Classic Railroad Quiz (at least 50 years old).

[daveklepper]

A narrow gauge Beyer-Garrett built by Alco?   This one was not superheated but did have a simpling valve, like N&W Y's, that permitted an amount of high-pressure steam to enter the low-pressure cylinders for increased tractive effort on starting.  The remaining locomotives were superheated and did not have the simpling vavle.

[Wizlish]

To my knowledge Alco never built a Beyer-Garratt.  And in fact the first 'main line' Garratts were virtually contemporaries of the engine in the question.

I think there were very few compound locomotives that lacked some form of simpling valve for starting, whether or not they were superheated. A class of compound Garratts was built circa 1927, and although I don't have specific technical information on their starting arrangement (all I have is Wiener's book on articulated locomotives) I am quite certain some kind of simpling or 'boosting' valve was provided for starting.

[daveklepper]

So,someone with access to Alco records can find the answer by noting whatever compound locomotives were sold overseas with one of the specific wheel arrangment, three-cylinder or Mallet, did not have superheating and the rest did, and then find the special arrangement for the one that did not have superheating.

[Wizlish]

That is exactly true.  But there is a shortcut that can be taken if you were to make a commonsense assumption about what kind of locomotive this is likeliest to be, and then find a fairly common 9and reasonably exhaustive) reference work on that kind of locomotive....

[daveklepper]

Was it a military locomotive, such as used in WWI and built by USA builders?

[Wizlish]

No.  Then, as now, it was a big locomotive for its gauge. 

[wanswheel]

http://www.historyinsidepictures.com/Pages/NotBramStokersDraculaButAnExperimentalSteamLocomotiveCoalStokerInstead.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Class_MG_2-6-6-2

[Wizlish]

That's the engine in question.  Extra points for providing what is, to me, a brand new reference on the locomotive.

I find it interesting how Scientific American almost glosses over the different driver sizes, in order to concentrate on the firing system.

As I believe Lazarus once said, "Front!"

[wanswheel]

Daily Alta California, September 27, 1880

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Narrow Escape of the First Infantry.

A Locomotive Drawing Their Special Train from Sacramento Run Upon an Open Switch, and Plunges Into the Bay at Oakland Point—Heroic Conduct of the Engineer—Sacrifices His Life to Save the Passengers—Other Casualties Slight—The Fireman Rescued.

A special train left Sacramento yesterday afternoon about half-past three o'clock, with the First Regiment, National Guard, on board. The regiment had been in camp for eight days at Sacramento, during the State Fair, and yesterday, after the conclusion of the Fair, started for this city. They passed Oakland about half-past seven o'clock last evening, and as the train was running out to the Point at a high rate of speed, the locomotive struck an open hand switch, not far from the wharf, and in an instant plunged headlong into the bay, followed by the tender. The latter, however, was not submerged but stood up on end as a barrier, which fortunately prevented the remainder of the train from following the engine into the bay. The engineer stayed gallantly with his charge to the end, turning on the air-brakes immediately when he perceived the danger, but unfortunately at the loss of his own life, for he was carried under with his engine. The fireman jumped overboard, directly he saw the inevitable catastrophe, and so saved his life. The car immediately following the tender ran up on to it, and there stopped, without serious injury to the passengers, except some severe scalp wounds and cuts about the head, received by a clarionet player named Kaufman, and some bruises sustained by others of the drum corps and band, who were on board that car. A number of the musical instruments were completely broken up and ruined by the smash. There were ten cars in the train, carrying about 360 men of the regiment, but no casualties save those already recorded were occasioned by the accident. The car following that which contained the band corps was thrown upon its side, but without injury to the inmates. The fireman was extricated from the bay by means of fence rails, which were torn off and thrown him. The body of the engineer has not been recovered from the bay; his name is stated to be William Brown. The regiment marched down to the end of the Point, and reached this city by the next boat.

 

Sacramento Daily Union, September 27, 1880

Accident at Oakland Wharf— Narrow Escape from a Frightful Disaster.

OAKLAND WHARF, Sept 26th.—An accident just happened to the special train carrying the First Regiment from Sacramento to San Francisco. The engine of the train went off the track from a misplaced switch, and fell through the roadway flooring into ten feet of water. The engineer, Wm. Brown, was either instantly killed or was drowned. His body has not been found. The engine is bottom side up. The tender went crossways and prevented the first car from going into the abyss. The band in the first car was badly shaken up, and a few of the men received slight bruises. The accident occurred about a mile and a half east of the wharf, just at the end of the piling.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

San Francisco, September 26th.— About a quarter to 8 this evening the special train from Sacramento having on board the First Regiment, National Guard, returning from the State Fair, when just at the end of the pilling on the Oakland wharf, jumped the track, owing to a misplaced switch. The engine turned a somersault and, with the tender, went overboard. The first car went partly over, the others remaining on the track. William Brown, the engineer, is missing, and is supposed to have gone down with the engine. The fireman was taken out of the water unhurt. A member of the band named Coffman was severely cut about the head, and several occupants of the first car were more or less bruised. The engineer saw that the switch was misplaced in time to put on the air brake and check the speed of the train — otherwise the accident would have been more disastrous. „

 

The question is, who wrote a poem about this accident and what’s the title?

[Wizlish]

There's nothing like a Hoosier.  James Whitcomb Riley, "William Brown"

"He bore the name of William Brown"--
His name, at least, did not go down
With him that day
He went the way
Of certain death where duty lay.

He looked his fate full in the face--
He saw his watery resting-place
Undaunted, and
With firmer hand
Held others' hopes in sure command.--

The hopes of full three hundred lives--
Aye, babes unborn, and promised wives!
"The odds are dread,"
He must have said,
"Here, God, is one poor life instead."

