Steam & Excursion > 2816 On a Rainy Run to Iowa

Canadian Pacific 2816 made her way from the Chicago suburbs to Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday, May 9th.  While horrible weather was pounding parts of the Midwest and South with severe storms, all we had to contend with was abnormally cool weather, clouds, wind and rain.  Kurt was going to handle the video camera, with my primary job being to get us into position.  Plus, I managed to fire off a roll of Tri-X.  I'll get the film back in a couple of weeks.

Leaving the territory served by Metra commuter trains, the special immediately ran into signal problems that resulted in more than two hours of delay.  The morning service stop was moved from Adeline to Hampshire due to the delays, and the need to make the Hampshire stop to drop some people off.  By the time all of this transpired we had already been set up just west of Kirkland for a few hours... better to wait for hours than be a minute late, right?

Just west of Byron, the train ran into another delay when it hit a downed tree on the track.  It may not have done any damage, but the short stop to make an inspection gave us time to find a spot to shoot.  Our location was at milepost 92, at the next signal past the location where the train stopped.  Back underway the train was running delayed in block, requiring restricted speed up to the signal at our location.  Both the Hudson and the pair of F-Units started to open up as they passed, and God help me those EMDs sounded as good as the steamer.

We managed to get ahead of the train just before the highway and the tracks split east of Adeline, and we did a quick screeching halt as Kurt got the epitome of a grab shot.  "Do I have time for the tripod" he asked.  I could already see the headlight in the rearview mirror.  "Nope," I replied.

While most of the chase pack turned right at Forreston, we turned south and gunned it toward Lanark for one last shot in Illinois just west of town.

The train made another service stop in Savanna, and we headed south to cross the river into Clinton, Iowa, and then headed north to the Deer Creek area where the track runs along the river.  The train was taking it easy approaching Clinton.  Kurt's umbrella died a violent death prior to getting the shot, and the camera's rain gear couldn't keep the rain from blowing all over the lens.

Our last target was where the track runs along the Mississippi River north of Davenport and while the train eased through slow trackage in Clinton, we headed for the Great River Road north of Le Claire.  We found a spot where the train would whistle through a residential area before rounding a curve with Old Man River as a backdrop.  As soon as the train passed, two sheriff's deputies came by at the head of the pack... followed shortly by a school bus.  We were done at that point, and two sleep deprived steam nuts headed for their hotel beds.

Not a bad birthday present for Kurt, who turned 71 the day before the run!

As for jury duty, I don't know if it was a criminal or civil case but they either pled out or settled out of court.  Much appreciated.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/24 19:53 by MaryMcPherson.

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By the way, Canadian Pacific #1401 is an old acquaintance of mine.  We crossed paths several times when she was Nebkota Railway #54 and I lived just across the border in South Dakota.  Her she is in the yard at Chadron, Nebraska, and laid up for the night by the elevators in Gordon, Nebraska.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

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Really, really nice! Thanks for sharing.

Posted from iPhone

Wow!  That's gotta be the nicest poor-weather video I have ever seen.  Thanks to both of you.

-John

Sorry about the umbrella, but it's sacrifice was for a worthy cause.

Thanks for the chase, the video and the sounds.  Wish I had been there :-)

Great series of videos.  Thank you for posting.

Thanks for the great video. Familiar territory for me.

jkh2cpu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry about the umbrella, but it's sacrifice was
> for a worthy cause.

The wind ripped it inside out.  We were going to do a Viking funeral for it, but it was raining too hard to get the fire lit.  We had to settle for a dumpster the next day.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, music to my ears !  Thanks Mary.

Really good movies

Kurt, great coverage of a beautiful subject.

 Nice, Clean Stack!
 And "Square as die!"*

(* A compliment to the superior craftsmanship of the machinists'
    who did the fine tuning of the valve gear, following an extensive
     overhaul.   Fine tuning is referring to the adjustments necessary
      because the Main Rod's front pivot, is on the axle center-line,
      but, the crankpin on the driver crosses the center-line two times
      per revolution ----- AND, the Main Rod, at the crankpin's top and bottom,
      is at an angle to the piston rod's horizontal  center-line.
  
