Steam & Excursion > 844 news

From Altamont Press Discussion yesterday. True/Untrue?

Hello, 
I am knew to this discussion board and was shown this by a friend and there has been talk lately about the running of the No.844 this April into the PNW. This is true about the 844 coming to Boise in April. Let me give you some back ground first. I am the one who got the 844 to come to Boise,( started the domino effect you could say). I work for Boise Parks & rec at the Boise Depot as the historical tour guide, i also volunteer for Idaho Operation Lifesaver. Back in September of 2016 i asked my contact with operation lifesaver Idaho who i should contact to have the 844 come to the Boise Depot 92 anniversary open house on April 23rd. My contact at OL and his contacts with UP put in an application for me in October and by February i found out that UP plans to bring the 844 out. Now no announcement will be made by UP until maybe three weeks out from the running day as there is a lot of logistics as you could imagine. As of now only few people know, but since Ed Dickens announced it verbally the news is spreading. 

Here is the current schedule i received from the State Coordinator for OL in Idaho he is also the contact with UP steam crew for planning it this trip out to Idaho. Please note ~~****THIS CAN STILL CHANGE!**** this is not set in stone yet. 

Leaving Cheyenne on April 18th @ 8:00am and run to Rock Springs arrive at 17:15 
Leave Rock Spring on April 19th @ 8:00 and run through Granger to Pocatello arrive at 16:30 
Display at Pocatello,Idaho all day the 20th 
Leave Pocatello, April 21st @8am and run to Gooding Idaho and spend the night arrive at 12:30 
Leave Gooding @ 8 or 10am and arrive in Nampa where BVRR pilot crew and UP 1996 attach and shove to Boise Depot arrive at Depot around 16:00. 
Sunday April 23rd all day display at Boise Depot for open house 
Monday April 24th leave @ 8am from Boise Depot head for Nampa. 
Arrive in La Grande on April 24th and tie up at depot at 16:00 
Depart La Grande April 25th @8am and run to North Hinkle to turn consit on wye and depart back to Pendelton. Arrive in Pendleton 14:45. 
April 26th @ Pendleton 
April 27th Pendleton to La Grande. 
April 28th La Grande back to Nampa Idaho arrive 15:30 tie up near dog park. 
April 29th Nampa to Pocatello 
April 30th Pocatello to Ogden 
May 1st Ogden, equipment Display 9-5pm 
May 2nd Ogden to Rock Springs 
May 3rd Rock Springs to Cheyenne. 

As of now there is no plan of it running to Portland. my contacts with OL and I are very excited for this and Boise Parks & Rec are currently making posters to advertise and looking forward to having the engine run to Boise. I am glad i asked that question last fall and i could not have done it without the state coordinator of OL for Idaho and his contacts. Im sure all of you will keep your ear to the rail about more information on this event. As of know i have provided everything that is currently available. 

I guess it had to be somebody's idea.

Be fun to turn 844 on the Robert St. wye......but where is a good place to turn the train? I never visited Boise.

Thanks for the update.  Gerry

Spikes Wrote:
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> Be fun to turn 844 on the Robert St. wye......but
> where is a good place to turn the train? I never
> visited Boise.

Could turn it on the wye in Nampa.  Ther most
likely won't be much train, anyway.

And glad it was do hope that the trip comes off will chase it somewhere probably back over the hill to La Grande. 
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess it had to be somebody's idea.

http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/steam-update-3-14-2017.htm

844 will have 3 Excursions this year
April trip to Idaho
College World Series in June
Frontier Days in July

The DL also said 844 received new valve rings

Spoony81 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/s
> team-update-3-14-2017.htm
>
> 844 will have 3 Excursions this year
> April trip to Idaho
> College World Series in June
> Frontier Days in July
>
> The DL also said 844 received new valve rings

What was the matter with the old valve rings?

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Spoony81 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/s
>
> > team-update-3-14-2017.htm
> >
> > 844 will have 3 Excursions this year
> > April trip to Idaho
> > College World Series in June
> > Frontier Days in July
> >
> > The DL also said 844 received new valve rings
>
> What was the matter with the old valve rings?

Oh I'm sure he had some excuse to replace them

Spoony81 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HotWater Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Spoony81 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > >
> >
> http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/s
>
> >
> > > team-update-3-14-2017.htm
> > >
> > > 844 will have 3 Excursions this year
> > > April trip to Idaho
> > > College World Series in June
> > > Frontier Days in July
> > >
> > > The DL also said 844 received new valve rings
> >
> > What was the matter with the old valve rings?
>
> Oh I'm sure he had some excuse to replace them

Previous crews wore them out, neglected them, and
they were of illegal material.

