The backhead on 734 was modified to
> accept a stoker in 1993, when the engine was first
> returned to service on the WMSR.

Interesting ...


> Wise thinking on the shops part, the
> crews are much happier firing with a valve than
> they are using a shovel!

Having bought a cab ride ticket (last Oct), the fireman was pretty busy even with the stoker.

Thanks for the info!

* JB *

Here's a shot of the screw taken early in 2005..

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And the cab...

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Bill, thanks for posting the pics. I enjoy seeing steam locomotives in various states of disassembly, to better understand how they work.

I'm thinking the joints in that screw must be made of some tuff stuff. On my cab ride, the engine would pitch and yaw to the extent I didn't stray far from a grab iron! The tender, otoh, rode quite smoothly. Where in the stoker assembly is motion controlled?


Follow-on Q, why does the engine hunt as she digs in going upgrade?

Thanks,

* JB *

I'm thinking what you are experiencing is piston thrust combined with the lack of a trailing truck, very few consolidations were known as smooth riding engines, especially when working hard or running fast. I seem to recall a certain PRR fireman telling me how his cream became a container of butter due to the shaking of a PRR 2-8-0
> Follow-on Q, why does the engine hunt as she digs
> in going upgrade?
>
> Thanks,
>
> * JB *
>

Actually, the u-joint in the stoker screw is the weekest part of the entire screw. they do break from time to time. No much fun repairing. If the u-joint was too strong, the screw itself would break, instead of a u-joint. U-joints are much cheaper and easier to repair than a broken screw.

Bill (or anybody else) how are the screws powered?, By steam I assume, but how?

Stokers are powered by a two cylinder reciprocating steam engine. Some locomotive have the stoker engine mounted under the cab floor, others have them placed in the tender. From the stoker there is a drive shaft with u-joints (same idea as what is on your pick-up truck) that leads to a double, but some time triple reduction gear box at the very rear of the coal bunker. Under the floor of the coal bunker, at the rear of the floor is where the gear box is located. The stoker screw is connected only at the gear box. So, it is from the gear box that the screw recieves its only power to turn.

RealSteam nailed it. 734's is in the tender which causes us problems in winter with the escaping steam. We'll get on the radio occasionally and ask to have the stoker turned off and to hand fire especially around Helmstetter's Curve.

There's more at:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,888461,888461#msg-888461

They were taken early in 2005.