Coal and steam!

[EatenByLimestone]

There's just something magical about old steam tractors. I think I could watch this work for hours!




It's a little bit of a change from the normal solar panel discussion. Imagine how much wood CV it'd take to power that!

 

[ABMax24]

I seen that a while ago, pretty amazing the power those old steam engines had.

We have a Centennial Museum here that has a wide variety of old tractors, including some steam ones, some of which are still operable. Here's a video I caught of one of the engines at that museum:

 

[thecoalman]

It's a little bit of a change from the normal solar panel discussion. Imagine how much wood CV it'd take to power that!

Generally a 4*4*8 box will hold about 3 ton of anthracite coal @25 million BTU per ton. You can store 75 million BTU with coal in the same space used for one cord of wood. By volume anthracite coal is 3.5 to 4+ times the energy of wood. Appalachian bit coal would be in same range as anthracite, Western coal is lower.

By weight wood is still lower but not much lower, about 17.2 million per ton with 0 moisture content.

 

[peakbagger]

The Mt Washington Cog Railroad near me still runs a few passenger coal fired steam trains to the summit of Mt Washington. They switched most of the trains over to a biodiesel blend diesel electric units camouflaged to look like steam locomotives as they can run more passengers. It is quite noticeable the difference in the sound and smell between the two types of fuel.

 

[peakbagger]

BTW, My house is just past the summits in the background down in a valley, The three major summits left to right are Jefferson, Adams and Madison, there is a deep glacial cirque valley just in front of the summits. The video is taken from the summit building of Mt Washington facing north. In addition to the Cog railroad there is a private auto road and when I look south out of my house window I am looking at the backside of Madison and Adams. I have hiked all over the area including the summits in the winter on occasion (thus my screen name). .

 

[Sawset]

The old machines took a lot of limbs off in their day.
The guy on deck in the middle shoveling coal had his work cut out at full power like that.
And the 4mule team they replaced.
The thing is, some of those larger Case engines had as much power as a much later Deere 4020

 

[Corey]

That 150 Case is something else! Kory Anderson has a whole series of videos on youtube of building it FROM SCRATCH! I guess 9 were made, but none survived and he is such an enthusiast, he got a set of original prints from Case and started there! WOW!

Here is a fun video I always enjoy:

 

[EatenByLimestone]

that is awesome! It's quite a show in the day and night!

Him making it from scratch explains why he's not afraid to work it!

 

[Sawset]

Looking up "steam tractor explosion" sure brings up many many interesting situations.

 

[begreen]

They are horribly polluting, especially when blowing out the boiler, but I do love steam engines.

 

[fbelec]

the wife and i been on the mount washington cog what a setup. unless you been there the video peakbagger shows doesn't really show how steep a climb that is. peakbagger knows. the fireman for that train works his butt off. that guy shovels as fast as he can for a full minute the closes the boiler door for 30 seconds then opens and repeats until it gets to the top. the scary part is going backdown the same track you came up. and if you go don't wear a white shirt. nice thread.

 

[Sawset]

unless you been there the video peakbagger shows doesn't really show how steep a climb that is

 

[SpaceBus]

The Mt Washington Cog Railroad near me still runs a few passenger coal fired steam trains to the summit of Mt Washington. They switched most of the trains over to a biodiesel blend diesel electric units camouflaged to look like steam locomotives as they can run more passengers. It is quite noticeable the difference in the sound and smell between the two types of fuel.

Makes me wish we had rode the train!

 

[fbelec]

thanks sawset. i never seen that video that helps