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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:59 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:31 am
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Location: South Carolina
mmi16 wrote:
Noticed the steam engines in the Hospital Train had 'wrap around' air hoses applied so that those pieces of equipment did not have operative brakes. I was also surprised to see that the crosshead was attached to the piston thus creating wear on the interior piston and cylinder surfaces.

Looking through a old B&O Employee Timetable from the steam age, I saw where TTSI restricted the movement of dead steam engines to 15 MPH unless the Main rod from the cylinder to the main driver was disconnected. My observation of the YouTube videos made it seem that the Hospital Train was moving faster than 15 MPH. Of course it is 21st Century UP and not mid-20th Century B&O.


The steam locomotives appeared to have their pistons and piston rods removed, but the crossheads and main rods were left installed. This left the main drivers much better balanced than if the main rods were removed, permitting higher speeds for the move.

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:08 am 

Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm
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One practice in moving steam 'on its own wheels' was to pull the main rods and eccentric crank and then install 'bobweights' on the main pins to compensate for the missing mass.

If you have functional lubrication, you can get around dealing with lubricating cold cylinders with steam oil by removing the crosshead keys and rolling the locomotive through at least one revolution, This advances the pistons to the front of the cylinder and detaches the rear of the piston rod from contact with the crosshead at other than crosshead FDC. If desired the piston rod can then be pushed slightly forward, if dead space permits, or the cylinder heads removed and the piston and rod extracted.

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:33 am 

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The #5511's piston rods had already been torched back when UP moved it from Green River to Cheyenne back in the early '60s.


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:37 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
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Location: Maine
Torching the pistons on larger donated U.P. locomotives was apparently the rule, not the exception. 4018 is torched, as are others.

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 11:30 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:19 pm
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Location: Sackets Harbor, NY
When we have moved the 614 dead in tow we remove the main rods and install bobweights to compensate for the missing mass of the main rod. We activated the dead engine feature in the brake system so the brakes on the locomotive function as if the 614 was like any other car in the train.

We limit the speed to 40 mph and everything runs fine.

Ross Rowland


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:26 pm 

Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:31 pm
Posts: 56
Richard,

that was always thought to be the case with UP Big boy 4012, however when I was assigned to clean the engine tender and firebox prior to movement to Scranton the Pistons and rods were in the tender coal space, not protected but were half buried in cinders.

Al P.


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:37 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:58 pm
Posts: 1061
look cut to me..


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 2022 9:10 pm 

Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:05 pm
Posts: 142
Dave Lewandoski wrote:
look cut to me..

No closer than any of the videos were shot at - it is impossible to see that the piston operating rod has been severed.


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:29 am 

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:05 pm
Posts: 270
Dave Lewandoski wrote:
look cut to me..

I hope you're not using that pic as proof for the current move. That's an old pic of 4018 at Fair Park in Texas. Not 5511 or even a Challenger. 5511's rods are torched just in front of the crossheads and 3985's piston rods (and I assume the pistons with them) were removed for the move. I'd guess the same is true for 3985's stems/valves. Photos of 5511 in the roundhouse by RRHMA during inspection show its valves were removed. See them on the RRHMA FB page.

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:47 am 

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:05 pm
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mmi16 wrote:
Dave Lewandoski wrote:
look cut to me..

No closer than any of the videos were shot at - it is impossible to see that the piston operating rod has been severed.

Post-my previous on Dave L, there are several good clear photos of the move available out there. All you have to do is look. Google is a helpful thing.

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 1:58 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:58 pm
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yes I was talking about 4018


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 5:42 pm 

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https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... -repaired/


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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 6:11 pm 
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I've wondered why 3985 wasn't given to the Pomona group for losing 4014. If there'd been easier access, maybe they'd have given it to them?

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 7:02 pm 
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I think that it was UPs intention that 3985 would be given to a group that had the experience, means and facility to return it to operation. Does Pomona have any of that?

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 Post subject: Re: UNION PACIFIC TO DONATE CHALLENGER 3985 & OTHER EQUIPMEN
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2023 12:06 am 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:14 pm
Posts: 613
Location: Essex, Connecticut, USA
Greetings:

Al P. is correct: 4012's pistons and piston rods were/are in the coal pocket of the tender. While at Steamtown (Bellows Falls), chunks of superheater flues or such were stuck into the crossheads so that it appeared to have it's piston rods. I believe these were removed when we moved the locomotive to Scranton.

Al, do you remember?

J.David


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