Friday Night At The Movies

[mvlandsw]

The B&O roundhouse where I worked with diesels had a powered ventilation system to remove the fumes. The steam hoods had been removed. They would be useless with the diesels and RDC units that we had then since the exhaust stacks are in the middle of the units.

When the ventilation blowers were running it was very cold and drafty inside, not that it was ever very warm in the winter.

Mark Vinski 

[richhotrain]

doctorwayne

 

richhotrain

Perhaps you've been Thunderstruck, Wayne? 

Could be, Rich, but it's still A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Rock & Roll.

Wayne 

ahh, Wayne, You Shook Me All Night Long

Rich

[doctorwayne]

richhotrain

Perhaps you've been Thunderstruck, Wayne?

Could be, Rich, but it's still A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Rock & Roll.

Wayne

[richhotrain]

doctorwayne

Nowadays, after almost four decades in a steel mill, the only loud sounds I enjoy are hard rock and heavy metal.

Wayne 

Perhaps you've been Thunderstruck, Wayne?

Rich

[doctorwayne]

While I enjoyed the videos, I turned off all of the sound, as I find it rather annoying.
I do remember steam, along with the "chuffs" and the bell and whistle sounds, but for the most part, it was background noise to me as a child.  We lived directly across the street from a local railway's main line and coach yard, so were well accustomed to the sounds.

Nowadays, after almost four decades in a steel mill, the only loud sounds I enjoy are hard rock and heavy metal.

Wayne

[doctorwayne]

 

 

gmpullman

SeeYou190 Did they fill the boilers with heated water to get the locomotives fired faster? Yes. Larger facilities had stationary boilers, sometimes a full power house, which provided live steam (hot water). A hostler could have a cold engine, say just from a boiler wash, filled, a fire laid and the engine moved onto the ready track in about an hour. Some smaller roundhouses may have had an engine set up to provide "house" steam piped into the roundhouse from where that engine was spotted.

The TH&B, in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, was the first railroad in Canada to use "direct steaming".

I have two steam generating plants on my layout (one only a slight representation), along with the materials to add the overhead piping needed to serve two roundhouses and some of their ancillary structures, too.

When I finally get time to add the piping, I'll post some photos.

Wayne

 

[Southgate 2]

Great videos, everyone. The background scenery in them makes the scenes complete ('cept mine, but it's coming along).

Trainman, you just made a believer out of me regarding working smoke on models! I always thought it looked gimmicky, but those beautifully weathered Pennsy locos display it as convincingly as I've ever seen. Both slow and at speed. And syncro sound and smoke, WOW!    Dan

Edited in: I just noticed those are O scale. Great use of that unfair advantage!

[Trainman440]

Some of my favorite videos (in no particular order):

Wilcox38 has some amazing NYC equipment and his filming is decent:

Norm Charbonneau has stunning PRR 3rd locos and his video production is magnificent:

Dferg100 has a variety of eastern steam, and captures the gritty industrial vibes well. Also very good video production quality

Jdove6688 videos are just short clips of his work. They may not have the highest video quality but his model work is amazing. 

Then there's also RCgrabbag, Vic Yoder, SPhauler, Overnight scale models, and others...but this post is long enough. 

[gmpullman]

SeeYou190

My understanding is that the fire was dumped before the locomotive was brought into the roundhouse, and normally it entered under steam pressure remaining in the boiler.

Yes.

SeeYou190

2) Are there extentions put onto the locomotive stacks to help direct the smoke into the vent hoods?

No. Although some roads experimented with stack extensions and various "smoke abatement" methods. None related to roundhouse functions.

SeeYou190

It seems to me that shorter locomotives would need to be pulled further in to position the stack on the locomotive beneath the vent hood.

There is some leeway for positioning the stack under the hood:

Roundhouse-jack by Edmund, on Flickr

Some of the roundhouses I've been in the "funnel" could be upwards of twelve feet or so. Model railroaders probably don't take the time to spot the stack under the hood or, in my case, I need to see the engine number on the back of the tender so I can enter the address on the DCC throttle 

PRR_Harrisburg-RH by Edmund, on Flickr

SeeYou190

Do these hoods have any sort of forced venting?

The PRR and perhaps other roads were implementing "smoke collector ducts" where a hood was placed directly over the stack and the smoke and soot was collected and sent to a central blower house. The smoke MAY have been "washed" or otherwise filtered before the hot gases were directed up a stationary stack.

These ducts were sometimes located outside near the ready tracks. Some communities were adamant about excessive smoke from locomotives.

