Steamtown 2-8-2 3254 - Slipping West of Cresco

[chromecrescent]

check out that burn out at 0:30!

[MtaBus5102]

Train look more like it just had some coffee than anything else!!

[mark10788]

3377 should have been restored.

and be with sister 3254.

[mogges1]

absolutely breath taking!! I cant get enough of these old locamotives.and I wish they would bring the,m back out all of the USA

[buntik1687]

Steam Engines do have tires. It's a steel rim that fits around the drive wheels.

[ralpho37]

I meant in the sense of rubber tires. If that's what he was referring to, then they don't have tires.

[ralpho37]

Trains don't have tires....

[legokid900]

@ralpho37 yes they do, they are steel tires which they heat up and slip on to the acual wheel. Then when the tire cools there is a tight fit between the tire and the wheel, but if a steam engine slips to often those tires can heat up again and then fall off causing the train to derail.

[TurbinePower69]

@ralpho37 Yes !...They sure do...steel "tires"...but only on Steam power...NOT on DE's...not too sure about some of the old electrics...like the "Little Joe's" (named after Joseph Stalin..of Russia, where they were Supposed to go)...that wound up on GN's Mtn Div. in Montana until around 57 or so. If you do a search on the Net....for "changing tires on a Steam Loco"...or some such phrase...you can actually see some old footage of them doing so.

[legokid900]

Jeez that can't be good for the tires.

[NCsteamer]

Wheel slip relay broke...

[kleetus92]

@NCsteamer

LOL!

[ThomasRivette]

Hmmm...Its hard to decide which one is more beautiful, steam in fall, or steam in winter (personaly I'd pick both)

[KATOSD80MAC]

You have to realise the central new jersey cars way about 150,000 pounds which would way more than regular freight car and the last 3 cars have to way more than the cnj and 3254 only has about 2,350 horses also the steep grade.

[Lutherkb]

150K pounds is 75 tons. A loaded freight car can be as much as light as 70 tons or as heavy as 110 tons. An unloaded freight car may be 30 tons. Quit making excuses for the locomotive. Wheel slip happens from time to time. It's what the engineer does to correct the problem that counts. :-)

[ThomasRivette]

3254 is also on Extreme Trains!!!!

[RattlingMurdock]

Yay!

[ThomasRivette]

I really want to see that engine, she looks really cool, she probibly has the classic desighn of a steam locomotive.

[mediasindennischen1]

just out the luis place?

[galoon]

Heck of a lot of wheelslip--is her sander working? Seems strange that a 2-8-2 designed for hauling freight would have trouble on a grade like this one with just a few passenger coaches in tow. Cool video!

[ThomasRivette]

Beautiful location, if you like scenic locations like this, you will love "The Spot" in Niles Canyon.

[WestKeystoneVideos]

What the grade percent here?

[wwrr98]

Not sure, but I am guessing between 1 and 2%.

[yourweathertodayHD]

it actually stalled just beyond here?

[typebangin]

Yes.

The two Delaware-Lackawanna ALCo's that had pulled the outbound trip had to return to rescue 3254. They helped pull the train as far as Tobyhanna, where 3254 took water and then finished the trip back to Scranton unassisted.

[yourweathertodayHD]

thats one rough grade!

[3254man]

she has friction bearings right?

[hoggerdave]

Is the front painted silver and if so, why, as it's a Canadian locomotive.

[3254man]

Steamtown's little touch? Not sure?

[3254man]

Its good to see a steam engine actually working hard. A lot of places really baby thier engines

[3254man]

Why cant they just full throtle it all the way up even if it slips

[484684984]

because the wheels would keep speeding up and the friction will cause the wheels to heat up and the tires could fall off, also a rod could break and the fire can be blown out (on an oil loco any ways, im not sure about a coal one) I learned lots of reasons while learning to fire the one i work on.

[3254man]

well in theory it would work

[typebangin]

No it wouldn't. You close the throttle while slipping to regain traction. If you left the throttle open you could very possibly do serious damage to the locomotive (and stall rather quickly).

Think about it this way: there is no longer any load on the engine (like revving a car engine in neutral), so if you over-rev it you can very easily blow out a cylinder, damage a piston, rod, etc. The LAST thing you want is to open the throttle more.

[ajb07]

@typebangin - that's exactly what happened in the UK to LNER A2 pacific 'Blue Peter'. Slipped badly and the crew didn't react quickly enough - destroying much of the loco's valve gear in the process. It was estimated that at one point the driving wheels must have been rotating on the spot at around 140mph! see youtube.com/watch?v=YjsNbzg1Ua­I for this moment of grief.

[typebangin]

@ajb07 They're not exactly the same. The Blue Peter had a catastrophic slipping incident that damaged the locomotive. 3254 merely couldn't get enough adhesion on the steepest curviest part of the line (with a heavier than usual train), and eventually stalled. No damage was done and the locomotive was able to pull the train again after a little assistance. Quite different outside of the obvious (and common) wheel slippage.

[ajb07]

@typebangin - I should've made it clearer that I was referring to your statement "If you left the throttle open you could very possibly do serious damage to the locomotive (and stall rather quickly) etc." Hope this clarifies?

[typebangin]

@ajb07 Yes, quite true. The Blue Peter is a perfect example of that.

[camaroracer454]

3254...its the same thing with any engine...Take a car...if your mudding or doing a burnout, if you start slippin the rpms dont stop climbing and youll blow the engine up, could be a piston flyin out to any bearings bustin, so much shit can happen...

[AceBriggs6]

@3254man not exactly. think of when you're driving a car. when you hit back ice or start to skid, do you floor it to try to get to safety, or do you let off the gas to stay in control and try to get grip again?

[3254man]

ok sorry i get it now. three people.

[3254man]

OK sorry everybody . That was a stupid comment. Three people have explained it to me and I have gotten more information on it myself. full throttling it would be a huge mistake.

[kevindatrainmasta]

because they would use more coal

[3254man]

and a lot more than that

[mark10788]

@3254man Well dont you want to damage the engine? it may result serious damage and too much pressure!

[Miketherailfan]

You would think they'd back off the throttle after 2 seconds of slipping...

[trainmaster844]

I'd be like the conductor from "Emperor of the North", with those severe slips I'd be yellin' at '54 "GOD D**N YOU MOVE!!! MORE SAND!!! SAND!!!"

[brooklynparrot]

Very nice!

[Beaver456]

This one is going right into my favorites! Not only bad wheelslip but great fall color. Great Job! :)

[JoMiFu]

Beautiful foliage!

[CSX6000]

Oh wow! I caught this too, it was certianly very interesting.