Interesting article- Y-6 differences

[NW Mailing List]

In case anyone is interested, I have a little personal experience to confirm what Jimmy and Ed have said about the Y6 exhaust.  I worked in the Shaffers Crossing roundhouse in the summer of 1956.  Of course, steam was the rule there then, and the use of the Virginian's Roanoke yard was over three years in the future.  This meant that eastbound coal trains were dispatched from the west yard and the double-headed steam locomotives on the head end would come storming by the roundhouse as they strained to accelerate their heavy trains up the slight grade there.  The usual power on the headend was a Y6 type on the point followed by a Class A.  This was so that the Y6 could cut off at some place like Phoebe and the A could take the train on to Norfolk unassisted.

When this powerful show came by the roundhouse, I wasn't the only one who stopped work to watch the action.  Usually a good number of machinists, pipefitters, boilermakers, etc., would collect at the roundhouse windows to watch the show.

Occasionally, there would be a train between the roundhouse and eastbound coal train that would obscure the latter.  It was then that I began noticing that I could tell the difference between the Y6's and the A's even though I could not see the locomotive proper.  I noticed that the exhaust smoke from the Y6 on the point was angled forward, whereas the exhaust smoke from the trailing A  went straight up.

Gordon Hamilton
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  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: NW Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 11:02 PM
  Subject: Re: Interesting article- Y-6 differences


  And the smokebox slant was present in all three Y-6 classes.

  EdKing
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: NW Mailing List 
    To: NW Mailing List 
    Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9:18 PM
    Subject: Re: Interesting article- Y-6 differences


    "The big difference to the Y-6b is that the "b" did not use the older Worthington BL but used the SA type behind the smoke stack.  Thus the smoke box got longer than the Y-6, Y-6a and Y-5 class.  Also the smoke stack in the "b" has a forward tilt to it that allows the new equipment to fit inside.  The "b' hangs an air pump off of either side in a symmetrical manner."

    Gary,
    Just to clarify to Neil, the SA FWH was ahead of the smoke stack which did lengthen the smoke box. The cause of the smoke stack slant was due to the use of the front end throttle not the SA FWH.
    Jimmy Lisle


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