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Did steam engines have any type of "dynamic" braking?
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[quote user="twhite"]<p>It seems that all of the larger steam locomotives on the Rio Grande were equipped with the Le Chatalier water brake system, due to the heavy grades in the Rockies and the Wasatch. Oddly enough, there were few runaways on the Rio Grande, despite the often 2-3% grades of some of its lines (Tennessee Pass, for example). </p><p>One of the more famous runaways on the Rio Grande occurred during WWII on the Moffat Line, but the locomotive involved was NOT a Rio Grande steamer, but a borrowed Missabe 2-8-8-4. It lost its brakes coming down the 2% of the Moffat grade, and left the tracks near one of the Big Ten curves. I've got a video showing photos of the results--which are not pretty, by a long shot--but I understand that the locomotive was repaired and put back into service. The Rio Grande borrowed some of the big Yellowstones for several winters during the War, and always said that they were the best locos they ever fired. I have a feeling if the design hadn't been frozen by the War Board, Rio Grande would probably have gone to Baldwin for duplicates. Imagine a big, handsome Hunker like that, only this time with water brakes and the flying RIO GRANDE on that big centipede 2-10-0 tender! </p><p>Yummy! </p><p>Tom </p><p>[/quote]</p><p>The frequency of runaways is an outcome of good train-handling practices, proper air tests, and good train inspections at initial terminals.</p><p>Rio Grande couldn't get rid of steam fast enough once it saw the FT; all steam engines acquired after 1941 were because FT production was insufficient to the need.</p><p>S. Hadid </p>
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