Steam & Excursion > Blowing off steam on the Mississippi! 6988 clears the boiler.

last saturday 6988,s one way trip to Silvis. Train was boated on the Gvmt bridge on the Iowa side. Crew took time to blow off boiler and hand shovel coal. Bikers, runners, and Casino gambelers ran over to watch, as did some foamers! One even thought it was a Big Boy. He must have lost heavy! Its in Silvis shops now to be rblt.

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I have been on a couple of trips behind 6988 and seen this happen at or on the bridge

slacks Wrote:
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> last saturday 6988,s one way trip to Silvis. Train
> was boated on the Gvmt bridge on the Iowa side.
> Crew took time to blow off boiler and hand shovel
> coal. Bikers, runners, and Casino gambelers ran
> over to watch, as did some foamers! One even
> thought it was a Big Boy. He must have lost heavy!
> Its in Silvis shops now to be rblt.

Nice photos. But,,,,,,,,,,,,what is "in the Silvis shops now to be rblt"?

"Blowing down's" biggest benefit is the ability to dilute the  calcium-concentrated 
 boiler water.  Generating steam consumes H2O molecules --- then the 'non-boilables':
mud, calcium, salts, etc in the boiler water get more and more concentrated.

Too much concentration can lead to bad foaming in the steam space ---- which "lifts water" towards the cylinders,
and the weighty foaming displaces the water in the sightglasses. (Where there is no 'foam': hence the
incorrect reading in the sight glasses) ---- giving false ( too high) water level readings.

Foaming is to be avoided & minimized at all costs.
Foaming can be lessened by repeatedly blowing-down the water level,
and replenishings  with fresh water from the tender.  It takes many blow-down/ refill cycles
to make a weak-enough dilution that does not  "foam".  

If you know you have bad water sources, start blowing-down cycles early in the day ...
.and keep at it..

One or two blow downs cycles makes a crew "feel good", but the resulting dilution is not 
sufficient enough to make a scientific difference.
 
It takes intentional, concerted effort to lower the concentrations in the boiler.
In some bad water districts. often times boilers were emptied every day, flushed and refilled..

W..

("LarryDoyle extols the purity of the boiler water taken from Lake Superior.... With GOOD reason..
  it's REALLY PURE, with virtually NO dissolved 'salts'.... Yum!)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 17:43 by wcamp1472.

 6988 is, I guess the first "customer" for the Silvas Shop Facility. They ran it down for its 1472 day inspection.

Cheers, Dave

HotWater Wrote:
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> Nice photos. But,,,,,,,,,,,,what is "in the Silvis
> shops now to be rblt"?

Haven't seen "rblt" as short for "rebuilt" before?

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

MaryMcPherson Wrote:
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> HotWater Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nice photos. But,,,,,,,,,,,,what is "in the
> Silvis
> > shops now to be rblt"?
>
> Haven't seen "rblt" as short for "rebuilt" before?

Yes, I have. Many, MANY times, but what I was asking about was, what is he referring to as being in the Silvis shops, i.e. which locomotive?

Duh!
The one crossing the bridge in the photo --- as explained earlier..

​W.

 

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> Duh!
> The one crossing the bridge in the photo --- as
> explained earlier..
>
> ​W.
>
>  
Specifically, Iowa Interstate Railroad 2-10-2  #6988, Operated by Central States Steam Preservation Association....you're welcome HW.

Cheers, Dave

Great pic there Gay! 
MILW86A