Nostalgia & History > Somers Lumber Co Fireless

As of 2019 the S-1 is still operating on compressed air. The S-2 as you see it . Both the S- and S-2 were built by Porter. There were originaly 3 but no one seem to know what happened to #3

Ed



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/19 12:07 by misty1.

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Does anyone have photos they can share of a fireless "cooker" being re-charged with superheated water/high pressure steam from a stationary boiler?  While it's probably nothing spectacular - just an external pipe connecting to a fitting on the locomotive somewhere - I can't recall ever seeing such a photo.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> Does anyone have photos they can share of a
> fireless "cooker" being re-charged with
> superheated water/high pressure steam from a
> stationary boiler?  While it's probably nothing
> spectacular - just an external pipe connecting to
> a fitting on the locomotive somewhere - I can't
> recall ever seeing such a photo.

Evan: I have no idea if this shot is helpful that I took in East St. Louis on June 26, 1980. There is an external pipe but it doesn't appear to be attached in this pic, however the steps seem to be about the right height to do so somewhere on the loco. Then again it may not be related to your question at all : >)

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Here's a shot of ISCOR Pretoria Works (South Africa) Henschel fireless being charged with steam.  Photo 4-15-88   Iscor also had some Porter fireless locos.  Track gauge is 42 inches.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/19 15:03 by utwazoo.

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utwazoo Wrote:

> Here's a shot of ISCOR Pretoria Works (South
> Africa) Henschel fireless being charged with
> steam.  Photo 4-15-88   Iscor also had some
> Porter fireless locos.  Track gauge is 42 inches.

Thanks!  They certainly put the fitting in a prominent location on the locomotive.  I'm curious where the connection is made on the other engines in this thread.

S-1 has been at the museum in Polson, MT for decades since it was retired and has not operated since it was retired from service.

Martin

The East Tenn & Western North Carolina SG 2-8-0 when it serviced Elizabethton, TN, would park their 2-8-0 and engineer climb on the plant fireless cooker and switch out the plant and make the freight car available for the train to take them back to Johnson City.  The engineer would change the boiler just before he did the switching.  That was done withing the plant so could not photograph it.  They just screwed a hose to the Cooker and turned a valve on.  They turned the valve off and bled out the line and just un screwed the hose connection.