Steam & Excursion > UP Steam Update 4/15/2019 -Insulation & blow down

UP posted a 1:17 video to their Facebook UP Steam Club this afternoon, 4/15, narriated by Ed Dickens.
He mentioned they rearranged the piping up on top, for the blow down, similar to what they did on the 844.
They've also applied some insulation in various places & got most(?) of the valve gear put back together.

nsrlink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP posted a 1:17 video to their Facebook UP Steam
> Club this afternoon, 4/15, narriated by Ed
> Dickens.
> He mentioned they rearranged the piping up on top,
> for the blow down, similar to what they did on the
> 844.

Oh no, That means they have removed the Wilson Blowdown Separator system, that was so important in blowing down the boiler while enroute. The UP was famous for have pretty bad water, and thus the FEF 800s, 3900 Challengers, and the 4000 class locomotive were all order with the Wilson Blowdown "Sludge remover" systems. The same "modification" was done to to 844, which eventually resulted in the plugging-up of the lower portion of the boiler belly.

> They've also applied some insulation in various
> places & got most(?) of the valve gear put back
> together.

Those who don't learn from history are destined to repeat it.

I can't watch the video unless I join the page.  I won't do that.

Well......get your first photo EARLY on Sherman Hill.   So, at least you go down as having photographed a Big Boy on Sherman Hill!

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> Well......get your first photo EARLY on Sherman
> Hill.   So, at least you go down as having
> photographed a Big Boy on Sherman Hill!

If I could have done that in 1957, I would have. However, I didn't have enough money to travel from New Jersey to Wyoming, so I went to the N&W at Roanoke and Crewe, Virginia.

HotWater Wrote:

> Oh no, That means they have removed the Wilson
> Blowdown Separator system, that was so important
> in blowing down the boiler while enroute. The UP
> was famous for have pretty bad water, and thus the
> FEF 800s, 3900 Challengers, and the 4000 class
> locomotive were all order with the Wilson Blowdown
> "Sludge remover" systems. The same "modification"
> was done to to 844, which eventually resulted in
> the plugging-up of the lower portion of the boiler
> belly.

Now I see why you were really pissed when 844 was ran into the ground int he 1ST place, I bet this manuver's gonna be worse Jack because all atriculated engines needed 2 sets of blowdowns, I also know from the time that with the blowdowns under the cab, that doesn't get the water time to like flow properly and whatever else to properly blowdown the boiler, especially after a stop! Glad I'm staying home, watch this trip be an embarassment!

Wow. Common sense tells me why mess with what worked for Alco and UP. Leave the blow down system the same as built. I'm all for improvement, but not when you don't have LOTS of experience, time, and money.

Posted from Android

And that's what Ed Dickens doesn't have, all he has is a huge ego that claims he's better than Steve Lee!

Blow down is best done with a straight path and minimum back pressure. anything else is a violation
of the laws of physics.

Out

And if the sludge problem happens here, he WON'T be able to blame Steve Lee.

Maybe someone should provide a mirror for when he tries to blame someone...

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nsrlink Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > UP posted a 1:17 video to their Facebook UP
> Steam
> > Club this afternoon, 4/15, narriated by Ed
> > Dickens.
> > He mentioned they rearranged the piping up on
> top,
> > for the blow down, similar to what they did on
> the
> > 844.
>
> Oh no, That means they have removed the Wilson
> Blowdown Separator system, that was so important
> in blowing down the boiler while enroute. The UP
> was famous for have pretty bad water, and thus the
> FEF 800s, 3900 Challengers, and the 4000 class
> locomotive were all order with the Wilson Blowdown
> "Sludge remover" systems. The same "modification"
> was done to to 844, which eventually resulted in
> the plugging-up of the lower portion of the boiler
> belly.
>
> > They've also applied some insulation in various
> > places & got most(?) of the valve gear put back
> > together.

But, but...... it was so successful when it was done to the 844 in 2011! It’s an absolute necessity for the 4014!

All sarcasm aside I am a bit shocked that he’d call that successful after the high profile rebuild of 844 just a few years ago. I’m even more surprised that they somehow found time to do that modification in the first place!

Hey, it's got 2 engines so maybe he'll run it on one while trying to figure out where the rest of the parts are:)

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nsrlink Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > UP posted a 1:17 video to their Facebook UP
> Steam
> > Club this afternoon, 4/15, narriated by Ed
> > Dickens.
> > He mentioned they rearranged the piping up on
> top,
> > for the blow down, similar to what they did on
> the
> > 844.
>
> Oh no, That means they have removed the Wilson
> Blowdown Separator system, that was so important
> in blowing down the boiler while enroute. The UP
> was famous for have pretty bad water, and thus the
> FEF 800s, 3900 Challengers, and the 4000 class
> locomotive were all order with the Wilson Blowdown
> "Sludge remover" systems. The same "modification"
> was done to to 844, which eventually resulted in
> the plugging-up of the lower portion of the boiler
> belly.
>
> > They've also applied some insulation in various
> > places & got most(?) of the valve gear put back
> > together.

Here's what Mr. Dickens said on the video re piping:

"Another really interesting view is the steam piping arrangement that we've copied from the UP 844 following some very successful modifications that we made back in 2011. We changed the blow-down piping arrangement and changed things around up on top there just to simplify it and to also improve our operation to keep the boiler water much cleaner and care for the boilers a lot better."

The attached photo is a screen-grab that appeared in the video when Ed gave the above commentary.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/19 05:08 by ut-1.

---

ut-1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's what Mr. Dickens said on the video re
> piping:
>
> "Another really interesting view is the steam
> piping arrangement that we've copied from the UP
> 844 following some very successful modifications
> that we made back in 2011. We changed the
> blow-down piping arrangement and changed things
> around up on top there just to simplify it and to
> also improve our operation to keep the boiler
> water much cleaner and care for the boilers a lot
> better."

Wholly crap!!!!!!!     He actually said THAT with a straight face????

Keep shoveling the shit. His group will beieve anything ( sounds like someone else in high office)

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Blow down is best done with a straight path and
> minimum back pressure. anything else is a
> violation
> of the laws of physics.
>
> Out

That is what I thought. Every locomotive I have seen has the blowdown on either side of the boiler, straight piping, right out the side. Special Ed is going to repeat the past.

What the Hell is wrong with this man?  There are many parts involving the DNA of a restored steam locomotive that you just leave be, because you know it kind of WORKED!!  Add sensors and modern gadgets that those original operators could only dream about, but don't negate decades and decades of direct experience and mechanical evolution, by playing around with some cockamamie blow-down arrangement on of all things, an oil converted BIG BOY, on which you have NO data or experience.  This is just dumb, and disheartening.

In his quest to be #1 he probably thinks that a Reynolds number around 1 would do the scour work on the sludge
just fine. As I said before, go find a Harris box, install it and then you can dupe those diesels way back in the train
to nicely shove you along.

Out

Hey guys, it won't take long for all the gunk that collects to start building up and he'll try to make an excuse on how come not much water is flowing down towards the boiler, I just can believe this idiot thinks this will work, there was a reason why Baldwin, Lima, and Alco made nice running steam engines, this jerk just doesn't get it and I hate to say this, it's gonna bit him in the butt, and I bet it won't be pretty either!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/19 16:38 by ProAmtrak.