Steam & Excursion > A Little Cylinder Cock Action

On Sept. 5, 2010, 11:41 am, SOO 2719 had shoved her train onto the platform track at Two Harbors, MN, now cuts off and heads for the wye to turn for the return trip.

-John

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Is that a DM&IR 2-8-8-4 engine under the shed??

coach Wrote:
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> Is that a DM&IR 2-8-8-4 engine under the shed??


Yes.

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Thanks John, I got a question...is that done for the fans or is it necessary? thanks Robert ny

The person I believe to have been the engineer that day started working on engines in 1946. He does things exactly the way the Great Northern taught him, with no nonsense. The engine had been sitting for about 10 minutes to unload passengers before cutting off for the run to the wye, so I'm sure he felt there was a need to open the cocks as he did, but as you see he turned them off within about 300 feet.

Here's the same train departing a couple hours later, again using the cylinder cocks for a few hundred feet.

I also notice in this one that the fireman overloaded his fire as soon as the engine started moving and immediately got a pukey stack, then blew both safetys as they entered the near 4% grade. I'm sure the engineer shook his head and pointed a finger for that!

3/4 of a mile from here the train will shove into the CTC plant at Two Harbors Jct., then proceed forward onto the NSSR's 26 miles of TWC main track for the return to Duluth.

-John

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Not bad, managed to lift both safties. You just know that fireman had to buy a number of rounds for that one!

Safeties were also open for quite a long time too? I have to wonder, was the fireman sitting at the station, afraid to use the blower too much, for fear of what was about to happen? Why not add some water?

Kimball Wrote:
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> Safeties were also open for quite a long time too?
> I have to wonder, was the fireman sitting at the
> station, afraid to use the blower too much, for
> fear of what was about to happen? Why not add
> some water?

I would imagine that he had his water glass about 2/3 full, boiler pressure 2-3 psi below 170 max. in preparation for his scheduled departure. A good "horseshoe" of coal hot on the grate. That's normal practice. Then, departure was delayed. Sitting there waiting for - well he didn't know how long. He just knew his fire was hot and near blowing off, so while waiting he just played a balancing game. Turned the blower off as far as he could without smoking up the cab, adding water to avoid blowing pops at the platform, and cursing as his hot fire darkens and gets thin.

The time stamp on the video begins 13 minutes after scheduled departure.

If an on-time departure had been made, he could have waited to get almost to that grade crossing just clear of the platform before adding coal, but with his fire burned thin and the strong draft of starting out he must have felt it necessary to add some coal right away, and the grey stack right away shows this is what he did - he threw in about 6 scoops, then waited about 10 seconds while his stack cleared. As soon it did, he started throwing coal again, he over did it, resulting in the black puke. No chance for recovery now. The boiler's already full of hot water so there's no room for it without lifting it into the throttle, and the surplus coal on the grate has now ignited to raise steam pressure higher. The result - both blowoffs lifting.

It's a difficult place to start out with an on time departure. A delay makes it even harder.

The hardest things for a new fireman to accept is that more does not equal better. The objective is not to see how much coal you can get into the firebox, but rather to see how little coal you can use and still keep the kettle hot.

-John

Ahh, the advantages of an Oil Burner. You can turn your fire down if you're delayed and then turn it back up when you finally depart!