look what came to town today....

[ScotO]

The Nickel Plate Road #765 came to work today, prepping for some central PA excursions the next two weekends. Got to get up close and personal with this beast, what a treat it was. Steam locomotives are amazing pieces of machinery, with all the mechanical gadgetry that is involved in making them work......

A couple close up pictures of her.....

 

[Jags]

That is one cool tool. I have had the fortune to actually ride a couple of different steam loco's. Simply amazing.
This is kinda local to me: (and I have been there a few times)
http://www.irm.org/

 

[fossil]

That's one beautiful old machine. (not a whole lot of work there for an electrician, though )

 

[gzecc]

They are amazing. Probably had a 75 years useful life? The steam locomotive technology that is.

 

[Jags]

Cool - the 765 was first assigned to Bellevue, IA. I see Bellevue from my cabin.

 

[ScotO]

That's one beautiful old machine. (not a whole lot of work there for an electrician, though )

You're right, Rick......but there ARE two or three steam turbines on that beast, to power the cab signal, lighting, and some of the required electronic monitoring equipment. But, as you can see from the photos inside the cab, it's still very much a 'hands-on' machine.....lots of instrumentation and valves. Back in the days when steam was king, the engineer, fireman AND conductor made their money. Especially that poor fireman!

 

[ScotO]

They are amazing. Probably had a 75 years useful life? The steam locomotive technology that is.

The engineer (who has been with this machine since the 70's) told me a great deal of history and information on the locomotive. It gets a TOTAL tear-down every 15 years!! Every nut, bolt, and screw. Totally torn down. It needs to be re-certified federally for the boiler every 15 years. But the guys who run it and maintain it do a phenominal job. This locomotive is very much in excellent condition. Hard to believe it probably put over 10,000 miles a month or more under it's belly.....

 

[PapaDave]

Beautiful machine.
Since you work for a RR, have you ever heard the term "foamer"?

 

[ScotO]

Beautiful machine.
Since you work for a RR, have you ever heard the term "foamer"?

Yes.....there were a PILE of 'em hanging on the fence all day today.....

 

[fishingpol]

Just.. plain... freakin... awesome...

Pure, raw power.

 

[ScotO]

Just.. plain... freakin... awesome...

Pure, raw power.

I forgot to mention, the firebox is over 100 cubic feet!! 6 separate shaker grates (all of them 2' x 4')....
Then you have the stokers.......I know, I know....I'm a geek for machinery. Especially one that burns 1 ton of coal every 10 miles!!....

 

[DexterDay]

I seem it on my way to work. It was stopped by Hopkins in Cleveland. Black smoke chugging and it was gettin ready to roll.

Had a slew of cars behind it... (Maybe it wasn't this one? Because it did have a bunch of them?)

Maybe it was a different one?

Either way. That is awesome. Love that our ancestors were so innovative. The Iron Age. Love it.

Love that old steel.

 

[begreen]

Classic Berkshire. That's a beautiful steam machine. Thanks for posting Scotty.

 

[bogydave]

Thanks scotty

Beautiful Beast!

Headed for Altoona:
By Jason Cato
Published: Monday, May 13, 2013, 1:06 p.m.Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Nickel Plate Road No. 765, a 404-ton Berkshire steam locomotive, rambled through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on Monday on its way to Altoona.
“Thank you for a great showing,” tweeted Daniel Udrija. “It was so nice to watch it go by in Avon Lake with my 19-month-old daughter. She loved it.”
The dead-head trip — meaning the locomotive is without passengers or freight — continues eastward to the Harrisburg area on Tuesday.
The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based locomotive, built in 1944, will carry Norfolk Southern employees around Horseshoe Curve outside Altoona on Saturday and Sunday, and will be used for public trips around the bend between Lewistown and Gallitzin from May 25-27. Tickets for the public trips sold out within 24 hours in February.
No. 765 will pass through the Pittsburgh region again on May 29 and stop at the Conway rail yard in Beaver County.
The steam locomotive covered more than 4,000 miles last year in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania, operating employee-appreciation excursions for Norfolk Southern's 30th anniversary. Its progress can be tracked at www.fortwaynerailroad.org/locate/locate.html.


Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4012167-74/locomotive-steam-county#ixzz2TKlUHa9P

 

[Freeheat]

Especially one that burns 1 ton of coal every 10 miles

Wow I didn't know it consumed that much

 

[ScotO]

I seem it on my way to work. It was stopped by Hopkins in Cleveland. Black smoke chugging and it was gettin ready to roll.

Had a slew of cars behind it... (Maybe it wasn't this one? Because it did have a bunch of them?)

Maybe it was a different one?

Either way. That is awesome. Love that our ancestors were so innovative. The Iron Age. Love it.

Love that old steel.

That WAS the #765, Dex. They came through Cleveland. The engineer told me that the 250-some mile trip from Cleveland consumed 26 ton of coal.......crazy!

 

[lukem]

That WAS the #765, Dex. They came through Cleveland. The engineer told me that the 250-some mile trip from Cleveland consumed 26 ton of coal.......crazy!

That's a lot of shoveling.

 

[Delta-T]

please tell me it was pulling the circus...that would be the ultimate of nostalgia..especialy if the giraffe's head was sticking out the top of the car. I especially like the bell on the front.

 

[ScotO]

That's a lot of shoveling.

This tender has the "modern" (for the steam era and tenders of that time) auger- driven coal feed. Which meant only SOME shoveling had to be done by the fireman. Maybe only 5 tons or so......

 

[lukem]

This tender has the "modern" (for the steam era and tenders of that time) auger- driven coal feed. Which meant only SOME shoveling had to be done by the fireman. Maybe only 5 tons or so......

Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.

 

[ScotO]

Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.

Uhhhhh, yeah.....okay....

 

[ScotO]

please tell me it was pulling the circus...that would be the ultimate of nostalgia..especialy if the giraffe's head was sticking out the top of the car. I especially like the bell on the front.

Lol...not this time, Delta.....
BUT, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus train comes through this way around once a year, and WOW, what an operation that is. That is one HELL of an operation.......longer than some freight trains that we see here (and we see some VERY long trains built in this yard.....)

 

[jtakeman]

Awesome Scotty, Thanks for sharing. We love the steam loco's. Got to see its sister(759 IIRC) at steam town a few years back. But its static. We'd love to see it operate. Might have to plan a trip one of these days? Looks like its all booked for this season though.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That's neat Scott. We have one in this area too that makes several runs each year. It is amazing too how much they charge to ride on the train but never seem to have problems selling out.

 

[swagler85]

Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.

Pics or it didn't happen