Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Can Anyone Please Identify This Gizmo?

4354 views
17 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2009
  • 88 posts
Can Anyone Please Identify This Gizmo?
Posted by Neptune48 on Monday, December 19, 2022 10:42 PM

This appliance (circled in red) is on the top of a Union Pacific MoW 12,000 gal. tender assigned to a steam derrick.  I have only seen it in photos of this specific tender.

Tender UP 902207 Left Side

 

UP 902207 Right Rear

 

UP 902207 Left Rear

Thanks much.

Bruce

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,228 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Monday, December 19, 2022 10:56 PM

I've seen those on some early steam locomotives possibly related to the boiler feed water pumps. If I'm not mistaken they are an air (or expansion) chamber designed to reduce "water-hammer" or the sudden pressure buildup resulting from a quickly closed (check) valve.

I'll see if I can find more.

https://sites.google.com/site/phase3project/projects/steam-engine/feed-water-pump

 

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • 88 posts
Posted by Neptune48 on Monday, December 19, 2022 11:42 PM

Thanks much, Ed.  This is very helpful.

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,228 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Monday, December 19, 2022 11:48 PM

An air chamber like these seem to be frequently found on the pumps of vintage fire equipment. In that service I presume they are intended to reduce pulsations on the output pressure.

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 9:10 AM

Does Union Pacific still have a steam derrick in operation?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 7:55 PM

Well boys, that there's yer upside-down all metal punchin' bag fer yer disgruntled rail-road em-ploy-ees, to take a few whacks at when there ain't no real person available for such festivities.

Wayne

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • 88 posts
Posted by Neptune48 on Thursday, December 22, 2022 12:31 AM

SeeYou190

Does Union Pacific still have a steam derrick in operation?

-Kevin

 

No, they're all either scrapped on display.  This particular derrick is at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden.

Regards,
Bruce

 

 

[/quote]

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, December 24, 2022 6:44 AM

Neptune48
This particular derrick is at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden.

Well... I went to the railroad museum in Ogden, and I missed this piece of machinery. I checked, no pictures of it.

That stinks. I wonder where it was when I was there.

The only RR cranes I have seen in museum were in the Transportation Museum in North Carolina, and the Kentucky Train Museum.

None looked as good as the beauty pictured above.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, December 24, 2022 7:54 AM

SeeYou190
Well... I went to the railroad museum in Ogden, and I missed this piece of machinery. I checked, no pictures of it. That stinks. I wonder where it was when I was there.

The paint shop? It was there in 2016

Here is a more modern one in Strasburg

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Sunday, December 25, 2022 10:43 AM

The well pump at our old cabin in northern wisconsin, had an expansion chamber mounted on the top of it, looked alot like the feed water pump that Ed shows.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mike.

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • 88 posts
Posted by Neptune48 on Monday, December 26, 2022 12:13 PM

Again, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed useful replies to my request.  I'm currently having my interperetation of this divice 3D-printed as part of the entire tender to add to my wrecker train.  The derrick is the Tichy N-scale 120 Ton Brownhoist steam crane.  The tender is supposed to be delivered in February, and if my design is any good I should have a tender finished soon.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Louisville
  • 584 posts
Posted by dbduck on Saturday, March 4, 2023 1:18 AM

 I believe there may be one on display at the Tennessee Valley railroad museum in Chattanooga

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, March 4, 2023 8:24 AM

dbduck
 I believe there may be one on display at the Tennessee Valley railroad museum in Chattanooga

I have never seen one up front on the display tracks.

They do have this clamshell crane in the shop area, but it is a working piece of equipment, not a display piece.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

If they do have one, it was hidden during my visits.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Louisville
  • 584 posts
Posted by dbduck on Saturday, March 4, 2023 8:55 AM

Not a steam powered derek, but TVRR did have this one back when I visited in 2007. They even did a demo with it

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, March 4, 2023 11:35 AM

That would have been interesting to see one in action.

Apparently I go blind to wreck cranes when I visit Railroad Museums.

Sad

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Louisville
  • 584 posts
Posted by dbduck on Saturday, March 4, 2023 5:50 PM

They may not have it anylonger

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • 88 posts
Posted by Neptune48 on Sunday, March 5, 2023 3:40 PM

The Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada has a working steam derrick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL_Bzx8peS0

It looks very much like the Tichy kit, available both in HO and N scales, and the UP derrick in Ogden.  It's the kit for which I'm building the tender.

Regards,
Bruce

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • 1,033 posts
Posted by betamax on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 5:57 AM

The Bytown Railway Society has a working 50 ton steam crane, which is used on occasions when they need to lift something, or for demonstrations.

IIRC, it is only one of two in North America which is still operational.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!