06-27-2010, 10:05 AM
O.K., today's lesson is all about how to spot the two types of steam locomotive fireboxes that are not of the USRA (United States Railway Association) design.
The Belpaire firebox we should all be able to spot - the Pennsy used them - the have "square corners" at the top. Quite a few locomotives in the U.K. had this firebox as well.
The Wooten firebox (Mister BiL's favorite
) is very wide, very deep and has an overall fat, rounded appearance. It was the reason Camelbacks came into being ... anthracite needs more grate area to get a hot enough fire to generate the necessary steam pressure. The cab was placed in front of the firebox as it was believed that the engineer would have better forward vision that way. However, it made for difficult communication between the engineer and the fireman. There was also the problem of a thown side rod from very tall drivers rotating at a high rate of speed cutting a nice foot-wide swath through the cab and taking the major part of the locomotive engineer with it. 
hock: When locomotives got larger, that cab was moved to the rear, solving both problems. 
O.K. ... that's it in a nutshell ... today's lesson is over.
The Belpaire firebox we should all be able to spot - the Pennsy used them - the have "square corners" at the top. Quite a few locomotives in the U.K. had this firebox as well.
The Wooten firebox (Mister BiL's favorite
) is very wide, very deep and has an overall fat, rounded appearance. It was the reason Camelbacks came into being ... anthracite needs more grate area to get a hot enough fire to generate the necessary steam pressure. The cab was placed in front of the firebox as it was believed that the engineer would have better forward vision that way. However, it made for difficult communication between the engineer and the fireman. There was also the problem of a thown side rod from very tall drivers rotating at a high rate of speed cutting a nice foot-wide swath through the cab and taking the major part of the locomotive engineer with it. hock: When locomotives got larger, that cab was moved to the rear, solving both problems. O.K. ... that's it in a nutshell ... today's lesson is over.
biL
Lehigh Susquehanna & WesternÂ
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln
Lehigh Susquehanna & WesternÂ
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln