What is this, what does it do?

[Overmod]

I have to wonder if H-24 was originally intended to handle yard things like switch defrosting -- the job subsequently done by the jet blowers? for example, in Mott Haven yard during the Great Steel Fleet years.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

In an article about NYC's suburban service in July 1965 TRAINS (the first issue I ever purchased), the XH-series steam generator cars were described as resembling the ghosts of prehistoric boxcab diesels, which they were not.

[Miningman]

Was hoping rcdrye would weigh in. Thanks for the info and clarification on its use. Unfortunately your link does not work. Can you re-post?

[rcdrye]

Apparently eight of them existed, H-1 to H-8, for use behind R-class motors, which did not have heaters, mostly for mail/express trains on the West Side line.  Built at Harmon, bodies bear strong resemblance to the main part of contemporary Baldwin-Westinghouse steeple cabs (right down to the three window config), but may have been purpose-built. See page below for more details.

http://sbiii.com/boxcabny.html

At least one of his photos shows fuel/water connections, and steam lines.

[Miningman]

Yes the source of the pic is the same each time 'Canada Southern'. 

This thing should be easy but nothing clear and definitive yet. Turning into another Bowie Racetrack quest. 

What about this... MOW frequently used old passenger equipment of all sorts and this went along in cold months to provide heat.. don't think locos assigned to MOW would have steam generators most times.

[wjstix]

After my last post I did some more checking, found another website that has the same pic and lists it as a "steam generator car".

http://passcarphotos.rypn.org/Indices/NYC3.htm

(need to scroll down a ways.)

[wjstix]

It looks to me like the tall smokestack is on something behind H-24, it's clearly not attached to it if you look close. It's about the right size to be a steam generator car, but appears to have been heavily modified at some point, perhaps for use in MoW service. Here's what they normally looked like:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2335271

Given the equipment around it, my guess would be it's sitting in a scrap line, perhaps in the 1960's. Electric passenger engines had steam generators so wouldn't have needed these cars by the way, they were so in a pinch a freight engine could pull a passenger train and still have a way to heat the passenger cars.

[Miningman]

Yes! A steam shovel or crane cab merged with a tender. So it was a 'portable' steam heat provider, ok, but how and why was it used? Steam generator cars were common enough but this one must have met some special or different requirement and application. 

[Overmod]

BaltACD

WAG - Steam Heat Generation car - looks like it was built upon the frame of what was some form of a diesel locomotive.

That's almost certainly a tender frame, with what appear to be fairly common never-powered drop-equalizer trucks very common on NYC, as well as other, tenders.

Much more interested in the provenance of that 'hood' which I think is likely the former cab and stack, if not more, of someone's steam shovel.  Perhaps this is where Mary Ann went after they installed gas heat in the municipal building later... 

[Miningman]

I kind of figured it was a steam heat provider but certainly not one used behind a train. I assume the electric loco behind it has something to do with this, at GCT or Harmon.

[Miningman]

Thanks Balt and Firelock.

[BaltACD]

Miningman

So does it move under its own power or has to be pushed around? 

I am guessing it is moved to outlying locations where passenger cars are set off or picked up and require steam for the cars - especially if the steam plant at the location has failed.  It might also get used in the coach yards where, for whatever operating reasons, a track without 'ground steam' is being used to build a train.

[Firelock76]

Interesting.  The New York, Ontario & Western built steam heat generator cars out of the tenders of scrapped steam locomotives.

Here's the scoop, although it may be more than anyone wants to know!

http://nyow.org/heater_car.pdf

 

[Miningman]

So does it move under its own power or has to be pushed around? 

[BaltACD]

Miningman

While researching CASO/New York Central/Michigan Central for recent threads I ran across this picture. It has no identification or explanation and I'm wondering just what the heck this is? I'm certain someone has an answer. 

WAG - Steam Heat Generation car - looks like it was built upon the frame of what was some form of a diesel locomotive.

[Miningman]

While researching CASO/New York Central/Michigan Central for recent threads I ran across this picture. It has no identification or explanation and I'm wondering just what the heck this is? I'm certain someone has an answer.