It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! When I was up in Minnesota this past June, both the full size locomotives were having some work done to them. Today's post is a bit different as it contains 2 images. This first image is the Porter locomotive, a tank engine meaning it carries it's water over the boiler instead of behind it in a tender. It was inside the roundhouse getting new tubes or flues as shown in the 2nd image. The flues start inside the smokebox and extend to the firebox (where the coal or wood is burning). The heat travels through these flues and heats the water in the boiler to make the steam to power the locomotive. A locomotive can require new tubing for various reasons, the 2 main ones are age and improper firing. If you let cold air into the smoke box the tubes can expand and contract too much and become loose and allow water to leak from the boiler which is not good. It will be nice to see the Porter back out and running at the show over Labor Day weekend.
They've got their work cut out for them to get it back on the rails by Labour Day
ReplyDeleteAgreed, especially since all volunteer. Hopefully they make it.
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