No time for praying overmuch--
No time for tears, or woman's touch
Of tenderness,
Or child's caress--
His last "God bless them!" stopped at "bless"--

Thus man and engine, nerved with steel,
Clasped iron hands for woe or weal,
And so went down
Where dark waves drown
All but the name of William Brown.

 

That was a good find!

[wanswheel]

Yup, close enough (and fast enough!), but Riley’s first name was The.

http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/jwr.htm

[Wizlish]

wanswheel

... Riley’s first name was The

Oddly enough I had that in my original reply but edited it out at the last minute.   There was a later era of Riley, too:

 

For a quick one, and while we are on the subject of poetry, who can provide the (famous) poet and the (similarly famous) work which contains the two lines from which the Burlington streamlined trains derived their sobriquet?

Extra points for quoting the two lines here, as there are quite a few people here that will be delighted to read them.

[Wizlish]

Does anyone need a hint?

 

[wanswheel]

The Silver Streak?  Far as I know there is no poem, it’s only a movie.

http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E1DE123DE53ABC4E52DFB766838E629EDE

Zephyrus, of course, is in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

http://publications.newberry.org/cbq/?p=1640

[Wizlish]

Keep trying, Mike.  I'm astounded you haven't found it yet.  (You are Batman-like outthinking yourself...)

[ZephyrOverland]

Wizlish

 For a quick one, and while we are on the subject of poetry, who can provide the (famous) poet and the (similarly famous) work which contains the two lines from which the Burlington streamlined trains derived their sobriquet?

Would it be "Ode to the West Wind" by Shelley?

[Wizlish]

No.

Hint: it involves a train.

[Wizlish]

Wizlish

Hint: it involves a train.

Another hint: It is NOT in the current Norton Anthology of English Literature, but is apparently discussed there.

[wanswheel]

English Lit poet?  Alexender Pope translated Homer who wrote about Zephyus.

What exactly is a sobriquet?  A nickname of sorts.  A train’s name, Zephyr, might be a sobriquet in that it’s a name at all, and not just a number or departure time.  

The one poet who seems truly connected to CB&Q is Carl Sandburg. He probably wouldn’t have been born in Galesburg (or anywhere) if his father hadn’t worked for that railroad.

[Wizlish]

wanswheel

English Lit poet? Alexender Pope translated Homer who wrote about Zephyus.

You even have the right poet and you haven't found it???

(I thought you of all people would be on this 5 minutes after you'd seen it.  I in fact didn't remember the original wording and found the quote in about 0.33 second from a keyword search... of course, it helps when you know roughly what to look for.  Like what is in the hints... )

 

[wanswheel]

[Wizlish]

Thank you.  Now, wasn't that fun?

You're it!

[wanswheel]

Excerpt from National Association of Railroad Passengers Hotline, April 26, 1991

At the April 24 Amtrak board meeting, Charles Luna, former president of the United Transportation Union, was honored for 20 years of service on the board. He is the only person to have served on the board all the way through. In 1971, he helped design Amtrak's route structure and logo and has been the leader of Amtrak's employee safety program. Graham Claytor said Charlie Luna "has made the greatest contribution to Amtrak of any living person."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JensPwtu4s&t=21m42s

What railroad did Charlie Luna work for in 1928?

[Wizlish]

wanswheel

What railroad did Charlie Luna work for in 1928?

Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe.  How many other railroads can you name that were engineered by famous Confederate generals?

[wanswheel]

As is the next question.

[NorthWest]

The things that you guys dig up are amazing. Please, keep it up!

[Wizlish]

Mike is the Daniel to Eliot's Pound - il miglior fabbro.  I'm no good as a constructor, but I love to solve crosswords.  Go figure.

Here is another quick one:

Locomotives sometimes have nicknames (individual names, not assigned 'by class' like the C&NW H class 'Zeppelins' or the ATSF Blue Goose if more than one locomotive were streamlined).  An example might be GG1 4800 "Old Rivets", or the recently-discussed RI 621 "Christine".

Give the names for locomotives named after fictional/legendary black characters: one man, one woman.

Then name the wheel arrangement of a locomotive named for a fictional/legendary black equine.  (A 'real' one like the thoroughbred Man O'War doesn't count)

[wanswheel]

No idea what you’re talking about. Are they contemporaries of Braxton Bragg?

One more item about Mr. Luna, who made a terrific impression on me when my parents and I had dinner with him on the Capitol Limited in 1977.  He and my father (for 4 years) were Amtrak board members completely at home on a train.

Charles S. Luna Safety Achievement Award

In 1963, Charles Luna was elected president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and was reelected in 1964 and 1968. In 1970, he was designated by President Richard M. Nixon to be an incorporator and a member of Amtrak’s Board of Directors. Luna was also appointed by Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan to serve successive board terms, serving longer than any other board member. His legacy of employee dedication continues at Amtrak through the Charles S. Luna Safety Achievement Award, which was established in 1990 and is presented to the employee or group that demonstrates the highest degree of safety awareness.

[Wizlish]

wanswheel

No idea what you’re talking about. Are they contemporaries of Braxton Bragg?

Not exactly.  This is T.S.Eliot applying the term 'il miglior fabbro' to Ezra Pound in the published version of 'He Do the Police In Different Voices' (you may know it by a later name).  Pound had used the phrase in a previous reference, and he got it from translating Dante's Purgatorio, where it refers to one of the greatest of the troubadours, Arnaut Daniel.  Hence the names.  And the applicability of the phrase.

[wanswheel]