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What is the J&C Studios O Gauge Archive?

J&C Studios O Gauge Archive


O Gauge / O Scale Forums and Individual Blogs for Model Railroading

What is the J&C Studios O Gauge Archive?
(Guest)   JCS Archive   Photo Poll: Apr. 2018   Test Run Extra
 
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Test Run Extra
Balto&NY
Joined: Jul 30, 2011
Topics: 76 Replies: 131 Topics: 76
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posted Mar 21, 2018: 
Fresh from a five year overhaul in 1897 per B&O practice, Staten Island Rapid Transit Forney number 18 with white flags returns to St. George for it s first scheduled assignment, after a 5.5 mile shake-down run to Arlington.
Forneys like this were used in commuter service on some late 19th century roads and were bi-directional and did not need to be turned at the end of a run.
This loco is equipped with the Eames vacuum brake, as seen by the vapor ejector on the cab roof.
Vacuum brakes were ideal for short trains making frequent, short stops often less than a mile apart.
That is because the system recovers its working vacuum faster after a stop, than air pressure raised by a compressor in the Westinghouse air brake is able to do.
 
Balto&NY
Joined: Jul 30, 2011
Topics: 76 Replies: 131 Topics: 76
My Archive Category |
posted Mar 24, 2018: 
The backdrop in the Forney photo is part of a B&O valuation photo taken on Staten Island in 1934. It shows a plot of land owned by the Standard Varnish Works (in the background) along the SIRT North Shore subdivision between St. George and Arlington. The B&W photo was 'colorized' with an internet program and printed 3' wide at Office Depot. The print was trimmed and glued to a piece of illustration board as the backdrop. Obviously, the Bayonne Bridge in the upper left corner was not there in 1897. So the Forney was posed to suit. The white flowers are Queen Anne's lace in full bloom, but obviously quite big here. The land was leased by B&O from 1935-1936 for staging equipment needed to build over two miles of grade crossing elimination work that included 1.5 miles of two-track concrete viaduct through Port Richmond.

EdB
 
Balto&NY
Joined: Jul 30, 2011
Topics: 76 Replies: 131 Topics: 76
My Archive Category |
posted Apr 10, 2018: 
In case anyone looking at the photo of SIRT 18 was wondering about those lines running to the forward and rear headlamps, they are NOT electric wires! Those 1892 headlamps were lit with coal oil.

The lines are emergency cord connections, The emergency cord runs through each car in the train.
With the Eames vacuum brake, the emergency cord on each car is connected to that of the next car and locomotive when coupling. Pulling on an emergency cord is very serious business!

When that emergency cord is pulled, it releases vacuum in the brake system at the locomotive's control valve. There are no control valves or reservoirs on cars with vacuum brakes, only the piping and truck mounted brake cylinders. The engineer (with the conductor's consent), resets the brake and recovers vacuum to let the brakes off if all is OK to continue.

With Westinghouse air brakes, the emergency cord in each car is independent and not connected through to the locomotive. When pulled, it opens a valve on that car, which in turn puts the brakes into emergency mode for the whole train. That valve must be manually reset before the air brake system can be pumped up for the train to roll again.

In both cases, vacuum or air brake, it requires the conductor (if he did not pull the cord), to find out why the train was stopped. All couplings and hose connections must be examined, as well as the emergency cord in each car to see if any had been pulled. The end of an emergency cord had a knob or handle which if pulled would leave hanging it lower than its set mark on the wall. The conductor also needs to find out (if possible) who pulled it and why.

Recovery from an emergency stop takes time and must be reported to the dispatcher as well because the train will be running late, if found safe to continue on.
EdB
 

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