And yet another video!!

Now back home with high speed internet and a better computer, I have joined together some of the action from the Mid Hants Railway.

Quite long as I just love the sound of real steam.


https://youtu.be/NQFAqCwI4m8

Is it just my computer's crappy audio, or do both of them have a really strange shriek when steam escapes from the cylinders instead of going up the stack?

Nice video, though.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

And yet another video!!

Now back home with high speed internet and a better computer, I have joined together some of the action from the Mid Hants Railway.

Quite long as I just love the sound of real steam.


https://youtu.be/NQFAqCwI4m8

Great stuff, Bernie. Thanks!

Is it just my computer's crappy audio, or do both of them have a really strange shriek when steam escapes from the cylinders instead of going up the stack?

Nice video, though.

Sounds about like there here as well. Wondering if perhaps the microphone was overdriven into distortion? Coolness, though ...

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May be the end of an era. Caboose Hobbies to close? I have fond memories of visiting this place as a kid some 50 years ago ... Some talk that they may continue as an online business only.

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Is it just my computer's crappy audio, or do both of them have a really strange shriek when steam escapes from the cylinders instead of going up the stack?

Stranger still, the shriek lasts for two smoke stack puffs. As we only get to see one side I can't tell if we are hearing from both sides or what?

Also I'm not hearing it as much on the other engine.

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Well I don't hear a "shriek" at all, just what sounds like a rhythmic escape of steam.

Still my hearing is not what it used to be.

Just looked at another video by someone else taken on Sunday and 41312 is making the same "steam escape" noise between each two smokestack puffs.

I am guessing it is something with that particular type of loco.

Whilst 76017 only appears in the "run around" it does not appear to make the same sound. I do actually have two videos of 76017 both unfortunately out of focus and it does not make the same noise in either.

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Pedestrian vs. train
[url]http://www.foxla.com/news/local-news/185880787-story[url]

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Well I don't hear a "shriek" at all, just what sounds like a rhythmic escape of steam.

Still my hearing is not what it used to be.

Pitch is a bit high, likely the length of the pipe the steam is escaping being resonate, like a pipe organ. Seems to be on the forward stroke of the piston on the side we see.

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Another pedestrian vs. train
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_30214909/san-pablo-person-tracks-struck-killed-by-amtrak

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Well I don't hear a "shriek" at all, just what sounds like a rhythmic escape of steam.

Still my hearing is not what it used to be.

Pitch is a bit high, likely the length of the pipe the steam is escaping being resonate, like a pipe organ. Seems to be on the forward stroke of the piston on the side we see.

Okay, so it's not just me.

Our resident Brit was fireman on 1630 today. Popped the safety a few times, one of which I could be slightly blamed for -- after our first trip, I assumed they would assume the other train would go at the top of the next hour, but they actually assumed we would go again and built the fire for it.

The place emptied out quicker than normal. North Shore didn't run a cleanup trip because there was nobody to clean up.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

The shriek or escaping steam that people are hearing is that 43120 (tank engine) has leaky gland on rear of left hand cylinder. In the opening of the clip when she is moving off from the station the drain cocks are also open adding to the noise, however later when she is coming the station the drain cocks would normally be closed but there still steam coming from the cylinder. When she is filmed running around the train steam can be seen escaping from where the piston rod enters the cylinder. From experience escaping steam from drain cocks or in this case a leaky gland can be very loud.

Regards Luigi

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.


A person who makes no mistakes, creates nothing.

41312 has a piston-rod gland leak on its left-hand cylinder. Not a big job to cure, nine times out of ten one just needs heatproof hands and a quick grunt on the nuts and away it goes. The tenth time it is a little more serious and the packing has to be replaced - off with the gland plate, fish out the last turn of the old packing and in two turns of new, if its a rope packing. If its a split bronze packing then it can be helped for a few days by adding a couple of turns of graphite rope while a new packer is turned up and split.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Just noticed this on the Cajon Pass camera



Large fire to the south east (I think)

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Well that was new and different. Fortunately, I wasn't directly involved.

Short version, the steam coach train got a hotbox on a car.

