What do (or did) they look like in the inside?

[Peirce]

Ever notice we get plenty of pictures of the outside of trains, locos, buildings, etc, but rarely the inside? This thread is indended to cause us to take a look at what is inside.

I am starting with the interior of the New Haven RR RDC #32, the restoration of which is nearing completion. The work is being done by volunteers at the Danbury Railway Museum, and it can be seen there.

http://images.fotki.com/v3/photos/4/41513/84259/rdc8-vi.jpg

Just because I started with a passenger car, don't consider that a limit. The inside of anything railroad related is fair game in this thread.

[fitz]

This is the interior of a coach restoration being carried out by the Central NY Chapter, NRHS. They have a small museum at the former depot in Central Square, NY. They are being very meticulous about detail, to the point of hand painting emblems on the sides of the seats. That's me, with the 4449 shirt, and one of the volunteers. I'm sorry I didn't get the vintage of the coach. It was a quick stop last summer enroute to my mother's funeral. http://www.pioneer.net/~fitzrr/centsq.jpg

[Johnny Trains]

Ah. A face to the name Fitz!
Sorry to hear about your Mom passing.
Next time you ever come east, give me a heads up.
I have been meaning to get up to Danbury too.
It looks like a nice museum.

[Hytec]

Fitz, it's nice to finally see your friendly face. smile.gif

On the other hand ... what is a dedicated Vanderbilt System EXPERT doing wearing a GS Class shirt .... ? :eek: :confused: I would have hoped that you had a closet full of S, J, L, K, H, F, etc. Class shirts. :rolleyes: :D

Oh, the shame of it all! redface.gif redface.gif :D

[ 05 March 2002, 03:33: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[LadySunshine]

Hey Good Looking. smile.gif Nice to put a face to the name. smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif

[fitz]

Thanks, Barbara. I think the last person to call me good lookin was blind. Hank, I have a whole pile of shirts, but have grown rather fond of the 4449. It's real hard to ride on a J, S, or the rest of NYC's fleet, but in 19 days I'll be riding behind the 4449 again. Living 150 miles from her "home" promotes that kind of behavior. Johnny you know I'll look you up if I ever get to NY City again. :D
Anyone want to guess what kind of machine this is? It ain't NY Central.
http://www.pioneer.net/~fitzrr/MM3950E.JPG

[Telegrapher]

That is the inside of the cab on a choo choo. tongue.gif

[Peirce]

Fitz, sorry to hear the news about your mother.

JT and all, I would welcome the chance to meet any of you when you visit Danbury. Because of my work schedule, let me know in advance when you are coming. I am usually scheduled there two Wednesdays a month, but have been know to be there at other times too.

[Peirce]

Something different--but still looking inside.

Here is what's inside an old journal box.

For those younger people who haven't seen the inside of a journal box. you are looking at the end of an axle. On top is the bearing. The only thing holding it together is the weight of the frame on the axle. The box is usually packed about half-way up from the bottom with shredded rag material, which is soaked with a heavy oil.

http://images.fotki.com/v2/photos/4/41513/84114/012_YOU_ARE_LOOKING_IN_THE-vi.jpg

The turning of the axle picks up oil from the rag material and brings it up between the axle and the bearing.

If the oil-soaked rag material should dry out, friction between the bearing and the axle would increase, generating heat. The result could be a fire, which would spread quickly, especially with the old wood freight or passenger cars.

[Hytec]

Fitz, I assume the following about the loco in your photo ....

1 - It's a later model. I believe the double indicating guage in front of and above the Engineer's position was a technology developed in the 30's(?).

2 - It's an oil-burner. I don't see any indication of a stoker, which it should have if assumption #1 is correct.

3 - It's large. The "passenger's" seat behind the Engineer's position was rare or non-existant in smaller locos. The passenger usually sat behind the Fireman.

