Steam & Excursion > SP's Cabforwards were still champ on the Western division

The date is Nov. 14 1955 and the last of the salinas vetables is on the move at Matinez and led by AC 12 4270...who would have guessed the 4270 would have only six more month of work before bding vacvated.......Note the crossing guard, this was a long time job that was a 24 hour three shift position that lasted into the 1960's....today's reefer block is wasting no time and is pouring it on as the splitter on the stack is keeping the smoke and steam from going straight up....

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Great show of steam power. Trying to get my bearings here -  is that the Ferry Street crossing?

And the spur track at the far right... did it end with curved rail or continue out of sight to an industry? 

That is a great photo that's capturing the pure power of steam.

westbound....thats Ferry St....the siding on the right ends right there that went to the alhambra bottling building, I don't ever remember seeing a car spotted there, but a large number of locomotives would cut off there train at ozol siding and tie up here and go to breakfest or lunch at the resturant just across the tracks..today, its a hotdog place....

Wonderful image. Could you even imagine the sound of this happening? Ah if only a time machine was possible.....

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Question here, what is a stack splitter and what is its function here? Wouldn't it be better to blast the exhaust straight up? 

dbinterlock Wrote:
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> Question here, what is a stack splitter and what
> is its function here?

Note how the exhaust blast is deflected outwards, to the left and right.

Wouldn't it be better to
> blast the exhaust straight up? 

Absolutely NOT in a tunnel or snow shed!

Is the stack splitter always in place on this type of power, or can it be moved into our out of position by the crew?  I'm thinking of the smoke hoods on UP Challengers and Big Boys, which would deflect the exhaust rearward when deployed by air cylinders.

sgriggs Wrote:
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> Is the stack splitter always in place on this type
> of power,

Yes.

or can it be moved into our out of
> position by the crew?

No. it is permanently affixed above the twin stacks.

 I'm thinking of the smoke
> hoods on UP Challengers and Big Boys, which would
> deflect the exhaust rearward when deployed by air
> cylinders.

I thought the smoke hoods on the Challengers and 4000s were to deflect the smoke? I.e. one side was closed to deflect it out of the line of sight of the hogger if the wind was blowing it in the way?

MachTuck Wrote:
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> I thought the smoke hoods on the Challengers and
> 4000s were to deflect the smoke? I.e. one side was
> closed to deflect it out of the line of sight of
> the hogger if the wind was blowing it in the way?

Yes, they might have been able to work in such a manner, however they were mainly designed for exhaust blast deflection while in tunnels, smoke or no smoke. 

HotWater Wrote:
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> Yes, they might have been able to work in such a
> manner, however they were mainly designed for
> exhaust blast deflection while in tunnels, smoke
> or no smoke. 

Learn something new.  Thanks!