Long version with lots of unnecessary details will have to wait until tomorrow when I'm awake.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

So that was where the smoke screen came from, almost couldn't see the fwy nearby.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Smoke in the sunrise. Fire seems to have died down a bit.

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Finally a Siemens Charger has made it to Chicago.

On the arriving 6 today IDTX 4604



Front


And the whole thing.



Not really a lot to see. Not sure where it is going, have to wait and see

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Finally a Siemens Charger has made it to Chicago.

On the arriving 6 today IDTX 4604



Front


And the whole thing.



Not really a lot to see. Not sure where it is going, have to wait and see

Thanks for the pics, Bernie. Word is although it's an Illinois unit (hence the IDTX reporting mark), it's going to the Northeast Corridor for testing. It's designed for 125 mph and that's the only place it can do that outside of the controlled environment of the testing center in Colorado.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Well that was new and different. Fortunately, I wasn't directly involved.

Short version, the steam coach train got a hotbox on a car.

Long version with lots of unnecessary details will have to wait until tomorrow when I'm awake.

Additional short detail: at the end of Sunday, I changed from my sweaty white museum shirt to a regular civilian shirt... and left the white one in a staff bathroom. After work Monday, I drove back out there and found it still where I'd left it. ...And I just this moment realized I once again forgot to go in the office and grab a handful of Thomas brochures to put in the mail room at work. :(

Anyway, maybe I'll get to the hotbox story tonight.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Saturday: I'm dispatcher and coach conductor with 1630. Also running are North Shore 749, plus 3142 on the Car Line.

When I arrive, I find the usual combine CNW 7700 missing from the east end of the train, and a car I've never seen before, Santa Fe 2544, on the west end. It and the Rock Island car next to it are unlocked, doors open. I check out 2544 and unlock the other two Rocks, but leave them looking like they're locked. I get a tailhose from the depot and put its top end in the doorway at the end of 2544's baggage room. Then I get flags and paddles; the flags will remain unused by me. I look at stepping out around the end of the car to attach the paddles and decide it's too dangerous for me. Then I try climbing up the corner of the car, but with one hand holding a paddle the other arm can't hold me straight up and I can't reach the mount. I end up asking a skinny, limber guy to do it for me.

Next (and I am making this its own paragraph to call attention to it) I check the bearings on 2544 for oil. They are all good... at least as far as I can tell. All the other cars have roller bearings.

749 goes out on a trip at 11. 1630 finally comes out and couples on. As soon as they cut in the air, I hear hissing inside 2544 and tell them to shut it off. I go inside and find the emergency brake pulled; it resets incredibly easily and I tell 1630 to try the air again. After a few minutes, I call on the radio to ask if they're ready for a brake test. And call and call and call. Finally, I walk up. "It's noisy up here." I was yelling. Anyway, I tell him to set the brakes and ask if one of them can walk the other side of the train while I do the platform side (I already walked that side inspecting the train before the engine came out, and nearly fell down on the old ties and on the uneven ground where they were removed). I meet the guy at the back and call for a release. We walk it again. Satisfied, I let passengers board. Somewhere in here, I test the tailhose. We depart at noon, 2, and 4.

Just as we're leaving at 4, Northwest Elevated 24 calls and wants to come out of 41 east, around the Car Line, and into 42 west. I give the order, disappointed that I won't see it move. It was originally built in 1898 and as of Friday is our oldest operable car.

One guy is doing double duty as my trainman and 749's conductor. There are so few people on the last trip that I can get them all in 2544 and he sits out that trip. As soon as we return, I go to the head end to cut off. Young Navy guy has shown up, so I supervise him setting the chocks and making the cut. I send 1630 to bed, then lock up the train, leaving the paddles in place.

749 has no passengers for a trip at 5, so I send it to bed too.