4 - It could be 4449, what with your proximity and access to her. Then again, maybe you conned Steve Lee into letting you come onboard 3985 ... R I G H T ! :D

I'm sure Watash will have the correct answer as soon as he sees your photo. ;)

By the way, it's a great photo! :cool:

[ 05 March 2002, 14:37: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[Ironhorseman]

Nope! I do not believe that's the cab of 4449 because I have a photo of that and this one is pretty much different (unless they have moved alot of things around) ~ What is it Fitz ? smile.gif

[fitz]

Peirce, thank you for your thoughts. Regarding the old journal box, I remember my dad showing me the insides of some on the NYC and if I recall correctly, they were stuffed with excelsior and oil. Journal boxes when overheated were "hotboxes."

Hank, you are very observant
1. It is definitely a "later" engine, late '30's or early '40's.
2. It is not an oil burner that I know of. Wasn't there a stoker type that wasn't visible? The one with the worm gear to feed the coal.
3. Yes, it is large.
4. 4449, no. 3985, close, a sister, UP 3950.

The photo is from the collection of the late John McGovern. I inherited it from his daughter Mary. It probably is a UP company photo. Not knowing UP history that well, it was delivered as stated above, by Alco. I don't know the blocks of numbers for UP's Challenger deliveries by date. Also don't think any of them were burning oil back then. 3985 was converted during her restoration I believe. :D

[Hytec]

Fitz, if I remember correctly quite a few 39xx Challengers were fitted for oil. There was a good article in Trains a few years ago about the Challengers. One of our UP Buds will have to fill us in on 3950 specifically.

I never saw that many stokers, but those I did see (B&M and NYC) were "worm stokers". They came up through the deck at about a 60 degree angle relative to horizontal, towards the firebox, starting behind the backhead, then penetrating through the backhead, and ending just forward of the butterfly doors. The stoker fed coal onto a "spray plate" that had a series of U-shaped channels that fanned out up to 60 degrees either side of center, allowing the coal to be "sprayed" onto most of the fire surface. The coal was sprayed either by a jet of steam or a jet of air that blew from behind the coal being lifted by the stoker worm. The air or steam was turned on at the same time that the stoker was started.

I'm sure Watash can fill us in on the any details I may have overlooked or mis-stated. smile.gif

P.S. I remember "journals" as if that was yesterday! On the B&M they were filled with "waste", generally wads of cheese cloth loaded with 90 weight grease .... YUK!!!

[ 06 March 2002, 01:41: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[fitz]

Hank, those questions were bugging me so I sent a message to Bob Krieger over on TrainOrders, and he answered almost immediately. Bob is the usual engineer on 3985 when she gets out on the mainline. According to Bob, the 3950 was always a coal burner and had a type B stoker, which is not like the ones you and I remember, ala NYC Hudsons. Were they called type A, or am I confusing them with a superheater designation? Bob also allowed as how the 3985 was converted to oil in 1990 (that late!) to minimize fires set along the main by the coal cinders. He is going into their records to see if any were delivered as awlburners. The photo of the fireman's side has some valves labeled "spray" with the quadrants of the firebox, which jives with your comments. Must be the stoker controls. Oh heck, I'll post it. http://www.pioneer.net/~fitzrr/MM3950FM.JPG

[Telegrapher]

Peirce, I remember those journel boxes very well. It was part of my duty to stand outside and watch every train go by and watch for hot boxes. If I spotted a hot box I held my nose and patted my head of it was at the end of the train. My stomach if the middle and my rear if the end and hoped the conductor or rear breakman caught my signal. Usually they did. I caught several hot boxes during my time and as far as I knew no cars burned up in my area. Every so often one would be set on my siding which put that siding out of order until the repair crew came along and repaired it.. Usually they just cleaned it up a bit, stuffed some more excelsior and oil in it and arranged for the next train to pick it up and take it to the next terminal for permanent repairs.

[fitz]

Dick, I forgot to comment that you, too were correct in your above answer. Peirce, I apologize for turning this into an old steam forum, but there hasn't been much interest lately, so any forum where interest is shown...........
Hank, the stokers on NYC Hudsons, according to Al Staufer, were Duplex and BK types, definitely not the same as the Challengers. smile.gif

[Hytec]

Fitz, good info ... thanks. smile.gif
Those are two great photos. Her backhead is too shiny, looks like she was just shopped or just delivered. :cool: Also the backhead looks less complex than I remember from the B&M Consol that I was allowed to move a few hundred feet when I was 14. :confused:

[Peirce]

That's OK, Fitz, so long as we are looking at what is inside the railroad stuff in this thread.