SeeYou190

If the tender needed repair, it would be brought into the roundhouse backward, and a shop locomotive would pull it outside for initial firing.

Tenders were dropped from the engines if tender repairs were needed or if the engine needed more than simple running repairs. Shop crews could separate an engine and tender in under an hour, maybe a little longer if the stoker was not cooperating.

SeeYou190

Did they fill the boilers with heated water to get the locomotives fired faster?

Yes. Larger facilities had stationary boilers, sometimes a full power house, which provided live steam (hot water). A hostler could have a cold engine, say just from a boiler wash, filled, a fire laid and the engine moved onto the ready track in about an hour. Some smaller roundhouses may have had an engine set up to provide "house" steam piped into the roundhouse from where that engine was spotted.

SeeYou190

Also, wouldn't all the air coming into the roundhouse from outside to provide oxygen for the locomotives create terribly cold conditions during Winter time?

Roundhouses were drafty places anyway. Most in colder climates had extensive steam heat pipes run along the walls and sometimes in the inspection pits. The doors would only be open long enough to run an engine in or out. There were enough places for air to infiltrate that what few fires were in fireboxes didn't draw much outside air in.

The blower on the engine would make for a "venturi" effect up the stack (through the petticoat pipe) and hence up and out the hood to the outside.

Long engines in short stalls:

http://www.godfatherrails.com/photos/pv.asp?pid=1643

Once engines had a good fire the hostler might move them outside:

http://www.godfatherrails.com/photos/pv.asp?pid=2416

 

Good Luck, Ed

 

[SeeYou190]

dknelson

Most roundhouses seem to have had the special exhaust vent (to capture exhaust from the stack directly underneath) only on the interior end of each stall, which is not to state that there were not roundhouses that had two such exhaust collecting vents per stall, only that I cannot recall seeing photos of such a roundhouse. 

I have read in a few railroad books that it was standard practice to park the locomotive with the stack underneath the vent hood. This only makes sense. My understanding is that the fire was dumped before the locomotive was brought into the roundhouse, and normally it entered under steam pressure remaining in the boiler.

The vent hood was used primarily for firing the locomotive before it left the roundhouse.

If the tender needed repair, it would be brought into the roundhouse backward, and a shop locomotive would pull it outside for initial firing.

So this has always left me with more questions...

1) Most pictures I see of model railroads have the tenders posed just inside the doors. It seems to me that shorter locomotives would need to be pulled further in to position the stack on the locomotive beneath the vent hood. This would have the tenders at various depths inside the roundhouse. Would this be correct?

2) Are there extentions put onto the locomotive stacks to help direct the smoke into the vent hoods? Do these hoods have any sort of forced venting?

3) Did they fill the boilers with heated water to get the locomotives fired faster? Without preheating the water wouldn't firing a locomotive on a cold day take forever? Also, wouldn't all the air coming into the roundhouse from outside to provide oxygen for the locomotives create terribly cold conditions during Winter time?

So many questions...

-Kevin

["JaBear"]

Southgate 2

Let me know if it works on your end?

ITS ALIVE!!!!

[York1]

Southgate 2

Let me know if it works on your end?  Dan

I could watch it.  Thanks!

[Southgate 2]

Beautiful Rapidos. Love thw giraffe! Now I want popcorn.

Another try: I took this video in November '20 to show it to the friend who gave it to me. A Pocher Rivarossi 4-4-0, I remotored it. I just grabbed a few old timer looking cars for the effect.

Video: 20210111 134656 | Videos album | Southgate | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

Let me know if it works on your end?  Dan

[BATMAN]

In order to get popcorn sales back up, I am posting another video. Please take the time to go get popcorn whilst it is playing.

What is it with old people and popcorn anyway? I can't get enough of the stuff.

["JaBear"]

dknelson

Most roundhouses seem to have had the special exhaust vent (to capture exhaust from the stack directly underneath) only on the interior end of each stall,

Admittedly it was only a quick “two coffee” search, but while there are prototype photos of roundhouses around the world showing one exhaust vent at either end of individual stalls or two exhaust vents per stall, it would appear common practise that US roundhouses had their exhaust vents at the interior end, though does the round house at Steamtown at Scranton have two vents on two of the stalls?

Cheers, the Bear.

 

EDIT.

“Bear I really love that trestle.”

Yeah, it’s quite the thing, a labour of love by Dave and Leanne, even with the use of a laser cutter/engraver to cut the individual timbers!!!

“Popcorn sales were disappointing.”

