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 Posted - October 25 2017 : 10:33:56 AM
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The Siding is doing an interesting kit bash, which in fact is not so much a substantial
alteration as it is an American refitting of a standard design. What baffles me is the
frequent use of what appears to be a vertical boiler hafted onto a horizontal boiler.
This locomotive is just plain wild with its use a massive driving wheel and a triple bogie
to support the rest of the locomotive.
Assuming that draft is an important component of the steam locomotive, how is that
improved by this gigantic funnel?
Edited by - Chops124 on October 25 2017 10:40:26 AM
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Posted - October 25 2017 : 12:54:51 PM
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Burn wood (or even coal) and sparks fly, so the "funnel" was probably more about having a place to hold all the screening that was needed to keep from setting the surround forests, towns, and people on fire. You stuff a LOT of screening in a big stack, otherwise using just a little will burn off quickly and then you're back to giving the people, places, and things along the line "baptism by fire."
With the passing years, as steam locomotives got bigger and bigger, their stacks generally got smaller and smaller, because all of the "spark arresting" components got moved into the loco's smokebox.
Here's a short article on the subject that goes into much more detail: Large locomotive smokestacks solved burning problem http://www.bnd.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/answer-man/article34036968.html
And another article on the "smokestacks got smaller as boilers grew bigger" subject (and how the netting was moved to the smokebox) from a 1928 Popular Mechanics article: The Vanishing Smokestack https://books.google.com/books?id=y94DAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA183&pg=PA183#v=onepage&q&f=false
Edited by - Localoid on October 25 2017 3:18:22 PM
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Posted - October 25 2017 : 6:49:42 PM
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A tall stack has advantages in creating draft. Especially when you're just steaming up. When you vent exhaust up the stack to create draft, and when you have a blower (a steam jet pointed up the stack), you can get by with a smaller stack.
I do remember a huge, modern Santa Fe engine that had a smokestack extension that could be used where there were no low clearances and retracted for tunnels, low bridges, etc.
The old steam riverboats had very tall stacks, but I don't think they exhausted used steam up them, so they depended entirely on natural draft. Sometimes that draft would be tremendous, as in throw a log past the fire door and watch it get sucked in.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - October 25 2017 : 9:21:40 PM
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Very interesting article, and I appreciate the insights from SCSS.
I had no idea the "bonnet" stack held deflectors, nor that the
screens were eventually moved to the smoke box.
The article about German excess steam boilers has me
boiling. It would indeed appear that the upright, rounded
structure would look like extra capacity, and it would take
advantage of the heat the firebox below. But would it not
create a huge fuel demand? Clearly this design did not
persist.
I am probably wrong about my speculation about the quality of
1840 rivets. They probably had that technology down pretty
good, by then, even if each one was beaten in by hammer and
tong.
Now the German things would require continual heating, or
the vaporized water would cool and contract creating a
tremendous amount of vacuum.
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Posted - October 25 2017 : 10:48:16 PM
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The reason riveted boilers, tanks, etc. work is that the rivets are put in very hot and hammered over. When they cool, they contract pulling the pieces of steel together so tightly as to form a perfect seal. That would be the case whether they were hammered by hand or with an air hammer. Even so, I think that the earliest engines operated at lower boiler pressure than many later ones. The later progress was probably made possible with improvements in metallurgy and boiler design.
Carpe Manana!
Edited by - scsshaggy on October 25 2017 10:49:09 PM
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Posted - October 25 2017 : 11:22:34 PM
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'xpect you're right about the SCSS. A contracted iron rivet has to
hold like billy hell. I so believe I read that the Rocket, and
likely the Planet, fired to 60 PSI, but were hydrostatically tested
to 120 PSI.
I also recall reading that early steam boilers, like that of Trevithek,
and before down to almost 1800, were banned if they met the
definition of "high pressure." Trevithek is said to have held one
constable, or other dignitary, serving him notice that his high
pressure boiler was too dangerous- held him upside down over
a water well. And then continued his work on his boiler which
first was mounted to a steam tricycle carriage (some call it
the world's first automobile) and then to a wheeled locomotive.
This subject has me steaming with curiousity, and so I have
taken the trouble to open a Twitter account, something I
swore never, ever to do, just so I could contact Mr. Brian
Reed who wrote a history of the Norris Locomotive Works.
I want to ask him what the heck is that giant dome in front
over the firebox. He has yet to reply. I'm ready to blow a
gasket.
Chops‏ @Chops124 1h1 hour ago
@BriHReed Hello, Mr. Reed did you write about Norris Steam Locomotives? If so
we have a question for you about them. Thanks!
Edited by - Chops124 on October 25 2017 11:23:25 PM
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 Posted - October 26 2017 : 12:02:51 PM
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look up these on YT, Chops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOGYZC-IJPQ
he will tell you about Trevithek & the railways 
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Posted - October 26 2017 : 3:14:17 PM
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| Awesome, thanks Busss.
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