old steam trains

[Wustenfuchs]

Originally Posted by krieg

how come the boiler stays horizontal
somethink to do with the water??
cheers krieg

Not positive but I guess the water boils more effectively horizontal than all pooled up at the one end, also the open firebox being tilted back into the cab might be scarey!

[Wustenfuchs]

Here's a cool vid of one of the Grand Canyon's steamy ladies.

YouTube - Grand Canyon Railway steam train at Coconino Canyon

[vitara]

Originally Posted by Wustenfuchs

Here's a cool vid of one of the Grand Canyon's steamy ladies.

YouTube - Grand Canyon Railway steam train at Coconino Canyon

yes i do agree a grand old lady thanks for showing us
cheers krieg

[Whiterook]

Originally Posted by krieg

how come the boiler stays horizontal
somethink to do with the water??
cheers krieg

That is exctly it, my friend. I believe the train never levels out.

[vitara]

a cupple of more pics of the steam trains here
i hope i havent put them befor

...[ATTACH]2384[/ATTACH.....railway-aerialweb.jpg

cheers krieg

[Geek44]

In the western part of my state, there's a little town called Beaufort. In 1910, there was a head on collision between two trains that left the locomotives slanted upwards like the sides of a tent. The incident is still referred to as 'The Beaufort Disaster'. My great grandfather was a fireman on one of the locomotives and he died in the accident. We have the newspaper clippings from the day. My son thinks it's awesome...he doesn't quite understand the whole 'death' vibe yet of course and I'm in no hurry to enlighten him.
That self levelling boiler on the Cog is an amazing piece of engineering...heck, even conventional steam locomotives blow my mind. I'm not really an enthusiast myself but I can certainly see why people are. If man had never learned to fly, trains might just have been my thing. They were when I was very young but I discovered model aeroplanes and never looked back.
The volunteer crews that run the trains I've posted pics of here are really great. They know me and my son now and we're often invited to sit in the cabin for a while...my son gets nervous about it, they're big and loud. Lately, I've been telling my boy that when he gets older, we can volunteer to help out and that if he wants to, he can learn to drive the locomotive. He now has his first ambition...but now I'm bragging about my kids . I'll stop now. ()

[Whiterook]

Brag away my friend....you've plenty to be proud of!

Yeah, I agree on the travel aspect...I sometimes think we'd be better off in this country if we had more rail service and less SUV's the size of Sherman Tanks! Plus, how cool is it to just sit back and read a book while the countryside rolls by! Get those G-damned bluetooth Borg ear pieces out folk's ears and slow them up a piece to smell the freakin' roses! Too much technology going on, you know?

[Wustenfuchs]

[quote=Whiterook;28564]Brag away my friend....you've plenty to be proud of!]


I totally agree!

[Wustenfuchs]

Well that didn't turn out as planned. But the point isn't lost.. your son is into trains and that is cool! For me it was trains, dinosaurs, pirates, American Indians, spaceships. Eventually it all evolved into planes and tanks. Best to you and your son Nick!

[cyberia]

This place is about 45 minutes from my home...

Steamtown National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)