Steam & Excursion > 3985 steam from under tender

I was watching some videos of the US 3985 from the mid 80s timeframe, and noticed that in many of the segments of video that I was watching, there was steam coming from underneath the front of the tender. It was not coming from underneath the cab, but definitely was from under the tender. This was when it was still burning coal, so it wouldn't be steam heating the fuel oil. I am guessing that most of the steam was exhaust from the stoker, but it seemed like a more than I would have expected just from the stoker engine. What else would be exhausting steam from underneath the tender? Maybe a water pump, but I thought water was gravity fed to the water pumps under the cab.

Scott

Posted from Android

It could have been steam from the stoker engine or perhaps a leaky connection on the pass through steam line that goes to the back of the tender.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

3985 is an oil burner in that video so it would have to be from the pass through pipe.

Actually, in the video I was watching, 3985 was still a coal burner. 

Heater from the oil tank? Just a thought.

Posted from Android

Stoker exhaust steam will often trail from behind the tender and from under the tender frame with varying effect according to locomotive speed. And, as Bob said, any leaking steam lines. Although your question was directed at the 3985 as a coal burner, here is an example picture, which was posted some time ago, of the Soo Line 1003, (repeated for convenience).

Hope this helps.

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Couldn't edit my post from my phone. Missed the part that said "coal burner". Sorry about that.

Posted from Android

tomstp Wrote:
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> 3985 is an oil burner in that video so it would
> have to be from the pass through pipe.

He plainly stated that he was watching videos of 3985 back in the mid 1980s, when she was still a coal burner. By the "pass through pipe", do you mean the trainline steam supply for passenger car heat?

milwrdfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was watching some videos of the US 3985 from the
> mid 80s timeframe, and noticed that in many of the
> segments of video that I was watching, there was
> steam coming from underneath the front of the
> tender. It was not coming from underneath the
> cab, but definitely was from under the tender.
> This was when it was still burning coal, so it
> wouldn't be steam heating the fuel oil. I am
> guessing that most of the steam was exhaust from
> the stoker, but it seemed like a more than I would
> have expected just from the stoker engine. What
> else would be exhausting steam from underneath the
> tender? Maybe a water pump, but I thought water
> was gravity fed to the water pumps under the cab.
>
> Scott
>
> Posted from Android

If the weather was chilly, you would see more steam
than if it was hot weather. The steam is always there,
but in hot weather it is not as visible.

Some roads had the stoker engine under the cab; some
others piped the stoker exhaust up where it came out
behind the tender slope sheet. 

On those that had it piped out under the tender, the fireman
had to shut the stoker off when backing up, as neither he
nor the engineer could see a brakeman hanging on giving
signals due to the cloud of steam obscuring the view back
from the cab.

tomstp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 3985 is an oil burner in that video so it would
> have to be from the pass through pipe.
Or from the oil tank heat line.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

No water pump on or under the tender.