In my mind, that is how I see the old freight trains. Might have been the locomotive that pulled the boxcars my Dad hopped with me and my baby sister when I was a small child down in Texas. How well I remember that ride, which brought to me a love of trains. I grew up in SP country in the Salinas Valley of California. Thank you for sharing your historical picture Mr. Wilson.
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| Posted by pjflstc on April 28, 2013 | |
Can someone tell me what that device is that is sticking out at the rear of the drive wheels and appears to be exhausting steam? Why would a steam exhaust be made to extend out that far? I have never seen any steam port stick out that far. It would definately take out anyone throwing a switch or standing alongside on a rollby.
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I'm glad this question was asked, and I'm sure there are dozens of viewers who speak from experience, so I'll just comment on the location of the blow down pipe and less about its function. When I study the photo, it seems to me that the pipe does not stick out any farther then the steam chest which would surely be avoided. As to function the blow down was to remove sludge from the boiler. Google "steam locomotive blow down" for detailed explanation on Wikipedia etc..
Wikipedia has a very detailed explanation when you Google "steam locomotive blow down".
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