It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is a very appropriately steamy one. This is one of the Ottaway locomotives as it was being "blown down". This where you open the valve on the boiler and let the remaining steam and water and, hopefully, any sediment that may have gotten in there to blow out. It helps to cool the locomotive off the rest of the way and to get all the water out to help prevent rust and scale.
Presumably the blow down isn't done until the locomotive is in it's resting spot for the day
ReplyDeleteThe major one yes, where the boiler is emptied. Some engineers will do a short burst every now and then while it is running to expel any possible sediment.
Delete