Steam & Excursion > D&RGW 491 and 346 Steamed Up in Golden, CO

The Colorado Railroad Museum had two engines hot for Steampunk at the Station on Saturday.  Running two steam engines is a very rare occurrence and the first time that these engines have run as a double header.  (Unfortunately not while I was there.)  It was great to see them both out on the loop and the tank cars were an added bonus.  Kudos to all that made this event happen on a very warm day in the rockies.

Jim Barton

There's a few more................

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There are lots of ideas on what could be done the next time both engines are steamed up.

Two more.................................

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Thanks for looking.

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So what is the story about the missing cylinder jacket? Sure nice to see two line engines, and the rare K-37 in service.

Don't know what's up in this case...

But, typically, both the cylinder and valve housings are neatly wrapped in insulating blankets, as well as the rectangular, vertical passages between the two. As well as wrapping the external steam delivery pipes from the smokebox to the valve housings...

To protect the insulation, well-fitting sheet metal jackets were applied for a nice neat appearance.....

Interestingly, one of the first improvements James Watt made to Newcomen's early mine-pumping  engines was to insulate the  outer cylinder walls.  Later, Watt perfected the double-acting cylinders, did away with Newcomen's " cylinder water-spray condensing scheme", upgraded the operating pressures from atmosphere/ vacuum to higher boiler pressures acting on pistons inside insulated cylinders....

Also,beneath the cylinder-head covers,  insulation was also applied ----- with the covers protecting the insulated heads, front and rear.

With today's high efficiency, inexpensive fiberglass, silica, and ceramic/ mineral materials it makes it easy to do neat and effective cylinder insulating practices..

Wes

They just haven't taken the time to replace the jacketing yet. I'm not sure if the originals were rotten or what, but other items like renewing the spring rigging have taken precedence so far. I'm pretty sure it's on the agenda. Like any other operation, shop man-hours are at a premium.

Posted from iPhone

I took the 491 back a few decades.

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Looks like the firemans side check valve is not seated well....?
Chris

Somebody remarked that only one side lacked a cylinder jacket...
It looks to me like the jacket is missing off of both sides...

Not a Hollywood effect..

W.

They way the weather has been that's just additional heating surface!

Out

I wonder what the deal is with the 346's red-primer stack.  It least they got to take off the C&S-inspired Ridgway Spark Arrestor.

I see that the hole in the sheetmetal plate on the fireman's side of the pilot is still there -- just as it was in 1960!

Gordon

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Earlk Wrote:
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> I wonder what the deal is with the 346's
> red-primer stack.  It least they got to take off
> the C&S-inspired Ridgway Spark Arrestor.

346's original stack was damaged in a wreck in about the 1930's. It was repaired but sometime in recent years the repair failed. The stack from the RGS 20 was used for the last few years. A new stack for 346 was acquired (cast?) recently and installed. Apparently they haven't painted it yet.

Posted from iPhone

flash34 Wrote:
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> Earlk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I wonder what the deal is with the 346's
> > red-primer stack.  It least they got to take
> off
> > the C&S-inspired Ridgway Spark Arrestor.
>
> 346's original stack was damaged in a wreck in
> about the 1930's. It was repaired but sometime in
> recent years the repair failed. The stack from the
> RGS 20 was used for the last few years. A new
> stack for 346 was acquired (cast?) recently and
> installed. Apparently they haven't painted it yet.
>
>
> Posted from iPhone

I didn't know 346 was wearing #20's stack.  Who'd a thought the two wee intechangable?

Thanks.