I saw Engine #844 today.

[712edf]

Steam engine came through town & stopped for an hour or so today. Drive wheels are 80" in dia. Holds 23,500 gal of water. Engine & tender weigh a combined 907,980 lbs

Here she is about an hr before I saw her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7wGXELTNz8

[Gordon Maney]

Beautiful!

I have a new appreciation of early railroad machinery from some visits to the Illinois Railway Museum. It is fascinating stuff. They are restoring these old beasts and you can see them in various states of disassembly.

[712edf]

I think this is the 150th anniversary of Union Pacific railroad. #844 will be travelling throughout the country. The video doesn't do justice to the size of this engine. About 17' tall & over 50' long. Boiler is 86" diameter. Cylinders are 25" bore & 34" stroke. This one has been converted from coal to burnt oil for fuel.
Bucky

[Tom Petroff]

Thanks for the link.
Nice video.
I love locomotives. You really need to appreciate the mechanicals,sheer weight,and beauty of these beast,especially Steam powered.

A little something most don't know about Timken Bearings.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timken_1111


The Timken Demonstrator
In 1930, the Timken Company took delivery of its own 4-8-4 Northern locomotive from the American Locomotive Company. Timken wanted to demonstrate the advantages of roller bearings on steam locomotives and thus became one of the very few private owners of a main line locomotive.
This locomotive carried road number 1111 and the Timken name and became known as "four aces" on the many railroads that tested it. In the two years it traveled the country it ran up an impressive record in both passenger and freight operation.

Designed for fast freight and passenger service, this locomotive was tested in drag freight operation and consistently did well without helpers. On one occasion it started a 132 car freight train of 9,864 tons.

Timken had "four aces" built so that the boiler pressure could be varied between 235 and 250 psi and its weight could be shifted between the drivers and trucks thus allowing the demonstrator to have a tractive effort of 59,900 lbs at 235 psi and 63,700 lbs at 250 psi. The locomotive weighed 417,500 lbs, had 73" drivers and 27 x 30 cylinders.

While being tested on the Northern Pacific, number 1111 suffered crown sheet damage. Timken was essentially finished with it and did not want a damaged locomotive and NP did not want to repair a locomotive it did not own. In order to resolve this stand-off, NP bought the locomotive, repaired it, numbered it 2626 and used it until 1955.



UP has a strong presence here in St Louis, with one of the few remaining "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 locomotive that were made in the 40's to haul large freight trains over the Rocky mountains with a single locomotive replacing multiple unit's,crews,and a helper engine.
It was a Huge locomotive. Shame it's just for static display now.

Info
http://www.trainweb.org/jlsrr/bigboy...n%20center.htm

Also a nice site here

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/lists/

You tube is full of steam videos from train buff's
I thoroughly enjoy watching them
Thanks
TGP

[Bruce]

Thanks Bucky!

[712edf]

The word "TIMKEN" is clearly stamped on the hubs of I believe the tender car.
Thanks,
Bucky

[Frank Irons]

Awesome machinery, thanks for the photos.

Frank

[Hobcobble]

Excellent video! Thanks for posting it Bucky.
John

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

Thanks for posting the video. I have chased and photographed that engine, and the bigger 3965, on most of their trips through Oklahoma and Texas. When either of those engines come south, they usually pass through our town here, as this is the main line into Texas for the UP. It is quite a site to see these monsters rolling along at 60 or 70 MPH.
When the 844 came through this time, I was at work driving a school bus, so did not get to chase along with it. However, I lucked out and was passing over the tracks on an overpass in the bus, and it came right under me. Good timing and luck.
Jeff

[NNICKB]

We had a steam railroad near here, the East Broad Top, that was in operation until this year. See ebtrr.com. Unfortunately, the cost of materials and skilled labor appears to have finally done them in. I took my two sons down there a few times, and they really enjoyed it.

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

Actually, the problem at the EBT railroad is a falling out between the owners and the contract operator they had running it.
The owners are looking for someone to come in and resume operations. Meanwhile, a volunteer group called Friends of the East Broadtop, continues to work on stabilization and restoration projects on weekends. Hopefully, the railroad will be running next sumer again.
Jeff