Snip:
> > > > The DL also said 844 received new valve
> rings

Just out of couriosity how do you do a compression test on a steam cylinder to see if the rings are ok? Is there a pressure gauge you hook up to the exhaust port, crank her up, and get a reading? Or do rings normally get a replacement after a certain milage?

(I can see DL now flooring the thottle, kicking the cylinders around about 4 revolutions to get good readings on the handheld compression gauge a intern is holding. 844 up on jacks.....)

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Snip:
> > > > > The DL also said 844 received new valve
> > rings
>
> Just out of couriosity how do you do a compression
> test on a steam cylinder to see if the rings are
> ok? Is there a pressure gauge you hook up to the
> exhaust port, crank her up, and get a reading? Or
> do rings normally get a replacement after a
> certain milage?

No gauges needed. You can tell by the exhaust sound if the packing (the proper name for valve 'rings') are leaking.

The UP site notes using the wye ar Orchard, ID for the 844 train.
What is the top secret military installation located on that wye, we wonder? They have UFO's?

OOOOHHHHH Boy the special Ed express is coming to a town near you! With 3 Cars and 6 helper engines in tow! Choo Choo

CS

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CPRR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Snip:
> > > > > > The DL also said 844 received new valve
> > > rings
> >
> > Just out of couriosity how do you do a
> compression
> > test on a steam cylinder to see if the rings
> are
> > ok? Is there a pressure gauge you hook up to
> the
> > exhaust port, crank her up, and get a reading?
> Or
> > do rings normally get a replacement after a
> > certain milage?
>
> No gauges needed. You can tell by the exhaust
> sound if the packing (the proper name for valve
> 'rings') are leaking.

Thanks Jack. When you replace do you also hone out the cylinder? How far over are the rings? Autozone part number? :)

Posted from iPhone

Don't confuse valve rings with piston rings.

Valve rings seldom give any trouble and will last a long time
if the engine is fired and run properly and the valve oil is the
correct kind.  If the water in the boiler is being carried too
high or the boiler is foaming because the water is too dirty,
and/or the engineer gets "throttle happy", water will be pulled
with the steam through the superheaters, the throttle and into
the valves, where it will wash out the lubricant and leave bare
metal rubbing against bare metal. 

This also called "working water," and when it's bad enough,
it's almost impossible to control the locomotive.

This is what happend in the mid-1970's when 844 "broke a
valve" on a Sherman Hill fan trip.  The engine sucked a
BIG load of water into the valves, water will not compress,
so something else had to give. And it did.

The high moisture level can get into the cylinders, where it
will do the same thing to the cylinder walls and piston rings.

In some of the videos of the 2011 and 2012 trips, it is obvious
to the trained eye and ear that the locomotive is occasionally
working water for excessive periods.

Imagine running your car with the oil level 3 or 4 quarts low.

The UP offical steam schedule only shows going as far as Nampa.
http://www.up.com/aboutup/special_trains/steam/details.shtml

Sorry I did not realize it was valve rings. Thought they where the main rings. Thanks Realist.

Posted from iPhone

The UP did post the current schedule for the 844's run to Boise in late April ... see their steam schedule website.  ... so yeah, the furthermost west point is Nampa, and then back into Boise for the display at the historic station ... but I'll take that any day over no 844 run at all ...

Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

Spoony81 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/s
> team-update-3-14-2017.htm
>
> 844 will have 3 Excursions this year
> April trip to Idaho
> College World Series in June
> Frontier Days in July
>
> The DL also said 844 received new valve rings

Actually.. it's not really clear whether it was a "Valve Bushing" or "Valve Rings

"Recently, the team used liquid nitrogen to shrink a valve bushing for No. 844’s steam chest, the area directly above the large cylinders on both sides of the locomotive, housing the 12 inch diameter piston valves used to distribute high pressure steam to the pistons below. As the new bushing warmed to room temperature, it swelled, fitting precisely into position between the two components.“No. 844 has needed new valve rings for years,” said Dickens. “We’ve had to prioritize and fit that work into the overall plan to keep the locomotive in top shape and on the road.”

So I'm not sure if it was one, the other, or both.

-Dave



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/17 22:07 by dbesade.