Two More Questions: List of MOW cars & Stationary Boilers

[hoofe116]

Hello All Again:

One of the threads is dealing with a flanger car. Can someone give me a short list of common MOW cars that might be found in a pre-1900 shortline RR? I already have pixes of a smithy on a flatcar, a boom (crane) car, and several variations of the snowplows, tool cars/work cabooses and ballast cars. Were there such things as an acteylene-fired spotlight car, or the like? Or did they just wait for daylight?

Second, one guy remarked to another that "... you can use the engine boiler for a stationary source of power for a shop...." or something to that effect. Had to do with kitbashing. The question I pose is, if I did that, kept the electric motor and drive axle and connected the piston rods to a couple of large flywheels, might that do for either local DC electrical generation simulation, or as a source of power for line shafting? I don't care to deal with line shafts at this time as interior detailing of buildings isn't high on my list at the moment. But a stationary power plant is an obvious necessity for many industries.

And one last question: did the locomotive's steam dome/chest sit forward or aft of the sand dome? Or did they vary according to manufacturer? It seems the rearmost position would almost be dictated by the prescence of the firebox crown sheet, but then there's the flue pipes, so it could be in either location.

Les W. who really is through for the night.

[vsmith]

Hello All Again:

One of the threads is dealing with a flanger car. Can someone give me a short list of common MOW cars that might be found in a pre-1900 shortline RR? I already have pixes of a smithy on a flatcar, a boom (crane) car, and several variations of the snowplows, tool cars/work cabooses and ballast cars. Were there such things as an acteylene-fired spotlight car, or the like? Or did they just wait for daylight?

Second, one guy remarked to another that "... you can use the engine boiler for a stationary source of power for a shop...." or something to that effect. Had to do with kitbashing. The question I pose is, if I did that, kept the electric motor and drive axle and connected the piston rods to a couple of large flywheels, might that do for either local DC electrical generation simulation, or as a source of power for line shafting? I don't care to deal with line shafts at this time as interior detailing of buildings isn't high on my list at the moment. But a stationary power plant is an obvious necessity for many industries.

And one last question: did the locomotive's steam dome/chest sit forward or aft of the sand dome? Or did they vary according to manufacturer? It seems the rearmost position would almost be dictated by the prescence of the firebox crown sheet, but then there's the flue pipes, so it could be in either location.

Les W. who really is through for the night.

Big questions, cant help with the MOWs, like to know that myself!

Steam dome, depends on era and engine, most NG engines with the plunger type throttle, the steam dome would most commonly be nearest the cab, above the firebox, where the water would be hottest. All the steam dome does is give the steampipe an airspace to gather steam away above the boiling water, so it would need to be at the highest point of the boiler. The pressure of the steam would push thru the throttle valve below to the cylinders. Sand domes would best be located centrally over the drivers so the sand pipes could reach the wheels equally, on larger engines their could be 2 sand domes with the steam dome being in the center.

[Mr_Ash]

Not sure about spotlight car's... I have seen lots of MOW baggage car & box car's that were turned into bunk/kitchen/section and a bunch of diffrent kinds of tool car's they just have windows on the sides and some have stoves. I have even seen one mow boxcar with a cupola

Then theres stuff like steam crains and pile drivers and assorted flat cars for transporting equipment & gear

A pre-1900 shortline though... Maybe a Flanger depending on the location & weather, a couple second hand box cars and flat cars and a bobber caboose or maybe somthig just built up on one of the flatcars or out of a box car... some push/pole/hand car's  

[altterrain]

This article has some info and pics - 

http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/worktrains/index.php

and this one a bit too - 

http://drgw.free.fr/DRGW/MOW/Service_en.htm

-Brian 

 

 

[CandCRR]

I don't know if it will help but I found a bunch of photos of MOW equipment at this web site:

http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/657

Some old stuff and a lot of more modern stuff.

Happy Happy Joy Joy,

Jaime

[hoofe116]

Mr. Ash:

Of the several responses I got (respondees?), you were the only one to mention a pile driver. I went to the site and copied a pix of the old one shown. It occurs that a pile driver might be a highly useful item to a SLRR such as I contemplate.

I also noted the crane car. The crane housing set on a pair of rails which were affixed to the bed of a flatcar. Other than the obvious relative ease of positioning the crane, I can't quite see the reason for the rails. Anyway, a pix of it too rests in my photo locker.

Many thanks to those who responded.

Les W. (who will now submerge for awhile)

[altterrain]

Mr. Ash:

Of the several responses I got (respondees?), you were the only one to mention a pile driver. I went to the site and copied a pix of the old one shown. It occurs that a pile driver might be a highly useful item to a SLRR such as I contemplate.

I also noted the crane car. The crane housing set on a pair of rails which were affixed to the bed of a flatcar. Other than the obvious relative ease of positioning the crane, I can't quite see the reason for the rails. Anyway, a pix of it too rests in my photo locker.

Many thanks to those who responded.

Les W. (who will now submerge for awhile)

Cranes on rails were usually log loaders. The loader would start at one end, load the logs on the flat car and then be moved onto the next car, gradually working its way down the train.

-Brian

 

[hoofe116]

Mr. Ash:

Of the several responses I got (respondees?), you were the only one to mention a pile driver. I went to the site and copied a pix of the old one shown. It occurs that a pile driver might be a highly useful item to a SLRR such as I contemplate.

I also noted the crane car. The crane housing set on a pair of rails which were affixed to the bed of a flatcar. Other than the obvious relative ease of positioning the crane, I can't quite see the reason for the rails. Anyway, a pix of it too rests in my photo locker.

Many thanks to those who responded.

Les W. (who will now submerge for awhile)

Cranes on rails were usually log loaders. The loader would start at one end, load the logs on the flat car and then be moved onto the next car, gradually working its way down the train.

-Brian

 

Brian,

How'd they manage to get the flatcars close enough to move the crane from one to the next? One of those pixes shows a considerable gap.

Thanks for the pixes

Les W.

[altterrain]

I have wondered about that too, Les. I would think they would need extra pieces of rail fit in between the flat car. Then I would think they would winch it to move the loader but thats speculation on my part.

 -Brian 

[MRH044]

   I found some more pics of this type of crane.  This is an ATSF ditcher. The pic and information are from a book :  Santa Fe Railway Rolling Stock Reference Series - Volume One - Work Equipment Cars  by W.W. Childers.  Picture by S.R. Wood.

   "A ditcher was a self propelled shovel which revolved on a geared turntable mounted on a frame carried on a standard flat car. It was capable of being demounted to work on regular track or temporary track.  The machine is primarily designed to excavate side ditches in cuts and to load it into cars on either side of the shovel.  The Santa Fe operated a large fleet of ditchers. Burro cranes eventually replaced the ditchers."

[hoofe116]

 

That's another good unit to model, it seems fairly straightforward. I am going to try my hand as soon as I get 'scale' and whatnot in my head. Thanks for your efforts.

Les W.