Hi, I am looking for photos of a Russian Decapod that the L&A acquired from the Erie, and numbered L&A #103. I found a photo on Don's Depot which shows enough of the tender to reveal that in L&A days #103 was an oil burner, but I can only see the front part of the tender. It looks lower than the traditional Russian Decapod tender as supplied with the Bachmann model, and I am wondering if the L&A modified the original tender or substituted a different one of their own. (The L&A steam fleet seem to have all been oil burners, so they may have had a spare tender available). I would be grateful in particular if anyone could point me to a photo on the web that shows the tender, but any pics would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill.
Hi Bill~Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to your question. A friend of mine sent me a review of a newly released Bachmann Spectrum Decapod in the 9/20 issue of Model Railroad News. Like you, I have an interest in the L&A, and agree with you that their Decapods would be oil burners. I found a photo of an L&A Decapod (easy enough to find on the Internet) but haven't located any others. Did you ever find any photos to help you clarify the tender question? Thanks.
~Brian
Portland BillHi, I am looking for photos of a Russian Decapod that the L&A acquired from the Erie, and numbered L&A #103. I found a photo on Don's Depot which shows enough of the tender to reveal that in L&A days #103 was an oil burner, but I can only see the front part of the tender. It looks lower than the traditional Russian Decapod tender as supplied with the Bachmann model, and I am wondering if the L&A modified the original tender or substituted a different one of their own. (The L&A steam fleet seem to have all been oil burners, so they may have had a spare tender available). I would be grateful in particular if anyone could point me to a photo on the web that shows the tender, but any pics would be appreciated.
103 was the second-to-last of the Decapods scrapped (in July 1947); only 106 lasted longer, until November.
This volume of Railroad History is accessible to read on the Web via JSTOR.
My grandfather was a machinist for the L&A at the Greenville TX roundhouse and could remember converting the decapods from Russian 5 foot gauge to standard gauge by installing extra wide tires when they were new (I guess they arrived from the builder on flat cars). Originally, they were owned by the USRA and loaned out, hence the "USA" lettering http://s3.amazonaws.com/rrpa_photos/4292/RussianDecapod.jpg, Note the Russian cab, Surprisingly useful machines, over 2000 more were built, for a total of 3000, during World War 2 and some remained in service into the Seventies. Roughly equal in power to a big American 2-8-0. they possesed the virtues of a low axle load for lightly built roadbeds and a wide fire box to burn low quality fuel. They remained L&A's largest power until the 561 class 2-8-2's arrived in the late Thirties.
After Spindletop blew in and made Texas the Saudi Arabia of its time, the L&A locomotives were either converted or built as oil burners. The residual left at the bottom of fractionating towers - one step above road tar - was called Bunker C and was used on steam ships, locomotives and power plants as it was plentiful and cheap. Like Anthracite culm, it was said "they'll pay you to haul it away rather than charge you for fuel". It was so thick, the tenders had steam coils to liquify it so it could be pumped into the locomotives fireboxes. The one drawback was that it rapidly coated by the boiler flues and reduced the heat transferred to boil the water. The remedy for this was a bucket of sand and a scoop. The peephole in the fire door was opened, and a scoop of sand held in front of it. The draft pulled the sand off the scoop and down the flues, scouring them. My dad, who fired for the L&A for several years after high school to pay for college, likened the resulting smoke pall to a destroyer screening a battleship.
I scratch built an insert to fit into the coal bunker of my Bachman model to represent the oil tank on an L&A loco. It seems there would be a market opportunity for an after market manufacturer to make a "drop in and paint" part as other lines also used oil-burning decapods
BEAUSABREIt seems there would be a market opportunity for an after market manufacturer to make a "drop in and paint" part as other lines also used oil-burning decapods
There are some shown HERE.
Wayne
Thanks, it didn't seem to exist when I was doing my conversion. Believe me, I searched long and hard. Anyway, some detailing to add. A breather pipe, dipstick and handrails ('cause of spilled oil - you don't want to take a header into the ballast if you slip). Each line had its own way of doing things, so the exact detials as to placement vary. In cases like the decapods, which were conversions, I doubt any two were precisely the same. Gives you latitude in your modeling. All you need is some bent wire, a small drill and a pin vise.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/oil-tender-ho-brass-united-8-1828979793
BEAUSABREThanks, it didn't seem to exist when I was doing my conversion. Believe me, I searched long and hard. Anyway, some detailing to add. A breather pipe, dipstick and handrails ('cause of spilled oil - you don't want to take a header into the ballast if you slip). Each line had its own way of doing things, so the exact detials as to placement vary. In cases like the decapods, which were conversions, I doubt any two were precisely the same. Gives you latitude in your modeling. All you need is some bent wire, a small drill and a pin vise.
I agree, and the only reason I was able to provide that link was because I just happened to be searching for the person who runs that site, a former colleague at another forum. I wasn't previously aware that he was working in conjunction with Shapeways.
Not too long ago, I modified an Athearn rotary snowplow, in aid of a fundraiser for another train forum (privately-owned). Part of the work included modifiying a tender.
You can check it out (or not, as you choose) HERE
Other than the original models, and a few detail parts, the conversion was pretty-well all in the added effort.