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Steam locomotive valve gear
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daveklepper - <br /> <br />It seems to have been the custom among engineers all over the South, and probably elsewhere, too, to operate the engines hooked up as high as they could get them. I know folks on the Southern and Norfolk and Western that ran this way, and some that even drifted engines this way. This is begging for hot main rod back ends, and I've seen these on N&W engines and Southern excursion engines. <br /> <br />This problem was so prevalent on the Central of Georgia that when they ordered their 4-8-4s, they blanked off several notches either side of center on the quadrants in the cab, so that the reverse lever couldn't be latched that close to center. <br /> <br />When you run an engine like this, it doesn't take much slop in the reverse gear mechanism to get a Baker yoke over into reverse position - remember, it doesn't have to go to the back corner to get bad results, it just has to go a few notches. But rather than get the engineers to change, Southern changed valve gears. Of course, this wasn't the only strange thing Southern did with steam locomotives. <br /> <br />I've heard all kinds of arguments in the Baker vs. Walschaerts battle, but it all comes down to the preference of the railroads. If Walschaerts was so much better, why did NYC and N&W and C&O and NKP and ERIE prefer Baker? If Baker was so much better, why did PRR and SRy and ATSF and SP and UP, etc., stick with Walschaerts? <br /> <br />I'm loath to argue against anything N&W did with steam engines, mainly because their operating results (Gross Ton Miles per Train Hour Per Dollar) using steam were better than just about anybody else in the world. <br /> <br />Mechanically, I prefer Baker. <br /> <br />Aesthetically, I prefer Walschaerts. To me, it was just prettier on an engine. <br /> <br />Old Timer
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