All in all, a fairly normal day. [cue ominous music] Tomorrow is Vintage Transport Extravaganza and I'm conductor on 1374, which I've never even been on before. [more ominous music]

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

[cue ominous music] Tomorrow is Vintage Transport Extravaganza and I'm conductor on 1374, which I've never even been on before. [more ominous music]

For my part, Sunday was a fine day. I arrive a bit later than I usually do, sign in, visit the euphemism, head to Barn 7. I meet my motorman coming out. He says 1374 is ready to go and he'll be back in 5. When he comes back, he shows me how to close the door on the side we're not using and we figure out how to open the door we are using, and leave it that way all day. I stash my cooler and grip out of the way. I also find a way to hang my radio and speakermic on appurtenances so I don't have to carry them on my person. We are the last of three streetcars (4391 and VC19) to go into service; we also have to wait for CTA 4290 to get off the yard lead.

Streetcar service is disrupted at Barn 9 North when Com Ed 15 wants to come out of 93, go into 91 to get 9911A, and park it back over on 93. A bit later, BN-1 wants to come out of Yard 5 into the Tail Track, reverse on the Car Line, and into 91 onto the Zephyr. And of course 1630 also has to come out and over to the train, right where I left it yesterday, but for some reason the angle cock is closed on the last Rock car ("I didn't do it!"). BN-1 pulls the Zephyr out of the barn, but they have trouble starting the HEP and don't fit neatly into the slot the dispatcher intended.

Eventually, things fall into a nice pattern on the Main. 1630 is running on the hour, BN-1 on the half hour, and 4290 and 749 on the quarters. There are lots and lots and lots of people.

And then it happens. [the most ominous music yet]

1630's conductor says he thinks he has a hotbox and wants help from the Coach Dept. Nobody is there, but guys come from Electric Car Dept. to look at it. Confirmed. He has a hotbox, 2nd axle on the right side of 2544. (In the exterior picture at the link, it's the 2nd axle from the left, but the other side of the car.) I later hear the oil is not only smoking but also boiling in the journal box, and the end of the axle has turned blue (meaning it's lost its temper). Boiling could also mean there was water under the oil. Anyway, it's pretty likely the oil was not wicking up onto the bearing. Of course this happens right after they load two wheelchairs into the baggage room.

One Electric guy goes to start 8537. 1630's conductor detaches the tailhose and paddles, then cuts the train away from the car. He attaches the hose and paddles to the new last car and is ready to make a run. He is sent out and all the streetcars are held so 8537 can go over to 2. The Zephyr has to come in on 1. 8537 pulls 2544 at slow walking speed to the east end of 2 and the Zephyr does a short loop out of 1, down the Main, and into 2 to wait for its next regular turn. Streetcars are disrupted again so 8537 can take 2544, still at a slow walk, out the east end of 2, back into 1, onto the Car Line, and shove into Yard 3. The car fits, but the engine doesn't and has to move over to 41 before the streetcars can resume.

Dispatcher manages to get the schedule back into some sort of order without having a nervous breakdown. People are joshing 1630's conductor that it's all his fault. I watch VC19 backpole into Yard 4 West and the pole suddenly go sideways; Electric guy is walking up to me then, so I point and say "I didn't do it!" He walks faster to see what I'm talking about. Next time we come around, the car hasn't moved, but the pole is under the hook and there's a ladder behind the car.

The day winds down fairly quickly, like it did yesterday. We have to take 1374 to bed before 4391 because it sits behind it in the barn. Then I sign out. 1630 has a throttle puller (the only one all season, winner of a raffle) and I go for the ride at the back end; several of us are bugging the conductor good-naturedly ("So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" "Other than that, how did you like working fom the combine?" Answer: "up yours" arm gesture. "I ran that car yesterday with no problem! Of course, I only ran three trips, two hours apart." All the trains are sent back to bed, except 749; another Electric Car guy wants it left out so he can take someone for a private ride. As most of us depart for dinner, Electric guys and Diesel guys are starting to switch. 1630's conductor is sitting in the office writing an incident report, although it's not really necessary. When he finally shows up for dinner, he says they have removed the junk from the west end of the Main. Yay! Now Thomas can run all the way down. We didn't want to take it into Schmidt with the trees poking in the windows. Walking out of the restaurant, I realize I forgot my shirt. I'm too tired to drive back out for it, plus I don't have a gate card to get in at night and I have to work in the morning. I yawn, stretch, and head home.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.