     The crank-pin of the drivers is at its highest and lowest positions 
      when at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions.  However,
       The true mid-point of the piston stroke is at the geometric 
       center of it's stroke: an engine with a 34" stroke, reaches 
        mid-stroke at 17".   When at it's halfway mark, the back-end of the
        main rod is not yet at it's 12 o'clock , or 6 o'clock positions ...
        Thus, when traversing across the back half of the crank-circle, there 
         are MORE than 180-degrees.
         And, over the front half of the crank-circle, there are LESS than 180-degrees.

       The inequity in the crankpin's 360-degrees, ideally you want each power
       stroke to be equal and 180-degrees each. The disparity in power strokes,
        In steam engine terms, due to & is called  "the Angularity of the Main Rod".  

       Adjusting the "even-sounding", of the port-openings 
       is where the skill of the Valve-Setter's Craft comes in-to-play.
       Experienced machinists used a high-degree of geometry and
        trigonometry in calculating where to make 'adjustments'
         [ it has it's own 'science'--- involving the blacksmith's craft ----
            for a later discussion, if its of interest?]

       The skill of valve setting was passed from father to son.
       Also, machinists kept accurate records of each individual loco's proper settings
       and adjustments --- so that, on successive shoppings, years later,
       they could refer back to the earlier settings for a specific loco,
        and re-set the valves., in 1/3 the time, that it took to obtain the original dimensions.
       
        Those 'record' note books, of the individual locos were passed-on,
         from generation to generation, of machinists and were a closely-held,
         "Top Secret" document.
        
         Top Secret, since the possession of the true numbers could
         save a week or two, --- of down-time--- in having to re-create the
         numbers that produces the perfect, "even-beats" & characteristic sounds
          of a perfectly 'square' engine.... as this one so clearly announces
          to the World!

           Also, the Top Secret documents were a form of job-security,
           generation to generation.  However, the adoption of the 
           internal combustion engine and electric propulsion doomed
           these skills of the Machinist's Craft ...)

    The term "Die", is referring to an old-timey thread-cutting tool
    for cutting spiral, screw threads round steel stock.  
   Dies, made by the BEST machinists, were perfectly square, and
    manually turned by a wrench, while the round-stock
    was clamped in a vice.
    
     Now, most thread-cutting dies are 6-sided.
      And, 'machine threads' are straight ( not tapered) and can produce 
     long, "all-thread", steel rods.

     Pipe-cutting, thread-dies are round, and clamped in an
      electric motor powered tool, that spins the pipe inside
       the cuttting die.

       "Pipe" threads are tapered, so that they are self-sealing,
       when screwed into a matching tapered, female-threaded fitting.  
       Thus, pipe threads are complete when the pipe's-end emerges
        at the front of the die.... So, stop further cutting ! ....

        W.

        Thank You, Mary, for the FINE  recordings !

       ( The last sequence is a perfect 'sound-sample' of a "drifting-throttle' engine at speed...
          Just enough steam to fill each piston stroke with steam;  but, adds no accelerating-power
           to the drivers... I love it when an engine is NOT being abused).



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/24 00:38 by wcamp1472.

Mary and the Birthday Boy Kurt win the internet today.  Worst kind of day to be out filming, but yet these are superb!
I like this whistle better and also no pneumatic valve blowing it but a cord.
I am amazed at how square how she is!  Someone outdid themselves in the valve work.  She bites 'em off precisely on time and it's music to this old man's ears.
Thank you and Happy Birthday Kurt.

Kurt, what a great video of CP2816 !   Thanks for sharing it. 

Even to my unknowing ears the locomotive sounds “right”. Maybe it’s just being around machines my whole life, from cars and trucks to farm equipment and motorcycles (and most of them as old as me or older).

The CP machinists can be proud of their work on this one.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

YES!

Valve-setting is more ART, than science!
An engine that is set to geometric-precision, will sound 
very lame'.  Experienced machinists know where & how to 
make minor adjustments--- so that the exhaust-chuffs appear 
to be "even" in intensity and power.

Its an amazing skill, partly due to the fact that the valve-setting 
process is done while the engine is 'cold'.... whereas, at operating
conditions, heat and thermal expansion change the physical dimensions
of the heated components...like spool valve lengths and spacing of ports
in the valve bushing ----  which changes the opening and closing
positions of rings on the spool-valve.

"Square as a die..."

W.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/24 12:19 by wcamp1472.

Nice video Kurt!

Posted from Android