Steam & Excursion > T&P's boosters

Well, sorta.  How about tender boosters for T&P class C-2 switchers?


 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/21 17:13 by PVSfan.

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It's still a Booster. It's just mounted on the tender and not the locomotive.

So, I'm guessing the booster exhaust was directed atop the tender,
presumably behind the oil bunker....
Any wider angle photos of the factory-install?

I also estimate that these devices probably got removed, as they 
probably became a consistent source of problems, .and expensive
to keep in operating shape....

Any such evidence?

​W.

One issue with tender boosters was that they became progressively less effective as fuel and water were consumed, decreasing the weight of the tender.  

Gordon

Wes, the exhaust came out right behind the oil bunker at the top of the tender  water deck.  Boosters were never removed from 480-481, and 490-491. Those 0-8-0 switchers were used on the hump in Ft Worth and to push heavy west bound trains out of the yard in Baird, Texas which sat on a  1.35% grade west bound.. Picture 2 is a shot of one doing just that.   There were several other 0-8-0 switchers that were not equipped with boosters and were used in many other yards such as Texarkana, Big Spring, Shreveport, Ft Worth , Dallas,  or anywhere else heavy switchers were needed..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/21 20:24 by tomstp.

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tomstp Wrote:
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> Wes, the exhaust came out right behind the oil
> bunker at the top of the tender  water deck.
>  Boosters were never removed from 480-481, and
> 490-491. Those 0-8-0 switchers were used on the
> hump in Ft Worth and to push heavy west bound
> trains out of the yard in Baird, Texas which sat
> on a  1.35% grade west bound.. Picture 2 is a
> shot of one doing just that.   There were several
> other 0-8-0 switchers that were not equipped with
> boosters and were used in many other yards such as
> Texarkana, Big Spring, Shreveport, Ft Worth ,
> Dallas,  or anywhere else heavy switchers were
> needed..

Would they cut off "on the fly" when doing this? Always been curious what the procedure was for doing this.

Posted from Android

A-1, the answer to that question may be lost in history.  But, I do know the pushers stayed on the train in to Clyde Tx. a total of 7 miles.  It would make sense to cut off on the fly.

Without getting any draft benefit from the booster exhaust for the fire, it looks like they had to force to hell out of the fire to keep up steam climbing the hill.  I wonder how long they could keep that up before they sucked that 0-8-0 dry....

Most trailer-truck booster exhausts were external to the main Venturi-jet and stack.

You'll often see the booster exhaust-pipe outlet placed in front of the main stack.  

However, on "late" articulated compounds, for starting, --- when the HP cylinder's exhaust
is directed up the stack  and live steam (--- at reduced pressure)is fed to the LP cylinders) --
-- that scheme uses a separate HP-exhaust annular-ring around the main blast nozzle opening.

Once underway, and the articulateds are running "compound", the once-used steam is directed 
forward to the receiver pipe that feeds the low pressure cylinders. The pressure in the receiver pipe 
can be over 100 psi, and that pressure also acts against the exhaust faces of the HP pistons ---
effectively reducing the beneficial Tractive effort of the driver-set that's powered by the HP cylinders.

There is no free-lunch when operating compound.... What makes it all work, is not the imagined
relative pressures involved, but the amount of superheat entering the LP cylinders...  
It is the "heat" acting on the LP cylinders that is the magic of propulsion.

In the compound-running cases, above, the two cylinder-exhaust steam columns ( HP + LP)
increases the impingement area of the drafting-jet; thus, aiding the velocity of air through
the firebed.  

Firemen will want to have a well prepared 'bed' before starting --- trying to "play catch-up";
If you're  behind to begin with, you'll never gain on steam production -- regardless of
oil or coal as fuel.  Another factor is that it's way easier to feed too much oil, vs feeding
too much coal..

As you can see in the booster 'action shot' ( above),  the cold condition in the oil-fed fire
is low enough that the 'freed' carbon ( out the stack)  is not ignited ....
thus, low flame temps + a lot of high-velocity cold air coming through the firebox
makes for a miserable start.

And yes, at the current conditions in this picture, the helper will either run out  of steam
or run out of hill....

Hopefully, the front end loco has a "good-roll on" on the train --- with half the cars over the top..
That hill is a good way to get the lead-locos' firebox white-hot...

​W.

 



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/21 15:43 by wcamp1472.

When you don't have a trailing truck the only other choice for the booster is the tender.  Many roads used them.

Either way, the booster exhaust piping is NOT part of the fire-feeding draft.

W.

 

But if the boiler is properly sized it should work, right?

Yes...and since they apparently retained their boosters to the end..
..they probably were suitably proportioned to power the demand
...booster and all.

Grate area ( brick work volume , in oil burners) and firebox volume...
& greater flame lengths and longer flame paths.. were crucial
to get it right..when it comes to adequate steam generation  

​W.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/21 03:18 by wcamp1472.