Christmas Train

[Jimklag]

Hang on...you got to...uh...er...drive...that doesn't sound right...conduct...nah, that doesn't sound correct either.

You got to choo choo that train?! Wow. That is very cool. I don't ski, but I'd ride up and down a few times for the fun of it.

So would I.

 

[Seduzal]

The engine s # 3025 & 40. Were they both burning coal or wood?
Thanks for this interesting article.

 

[captaindrew]

The engine s # 3025 & 40. Were they both burning coal or wood?
Thanks for this interesting article.

Coal

 

[captaindrew]

So would I.

I don't go to ski either, just play on the train. The guy who runs it loves when railfans come by to check it out. Most people there to ski have no clue what it is.

 

[Seduzal]

Coal

Thanks for your help. It was hard to tell from the color of the smoke in these pictures. (Wood burns gray or white, coal black.

 

[nitrofd]

An old train that is pretty cool is the train that goes up Mt.Washington in New Hampshire.it is a cog railway.I went up it in the 50's so I hope its still running.

 

[Jimklag]

An old train that is pretty cool is the train that goes up Mt.Washington in New Hampshire.it is a cog railway.I went up it in the 50's so I hope its still running.

There's still a train up there. Calling @NH Civil War Gal . Don't know if it's the same one.

 

[captaindrew]

An old train that is pretty cool is the train that goes up Mt.Washington in New Hampshire.it is a cog railway.I went up it in the 50's so I hope its still running.

@Southern Unionist Just did a thread on it, broken train? It is alive and well, was on it last summer

 

[captaindrew]

Thanks for your help. It was hard to tell from the color of the smoke in these pictures. (Wood burns gray or white, coal black.

In the cold weather you mostly see steam. The folks at Essex have those engines running pretty clean. You get a burp of black smoke when they throw coal on the fire and that's about it.

 

[captaindrew]

@nitrofd the thread was broken locos railway to the moon posted by @John Hartwell

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

There's still a train up there. Calling @NH Civil War Gal . Don't know if it's the same one.

I rode it when it was coal back in the 1970s and lovely smoke. They've changed the engine over to ??? (What would they change an engine too?) Because of environmental concerns. I'm guessing in the 80s.

The pitch up Mt Washington gets so incredibly steep that I think there were also issues with cinders coming into the carriages depending on wind and drafts.

I think the steepest part is called Jacob's ladder.

 

[captaindrew]

I rode it when it was coal back in the 1970s and lovely smoke. They've changed the engine over to ??? (What would they change an engine too?) Because of environmental concerns. I'm guessing in the 80s.

The pitch up Mt Washington gets so incredibly steep that I think there were also issues with cinders coming into the carriages depending on wind and drafts.

I think the steepest part is called Jacob's ladder.

They changed to mostly diesel about 10 years ago but they still do one steam trip 1st thing every morning in season. Last time I was there over the summer they were talking about adding back more steam trips

 

[captaindrew]

Was over in Portland Maine last night and stopped by the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum to check out their Polar Express. It is 2 foot gauge the train being pulled by Monson RR #3, a 0-4-4 coal burner built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1913

 

[nitrofd]

2 foot guage,is that the distance between the rails?.

 

[captaindrew]

2 foot guage,is that the distance between the rails?.

Yes, they were very common in Northern New England particularly in Maine. I had a thread about it in the Camp Fire Chat before the railroad forum got going called something for the railfans

 

[nitrofd]

Yes, they were very common in Northern New England particularly in Maine. I had a thread about it in the Camp Fire Chat before the railroad forum got going called something for the railfans

Wouldn't that make them unstable,giving them a high center of gravity.

 

[captaindrew]

Wouldn't that make them unstable,giving them a high center of gravity.

They aren't near as high as the bigger standard gauge stuff, they were used to bring people and goods, primarily lumber from the backcountry to connections on the main line. They were much cheaper to build and operate and could navigate the rough terrain in the Maine woods. Maybe when I get home and have my computer I'll start a thread on the railroad forums on them, they are quite interesting.

 

[captaindrew]

I actually got to run #3 A couple years ago (under close supervision and instruction of course) They offer a guest engineer program a few days a year and I happened to be in the area when they were offering it. It was quite a thrill. Essex offers a similar program on their full sized engines that I'd love to do sometime but I'm never around when they offer it.

 

[Southern Unionist]

Wouldn't that make them unstable, giving them a high center of gravity.

The biggest problem that locomotive has is the 0-4-4 wheel configuration, pretty much a worst case scenario for curves. At least two guide wheels are needed up front, ideally four, to get the locomotive frame started rotating in the direction of a curve before the drive wheels get there. Larger diameter wheels, especially when they are pulling hard and a little sand has been laid on the track, can easily bite into the outside rail and climb over, especially at a joint or worn spot on the rail. This engine could never go around a curve fast enough for center of gravity issues to come into play. Clearly, they never intended to run fast on this line.

None of this prevents the trains from looking incredibly cute, especially in the snow.

 

[nitrofd]

The biggest problem that locomotive has is the 0-4-4 wheel configuration, pretty much a worst case scenario for curves. At least two guide wheels are needed up front, ideally four, to get the locomotive frame started rotating in the direction of a curve before the drive wheels get there. Larger diameter wheels, especially when they are pulling hard and a little sand has been laid on the track, can easily bite into the outside rail and climb over, especially at a joint or worn spot on the rail. This engine could never go around a curve fast enough for center of gravity issues to come into play. Clearly, they never intended to run fast on this line.

None of this prevents the trains from looking incredibly cute, especially in the snow.

They do look great,how big a radius were the turns.