Steam & Excursion > Big UP Steam Power With Short Train On A Low Trestle!

I have always loved this shot by my old friend Al Farrow. Al really knew how to capture the drama of active steam power in daily service.

We are trackside at Reservation, Washington which is on the southwestern edge of Tacoma, Washington. Al has the ability of shooting UP, NP or even Milwaukee power in this area. Today he has focused his camera on Union Pacific's large 2-8-2 #2703 and her short train as it crosses the low trestle work leading through Reservation.

#2703 is a 1914 product of ALCO weighing in at 247 tons including engine and tender. Originally built for the Los Angeles & Salt Lake RR, she carried 7,000 gallons of water and 2940 gallons of oil fuel. Needless to say, she was a big Mike!

Al caught #2703 in her final years of service as she was sent to storage in 1955 and finally scrapped thereafter.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/15 03:34 by LoggerHogger.

---

I see the main driver has been changed. What was the reason for this?

Interesting. They're actually leaving the NP at Reservation and starting onto the UP's own line to Fife and then Seattle. Reservation is the junction where this line diverges and also, going the other direction, where the drawbridge main left to go through the log yard, over the waterway and then up the hill to South Tacoma. The low trestle the train is on is now a fill, leading up to the Puyallup River bridge, and of course, I-5 was soon built over the top about where the caboose is. And the other rail bridge in the background is the Milwaukee mainline, now operated by Tacoma Rail.

Labby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I see the main driver has been changed. What was
> the reason for this?


The main driver had the most rod weight to counterbalance. Disc and Boxpok drivers were able to be balanced better, so some railroads replaced the original spoked main drivers in this fashion. It reduced track damage and could also allow higher speeds.

Illinois Central also did this to many of its modified locomotives, and preserved Mike #1518 at Paducah, Kentucky, is so modified.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Thanks Mary!

That looks like a LFM driver.

You will see many photos of steam with the main drivers having been replaced by Boxpok or Baldwin newer drivers, for the reason Mary stated. Check any shots of 1522 in operation.

nycman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You will see many photos of steam with the main
> drivers having been replaced by Boxpok or Baldwin
> newer drivers, for the reason Mary stated. Check
> any shots of 1522 in operation.

Too bad they couldn't find a bigger stack as part of the upgrade ;-)

Looks like a prototype for today's photo freights. Tank car behind the loco, three freight cars and a caboose!

Michael Allen

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nycman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You will see many photos of steam with the main
> > drivers having been replaced by Boxpok or
> Baldwin
> > newer drivers, for the reason Mary stated.
> Check
> > any shots of 1522 in operation.
>
> Too bad they couldn't find a bigger stack as part
> of the upgrade ;-)

She has the 'Big Stack' but it's hidden by the Peninsular Tunnel smoke hood. This photo in in Smoke Down The Columbia.

Malcolm
New Zealand

I'm pretty sure Larry noticed that and his post was tongue in cheek.

nycman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm pretty sure Larry noticed that and his post
> was tongue in cheek.

I've been accused of that before.

-John