Them Ol' Steem injines

[NW Mailing List]

Ed:
 
Thank you for this perfect example of the versatility N&W designed into  
its modern steam power.
 
Regards,
 
Dave Phelps
 
 
In a message dated 8/15/2015 1:05:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

 
 
Here are two more for you steam performance guys to  consider.
 
The 2184 is coming around the curve at Walton Tower  with a 10,000+ ton 
coal train.  The 2179 is the pusher on the same  train.
 
The “84” dropped down the mountain out of Bluefield  and then went to 
work, lifting that train up the New River’s .2 per cent grade  at between 29 and 
32 MPH.  It was necessary for it to put 5,500  horsepower on the drawbar to 
accomplish this.  Then she, with the help of  an identical sister, will 
have no problem lifting this train up to  Christiansburg on Alleghany’s 1 per 
cent grade – they’re rated for 5,150 tons  each.
 
Now, these two engines are capable of putting 332,000  pounds of low-speed 
drawbar pull (and/or push) to get this job done.  I  remember one double 
which had to get its pusher east of Walton Tower on the  grade itself.  It was 
raining.  The train was in several curves and  on the grade and the two Y’s 
got her moving, and on up the grade she  went.  That job took every ounce of 
the 332,000 pounds.
 
Now consider putting other locomotives in that  position.  The two 
Triplexes would have done it, but neither would have  made the mountain without 
stopping to blow up steam.  Two Virginian AE  2-10-10-2s would have done it, but 
one of them would have maybe made 15 MPH  coming up the river.  Two Big 
Boys didn’t have enough low-speed oomph to  get this train up the mountain; Big 
Boy was rated for 4,800 tons on one  percent.  An H-8 could have brought 
the train up the river that fast, but  it would have taken more than two of 
them to get it over the Mountain.   So pick your favorite and do the math.
 
Two more cents . . .
 
EdKing
 
 








 
____________________________________
 (http://www.avast.com/)  
This  email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. 
_www.avast.com_ (http://www.avast.com/)   


________________________________________
NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
To  change your subscription go  to
http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
Browse the  NW-Mailing-List archives  at
http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20150815/c127fd94/attachment-0001.html>