Here is my contribution to the steam theme. It is part of the interior of the former B&M Mogul #1455, which is now at the Danbury Railway Museum.

http://images.fotki.com/v2/photos/4/41513/84114/032_DRMS_2-6-0_MOGEL_14-vi.jpg

I would classify the stoker on this one as "class S" for shovel.

[Peirce]

Another scene shift. Two views inside a fully restored Railroad Post Office (RPO) car.

1.
http://images.fotki.com/v2/photos/4/41513/85052/005_RPO_-_RAILROAD_POST_OF-vi.jpg

2.
http://images.fotki.com/v2/photos/4/41513/85052/004_RPO_-_RAILROAD_POST_OF-vi.jpg

This car is on display at Steamtown, in Scranton, PA.

[fitz]

Now THOSE were the days. Do you have any pieces of mail that were stamped in an RPO? :confused:

[Hytec]

Man, I always wanted to be the guy who operated the snag arm .... :eek: :D

[Charlie]

I have a postcard cancelled by a Santa Fe RPO.
When I was a Cub Scout, We went to Dearborn Station and saw how an RPO worked and we were each give a postcard to
address and send home.

CT

[Peirce]

The conductor's "office..."

http://images.fotki.com/v3/photos/4/41513/84259/desk23-vi.jpg

...on a New Haven class NE-5 caboose.

[Peirce]

Here is the engineer's side of an EMD SW-8. That's my wife, Janet, at the controls. One hand is firmly on the brake lever. (This is the first time she has ever driven a locomotive.)

http://images.fotki.com/v8/photos/4/41513/142616/Janet-vi.jpg

The exterior of that same loco.

http://images.fotki.com/v3/photos/4/41513/84259/sw8_6-vi.jpg

[Hytec]

WOW ... She gets all the FUN! graemlins/097.gif graemlins/cool.gif

[Ironhorseman]

She has the "parking lights, (front and rear) on, but no headlight! The lever just above the sign should be moved forward! *grinning with a wink*

Is she pulling a train, or just moving the loco?

[Ironhorseman]

She has the "parking lights", (front and rear) on, but no headlight! The lever just above the sign should be moved forward! *grinning with a wink*

Is she pulling a train, or just moving the loco?

[Peirce]

The exterior picture was taken at a different time, when the SW-8 was parked.

My wife was only moving the loco. This is something we get to do once a year at the Danbury Railway Museum's Members-Only picnic. Needless to say it is done under very strict supervision. We go from one end of the yard to the other, and back. The trip probably takes a total of 5 to 10 minutes.

[Peirce]

Here is a look inside a GP-9. This one is N&W number 620, which is owned and operated by the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Looking over the engineers shoulder, we have a good view of the controls. He is operating short-hood forward.
http://images2.fotki.com/v21/photos/4/41513/224636/Engineer1-vi.jpg

A close-up of the controls.
http://images2.fotki.com/v22/photos/4/41513/224636/GP9Controls-vi.jpg

I don't know how many locos are equipped with dual controls, but this is the first one I have seen. Here is Janet sitting on the other side of the cab, where the controls are set up for operating long-hood forward.
http://images2.fotki.com/v22/photos/4/41513/224636/Janet1-vi.jpg

[jasonboche]

Who can guess what these controls go to???? ;) Yes, I know the answer, I took the pictures two weeks ago


http://www.boche.net/trains/progressive_rail_5-23-03/DSC01204.JPG

http://www.boche.net/trains/progressive_rail_5-23-03/console.jpg


You can see the rest of the pictures here:
http://www.boche.net/trains/progressive_rail_5-23-03/tour.htm

[7600EM_1]

I only have one picture to add to the discussion of the insides so....But its of the inside of my favorite diesel.. a GP-30, as a 30, not an M or a road slug....

http://www.railimages.com/album/John%20Patton/Controlstand_GP30.jpg