Good Smoke!

You wouldn't want to argue with anything that size, Dave I take it that a headlight in the middle of the boiler How far a beam did it throw and was it far enough to say stop in time at say 60 mph when sighted?

Thanks

That's a great photo! I'm waiting for 2816 to be under steam again.

When I was perhaps 10 years old ( a LONG time ago!) we lived about 1/4 mile from the RR station in Chester, VA. My younger Brother and I would often walk to the station to watch the 7:13 evening train come in or roar by. It could deliver and pick up mail on the fly! Very impressive. To me steam locos ARE railroading. Diesel electric engines are so ..... sterile.

pentaxuser said:

You wouldn't want to argue with anything that size, Dave I take it that a headlight in the middle of the boiler How far a beam did it throw and was it far enough to say stop in time at say 60 mph when sighted?

Thanks

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An acquaintance of mine had a relative who was an engine driver, probably diesel electric. A car stalled on a grade crossing some distance ahead. He, the engine driver, hit the train's brakes, leaned on the engine's horn....but had to watch, helplessly, as the car driver failed to JUST GET OUT OF THE CAR! and was crushed in the car. The engine driver couldn't bring himself to drive a train ever again.

Steam fans would enjoy the photos of O Winston Link. He photographed the closing days of steam, financed, IRRC, by Norfolk and Western. Wonderful photos! Large format and elaborate flashbulb lighting for the fantastic night shots.

GRHazelton said:

Steam fans would enjoy the photos of O Winston Link. He photographed the closing days of steam, financed, IRRC, by Norfolk and Western. Wonderful photos! Large format and elaborate flashbulb lighting for the fantastic night shots.

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Yes! And tying right in with all this, the former N&W passenger station in Roanoke is now a history mueum which has a whole section dedicated to O. Winston Link that displays many of his photos, plus there is a section on Raymond Loewy who designed the streamlining for #611 (as well as the Pennsylvania RR GG-1 electrics).

The former N&W freight depot in Roanoke is now the Virginia Museum of Transportation. It covers more than just railroads, but the collection includes some even bigger N&W steam locos (class A and Y6a). The N&W was the last major US railroad to build its own locomotives, and these J class units were built as recently as 1955. Being a coal hauler probably accounts for them running lots of steam into the late 50s.

pentaxuser said:

You wouldn't want to argue with anything that size, Dave I take it that a headlight in the middle of the boiler How far a beam did it throw and was it far enough to say stop in time at say 60 mph when sighted?

Thanks

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Yeah, that engine is definitely overkill for a 4.5 mile tourist line, but apparently their track is decently installed.

The center front object is a headlight -- some info online says the current US requirement is:
When illuminated, the headlight shall produce a peak intensity of at least 200,000 candela and produce at least 3,000 candela at an angle of 7.5 degrees and at least 400 candela at an angle of 20 degrees from the centerline of the locomotive when the light is aimed parallel to the tracks.

On steam locomotives, such lighting was powered by a small steam turbine driven generator ("dynamo") on top of the boiler. That J class was rated at 5100 drawbar horsepower, so a kilowatt or two for lighting was no problem!

I have no clue how those numbers translate to vision. Someone who has an unobstructed line of sight can probably see it for miles, but don't know how far it allows the engineer to see from the cab. They are pretty intense. And in more recent times locomotives in some forms of service are required to have three lights on the front in a triangular pattern. In days of yore some had an oscillating light that swept a few degrees from side to side, scanning the right of way, and also helping identify them as a moving object.

In the US, consolidation of railroad companies now has larger and larger trains running which can take sometimes a mile or more to stop. So if nothing else, Darwin's theory will eventually teach people to actually look around before driving over a track.

Thanks Dave. Yes the big difference with British steam locos is that they never had headlights They only had paraffin(kerosene) lamps that in the days of steam and the lack of light pollution from cities might have meant the lamps could be seen in what was close to total darkness from far enough away for the likes of cars etc to get out of the way but certainly loco drivers would have no chance to see them. I suspect that their noise was probably enough to alert occupants of cars but it was never the duty of loco drivers to take responsibility for "objects" on the line

pentaxuser

Pearler of a shot there Dave!

Here's a chance to take a STEAM scenic trip! https://www.gsmr.com/

I've taken one of these tours twice over the last 30 years or so. The steam loco is a year or so older than I am, but in better condition! The last time Flora and I rode the rails their steam loco was out of service awaiting repairs, so we had to make do with diesel. The scenery is wonderful. Fall and spring would be the best times, although in the mountains summer isn't too hot.
Now it seems that the steam loco is back, and they have a turntable! Wowzer!