Once upon a time in Milwaukee

[Miningman]

Ran across this great photo of the Milwaukee Road yard back when the CMSt.P&P was a real important part of, well, everything.

Lots of tea pots, at least a dozen steam locomotives and multiple sets of FT's. Busy place. Once upon a time the Milwaukee Road was real and important. 

 

 

[Flintlock76]

I don't know who took the picture, but whoever he was he had the best seat in the house at the best show in town!  And it was free!  

[mvlandsw]

What are the three white structures"

[Miningman]

rcdrye you out there? He will know.

I definitely recall reading about those white structures but I'll be darned if I can remember... a case of in one ear and out the other. 

[NDG]

mvlandsw

What are the three white structures"

 

 

 

I suggest they are Blow Down ' Towers ' into which an incoming steam locomotive would Blow Down of much of it's boiler water leaving just enough to get to the Roundhouse where it's boiler would be then cooled, drained and washed out of scale, etc. on a regular basis

The Fire, Coal, would be dumped outside, also.

Thank You.

[Flintlock76]

"Blow-down" towers?  That's a good idea.  Certainly a lot safer for all concerned in a busy yard to blow down the boilers into a waiting "recepticle" as a controlled process.

[NDG]

Blow Down Towers.

 

There is a photo out there of a CNR Blow Down Tower alongside a Shop Track, but only one.  It was a hulking concrete Chimney-shaped monolith. Not at all pretty.

 

However, thanks to the almighty Internet here is a photo of Two 2 Blow Down Towers in South Africa.

 

https://steamag.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/134-mw-de-aar-square-pics-bl-crop.jpg

 

from this site. Scroll Down.

 

https://steamag.wordpress.com/

 

Thank You.

 

[Overmod]

Flintlock76

"Blow-down" towers?  That's a good idea.  Certainly a lot safer for all concerned in a busy yard to blow down the boilers into a waiting "receptacle" as a controlled process.

But not nearly as good as doing a controlled blowdown into a 'Direct Steaming' system, as I believe some Canadian terminals were famous for.  That saves the water, most of the treatment chemicals, and the relatively large latent heat of vaporization in the overcritical water.  All of which are essentially wasted when towers are used.

I believe there are a couple of people likely to read this thread who will know firsthand exactly what the 'best' pressure differential profile for a blowdown would have been, and how to disconnect the transfer line safely once the blowdown was complete.

 

[Penny Trains]

Flintlock76

he had the best seat in the house at the best show in town!

Probably sitting on a coal dock.

[Flintlock76]

Penny Trains

 

 

Flintlock76

he had the best seat in the house at the best show in town!

 

 

Probably sitting on a coal dock.

 

Hope it's not anthracite, that's hard coal, it'd hurt!