9000 Horsepower

Indeed, those Wooten fireboxes were made to burn anthracite (hard) coal. I used to bunk beside de 2124, the lead engine, (or is it sister engine 2101?) at the Steamtown Museum in Bellows Falls, Vt.

Ah! This is 2100 and 2102 -- I think by this time 2124 was out of service with a cracked cylinder. The cylinders being part of the cast steel frame weighing 100,000 pounds or some such thing, it was not a candidate for a one-off repair. Yes the fireboxes run clear out to the running boards width-wise, lots of grate area; those boxes are almost the size of my dining room!

DaveT

Great Image!

I live in Galesburg, Illinois. We are a railroad town, a train passes through town every seven minutes. Soon (hopefully) we will also have the Railroad Hall of Fame.

A couple of years ago, the 261 came through town. What a site! I took my kids to see it as they Wyed the train and filled it with water. We waited until it got pressure up and then headed out of town. I was 10 feet away when it got under power. Amazing.

I hear diesel trains all day long, but the sound of a steam locomotive is truly a wonderful thing.

Here is the Wiki if you are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_261

steve

I like this actionshot. Good moment, good composition.

- Bert

Impressive.

These engines look more like our British engines than the usual American style we see in films. Anthracite burning instead of wood is probably the reason.

Were these from the last years of steam use as they seem to be a more modern design?


Steve.

that is a great shot! i also like the cars on the road. it really dates the photo. would be cool to see a bit more of them.

great train photo for sure!

Thanks for the comments. These were indeed among the last steam designs, built in the 1940s by the Reading Railroad's own shops. 240 psi steam pressure and some of the latest RR technology of the time. The engine/tender combo, loaded with its 26 tons of coal and 19,000 gallons of water weighed in at over 400 tons. They are quite similar to the #261 that Steve posted the Wiki link for.

More scanned shots are available at http://www.pbase.com/dw_thomas/konica_fp
as well as scattered through the LF stuff at http://www.pbase.com/dw_thomas/oldies4x5

DaveT

A great shot.The thrill of steam is the same as the thrill of 1950s and early 60s Formula 1 racing. You can see the machinery and raw power. The great Stirling Moss summed it up when he said that once you lose the ability to see the drivers struggling with the wheel then racing loses something as a spectator sport and no amount of extra speed makes up for it.

pentaxuser

What an impressive sight! The sounds would have been incredible.