Steam & Excursion > Whazzit? (28)

Well, it's on rails.  It's got slide valve cylinders.  But, Huh?

-LD

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Oh, and Yes it is in United States.

-LD

A fireless cooker that simultaneously makes Budwesier?

Out 

I know little about railroad history, but guess it's some kind of air powered switcher.  Possibly for indoor use.
 

It IS a steam engine, 36" gauge, and ran outdoors.

A fireless cooker is one which is charged with steam/hot water from a stationary boiler.  This is not one of 'em.

-LD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/20 08:56 by LarryDoyle.

Baldwin built 4 of 'em in 1886.

-LD

I've actually heard of these before, if I'm thinking of the right engines, is it a caustic soda engine?

NYCStL776 Wrote:
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> I've actually heard of these before, if I'm
> thinking of the right engines, is it a caustic
> soda engine?

YES!!!!

The Minneapolis, Lyndale and Minnetonka operated a steam dummy line from Minneapolis to the south and west and eventually to Lake Minnetonka.  When Minneapolis passed an ordinance prohibiting steam locomotives on city streets, ML&M went to Baldwin and this is what they came up with.  That "boiler" was a retort filled with liquid caustic soda at 329 degrees F.  A watertube boiler in that retort created steam - I figure at 105 psi or less.  The steam ran the cylinders the was recycled back into the retort to further activate the chemical reaction with the caustic soda and maintain its 329 degree temperature.

They didn't last long, and were returned to Baldwin to convert into conventional steam dummies for use outside city limits,  Minneapolis Street Ry. started building a cable line, building a block square 5 story powerhouse in downtown Minneapolis.  It still stands, but never pulled a cable   In1889 an electric streetcar system was started.

Baldwin, OTOH, went on to greater fame, building engines such as Matt Shay.

-LD

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And that's not the ultimate "fireless cooker"?

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> And that's not the ultimate "fireless cooker"?
>
> Out 

[Pondering, pondering, pondering]

[Result of pondering]   No, I'd call it steam railroadings ultimate compound.  It keeps reusing the same water/steam. 

I don't see a condenser, an axle pump, injector, nor much other meaningful plumbing.

Wes?  Jack?  Any ideas???

Their territory was slightly less than three miles, from downtown Minneapolis to the, then, city limits at 31st St. where they would have changed motive power to conventional steam dummies for the continuation of the trip to Lake Minnetonka or to Minnehaha Falls (Immortalized by Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha" poem).

-LD



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/20 11:48 by LarryDoyle.

BTW, this was an 0-4-2.  VERY early use of a trailing truck (though rigidly mounted).  Wonder why Baldwin thought that was a good idea.  There were two reversing levers (common on steam dummies) - there's another on the diagonally opposite corner.  But I don't see a throttle.  Or, two.   Another ....Hmmmmmmmm...

-LD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/20 15:32 by LarryDoyle.

An early attempt at producing B units for steam trains!

Mike

Here's another picture of it from page 35 of the April 1960 Trains magazine.  The covered motor is turned the same direction but the uncovered motor is turned around so you can see the second reversing lever that LarryDoyle mentioned.

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To me, the two pics ( on the yellow printed mag.) seem to be of the same side, same position.
Notice the location of the 'auxiliary' axle/wheel-set, and the two safety(?) valves sticking out the 
front of the roof, on the covered version...

​W.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/20 08:34 by wcamp1472.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> To me, the two pics ( on the yellow printed mag.) seem to be of the same side,
> same position. Notice the location of the 'auxiliary' axle/wheel-set, and the two
> safety(?) valves sticking out the front of the roof, on the covered version...
>
> ​W.

Yes, you are correct.  My point was presenting the opposite side of the uncovered motor to show the second reversing lever.

Ohhh -- Kayyyy?

So, do they use a rubber-reach rod to make two levers & two latching-quadrants be functional?
Don't both levers haf-ta move? 
Maybe in opposite directions....?
Or, maybe two operators?

Stilts...

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> Ohhh -- Kayyyy?
>
> So, do they use a rubber-reach rod to make two
> levers & two latching-quadrants be functional?
> Don't both levers haf-ta move? 
> Maybe in opposite directions....?
> Or, maybe two operators?
>
> Stilts...

As I said it was common practice on dummy engines.  All it would take is a spring loaded pin on each end of the Stephenson tumbling shaft where each reach rod connects on each side.

What I want to know is, "Where's the throttle", and other apparatus to control the reaction and control of steam.  The Johnson Bar(s) alone won't do it.  I suppose in a milder climate you conceivably could control speed/power with just the Johnsons, But not in Minneapolis (it was -20 F here the day before yesterday).

-LD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/20 11:54 by LarryDoyle.