Steam & Excursion > Strasburg Railroad No. 89

Inspired by Roadjob's black and white photography, I decided to turn this photo of Strasburg No. 89 into a black and white portrait. 

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Wow!  Looks like something from Trains Magazine 60+ years ago. 

Nice one.

Excellent.
Bob
 

Now that's one clean engine !!!  A beauty for sure.  Ross Rowland 

I think that was an early acquisition by F. Nelson Blount & Steamtown, 
North Walpole, NH.  ----  that he sold to Strasburg RR---- around 1963/64

Its distinctive in part, because of upgraded steam chest/ cylinder casting.
More typical was the application of a spool valve 'adapter' bolted onto the 
cylinder casting --- on locos upgraded to spool valves in the early 1900s.

The conventional port arrangements of slide valves has the exhaust port in the center 
of the slide valve's port-plate.  Steam was admitted at the outer edges of  the slide valves:
called: "outside admission" slide valves.  Boiler pressure held the square slide valve 
onto the port-plate.

As superheating was applied to locos,  the square slide valves became victims of technology
advances, since superheated steam was a dry gas, and the pressure on the port-plate, soon
drsgged engines to a stop amidst scraping and gouging of the dry valve ports.

Spool valves replaced the slide valves, as well as higher temperature-tolerant cylinder lubricants.
The typical conversion 'kits' to spool valves kept the original port arrangement to the pistons....
steam admitted at the outer edges of the spool-valve's end-lobes....

On #89, the Canadian owners cast complete new cylider-saddle for the pistons and
new spool valves; the live-steam is between the end-lobes of the spool.
And, the exhaust steam is routed to the stack-base, by passages at the
outer ends of the spool valves.

The spool valve moves back and forth uncovering the port-paths
down to the pistons — at the cylinder
heads. The spool is moved by the
valve gear—— and the engineer
can control the duration of steam
admission —- within limits:
from a short admission of 12% of piston to 80% of piston total stroke.

80% admission is used for starting
and 14% to 30% is used for
power into the drawbar.

However, because of superheating,
the steam ‘charge’ continues to exert
power against the piston —- with
superheat in the steam, but at a lower
pressure….. powering the pistons for
85% of total travel.

However, remember that steam flow
pressures are also regulated by the
engineer’s throttle —- which is the
typical way that engineers control
loco & train speeds..

Along with adding an early application of superheaters.  That made #89 a valuable engine
for the Canadian owners, and when it became available, Nelson Blount snapped it up.

He and Strasburg both appreciated the 'modernized' loco, and its lasting design has 
seen it perpetuated in continuing to serve well at caretaker: Strasburg.RR.
They knew that for limited excursion service, #89 would be an ideal, low-maintenance machine,
compared to her outdated slide-valve sisters.

​W.

 

​

 



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/24 21:02 by wcamp1472.

Beautiful!!!!!

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> I think that was an early acquisition by F. Nelson
> Blount & Steamtown, 
> North Walpole, NH.  ----  that he sold to
> Strasburg RR---- around 1963/64

Actually 1972:

No. 89 | Strasburg Rail Road

Beautiful engine!

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wcamp1472 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think that was an early acquisition by F.
> Nelson
> > Blount & Steamtown, 
> > North Walpole, NH.  ----  that he sold to
> > Strasburg RR---- around 1963/64
>
> Actually 1972:
>
> No. 89 | Strasburg Rail Road
>
> Beautiful engine!

Blount died in a plane crash in 1967 at age 49.  I first encountered much of his early equipment on display at Pleasure Island, Wakefield MA in December 1959 and again May 1960.
jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/24 18:50 by boejoe.

Thanks to those who provided additional info & better dates..

​W.

 

boejoe Wrote:
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> Blount died in a plane crash in 1967 at age 49. 

He ran #89 the day he died, taking to his private plane after running the train.  I read somewhere that this was his favorite engine.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

I believe 89 was in transit from Steamtown to SRC in 1972 and was caught in the Hurricane Agnes floods of June '72.  Seem to remember it was in the Wilkes Barre PA area, which was devastated by Agnes.