The Bear didn’t help in that department, as he hates the exercise required after eating popcorn, especially the salted caramel variety!!!

 

[BATMAN]

Thanks to Ed and Bear for their contributions to movie night. Bear I really love that trestle. Popcorn sales were disappointing. Southgate 2, please keep trying, we would love to see what ya got.

I do fully agree that the locomotives will generally be in snout first but of course, there are always exceptions as seen in all the historical photos available to us these days.

I actually had four steamers in frontwards when my cousin and her six-year-old daughter arrived from England. After some supervision, I left her alone in the trainroom while the adults caught up in the kitchen. She spent over three hours in there happy as a clam. I had also given her all the manuals so she could play with all the fun bits. Jason has programed the Hudsons to play O-Canada so we heard that a few times all the way out in the kitchen.

When we went to check on her she had turned three of the four engines around in the RH saying in her adorable British accent, "we park them looking out in England". She did ask how to turn the 2-10-4 around as she discovered it was too long for the TT and a straight shot was the only way into a stall. I introduced her to the balloon track and she completed the task of "smiles out" in the roundhouse. I suspect the TT got a real workout that day.

 

[dknelson]

I have seen photos - actual prototype photos -- of roundhouses with the steam locomotives placed "facing out" and the speculation was that this was done purely for the photograph.  Most roundhouses seem to have had the special exhaust vent (to capture exhaust from the stack directly underneath) only on the interior end of each stall, which is not to state that there were not roundhouses that had two such exhaust collecting vents per stall, only that I cannot recall seeing photos of such a roundhouse.  It would make some sense because sometimes it was the tender (such as its stoker, or a booster truck) that needed the primary maintenance attention and hence warranted the wide end of the stall.

Dave Nelson

 

[John-NYBW]

BATMAN

 

 

John-NYBW

I hate to nitpick an otherwise fine video but it's my understanding that it was standard practice to park steamers in the roundhouse with the loco heading in and the tender at the front near the door

 

 

Well, you're wrong, and here is the proof.

 

Well, you got me there. 

[BATMAN]

John-NYBW

I hate to nitpick an otherwise fine video but it's my understanding that it was standard practice to park steamers in the roundhouse with the loco heading in and the tender at the front near the door

Well, you're wrong, and here is the proof.

[John-NYBW]

BATMAN

In the fifteen years, I have been on this forum there have been some really neat videos posted. Time for another look so post an oldie or something new. I have my wine poured and the roast chicken is in the oven. 

Turn up the sound and click to enlarge.

 

I hate to nitpick an otherwise fine video but it's my understanding that it was standard practice to park steamers in the roundhouse with the loco heading in and the tender at the front near the door. The reason being is the loco requires most of the maintenance and there is more room to work between the tracks at the back wall. Of course it's your railroad and you can park them with the loco facing out if you like, but I've never seen it done that way on the prototypes. 

["JaBear"]

At the risk of digressing, I’ve been recently asked by a couple of Forum Members about the American Modular Group, that I refer to, particularly if I’ve gone to the archives for WPF.

 

The American Modular Group was formed by three friends of mine, had a website which contained the module dimensions, track templates for the ends, and strict guide lines. The layout was purely for exhibition purposes and though the trains run could be fairly eclectic, the running and reliability standards were very high, and some modules built by other ffolkes were not accepted.

 

The AMG did not have a formal membership, though because I never built a module. I never considered myself as a member, though I was privileged to be able to run on the layout at train shows, although that also meant that when I did, it involved assisting in the setting up and taking down.

 

The American Modular Group, sadly no longer exists, of the three founders, Hans has passed away; one of the guys though coming right, has suffered a long illness, and the other has started his own business to which he devotes much of his time to.

 

However, from 2013, here are two videos taken, in a venue that wasn’t big enough to set up the layout in its entirety.

 

 

Cheers, the Bear.

[Southgate 2]

Let's see if this works, my first attempt at posting a video...

OK, Nope. I loaded a little video over to Fotki, and I can view it there, but when I click "share" it doesn't bring up any clickable links. Any suggestions?

Nice videos so far, by the way!

[photo id=rgwrtwkrgftdftbxswfkrbsddbtkb type=vi style=1 align=no link=photo]  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmpullman]

It has been a while since I uploaded a new YouTube movie.

78,500 views? I guess somebody likes PRR 

Cheers, Ed

[BATMAN]

In the fifteen years, I have been on this forum there have been some really neat videos posted. Time for another look so post an oldie or something new. I have my wine poured and the roast chicken is in the oven. 

Turn up the sound and click to enlarge.