I love trains, but certain things confuse me about them. How is the track and the wheels of the train always perfectly matched up together so the train doesn't derail or fall off? Also, how do steam locomotives make that loud "chuffing" sound every time they move? Trains are awesome machines, but complicated ones, too.
@6709ify As for the wheel and rail staying in perfect match the track is always the same distance apart. and both the wheel and the rail have a curve to them which helps them stay on, also there is a peace of metal sticking up on the wheel called a flange that also keeps the train from derailing. The chugging sound you here is the used steam being blasted up the stack which creates a draft which in turn forces O2 into the fire making it hotter. So the harder the engine works the hotter the fire.
@northersteame I always knew about the flange on the train's wheels that keep it on the track. That I already knew. I mean all the math involved, you know? Like how the railroad companies manage to build every engine and car the the exact width axles they need to for it to match the track. Also, how they know if the tracks they lay down are exactly parallel eveytime? (Not too narrow or wide I mean) So the train doesn't accidently derail that way? It's got to be plenty of math involved. You know?
They must've changed 261's whistle, I have a collection of American steam train DVDs called Extreme Steam and 261's on one of them but it's whistle was a lot higher in pitch, Now 261's whistle sounds a lot like the whistles on Union Pacific 844 & Southern Pacific 4449, I like this whistle a lot better than the old one.
@Conrail6370 the typing is a dead giveway. They havent changed the font or style from Pinnacle 7 all the way to the newest one. I still use v12 Ultimate, I find it very stable.
@AlexR47x I have been wondering if a nuclear steam engine would work. I mean, the only difference would be using a nuclear reaction to generate the heat instead of a coal, oil, or wood fire. It's the same on our Navy ships, nuclear fission is used to create heat to produce steam. A real advantage to rail is that you would only have to carry water, a chunk of uranium or plutonium the size of a basketball would generate the necessary heat!
@atm91771 3 problems one if you wreck you could possibly have a release of radiation, two the cost for the Uranium/Plutonium, and three the lead shield for the reactor would have to be very thick. There are a couple more one is the insurance which would be very very high, it would be a possible target for terrorists, plus the cost of maintenance, and changing the fuel might be a problem especially in a rural area. It would be cool but it's very unlikely it would happen, only on paper.
It's nice to see all of these classic steamers on the rails pulling trains where they belong. Static display sucks and it is no way for a locomotive to slowly die.
The regulator (throttle) is the large bar over the brakes, the reverser is small lever forward, and the cut-off is the smaller lever just to the right of the reverser? Correct?
After being up in the cab of a Bullied Pacific I still was bewildered, and I see American locomotives can occasionally slip too.
The whistle may be an original DL&W whistle, but I'm not sure. I know when she masqueraded as Lackawanna 1643, she had a whistle from one of the Poconos on her, although I've never heard audio from it so I can't confirm whether it's the same or not.
Actually, she was a freight engine: the Milwaukee Road used mainly 4-4-2 Atlantics, 4-6-4 Baltics, Pacifics and Ten Wheelers for passenger trains. My guess is that the Northerns could have been used for dual service-but all of the pics I've seen of them in revenue service were hauling freight. Some of the freight cars are a bit modern-but she looks great hauling tonnage.
this trip was done on the Delaware-Lackawanna railroad out of Scranton PA. It was a special outing while the engine was in Scranton at Steamtown after the grand opening. I work on the Steamtown locomotives and I'll tell you that hill is one sum-bitch to climb.
Pulling tonage is actually good for the loco rather than running lite. She's running square and really sings when at speed. Don't steam clean the side rod bearings before the run to Galesburg though. yes - a 26 brake valve. Nice loco.
they do both have "All weather cabs" but while running the engine you usually have the side windows open for a clear view. '54 does have a cab heater and it does help but the all weather cab in my opinion is more so the crew isn't in contact with rain and snow whilst running more than for temp but in winter I'd def take an all weather cab over a standard one.
Well It's been locked up in my valt of master VHS tapes, I thought I would pull it out and watch it . the other day, then It came to me, Why shoudn't I post it. So I did. I'm glad you'll like it. I know I had a great time on the trip. I went with a few friend that weekend. and was it ever cold! The month is February of 1996.
awesome video. how many cars is this train pulling?
electron2601 2 months ago
Nice to see her NOT dragging around an ugly backup diesel!
atm91771 2 months ago in playlist steam trains
I love trains, but certain things confuse me about them. How is the track and the wheels of the train always perfectly matched up together so the train doesn't derail or fall off? Also, how do steam locomotives make that loud "chuffing" sound every time they move? Trains are awesome machines, but complicated ones, too.
6709ify 8 months ago
@6709ify As for the wheel and rail staying in perfect match the track is always the same distance apart. and both the wheel and the rail have a curve to them which helps them stay on, also there is a peace of metal sticking up on the wheel called a flange that also keeps the train from derailing. The chugging sound you here is the used steam being blasted up the stack which creates a draft which in turn forces O2 into the fire making it hotter. So the harder the engine works the hotter the fire.
northersteame 8 months ago
@northersteame I always knew about the flange on the train's wheels that keep it on the track. That I already knew. I mean all the math involved, you know? Like how the railroad companies manage to build every engine and car the the exact width axles they need to for it to match the track. Also, how they know if the tracks they lay down are exactly parallel eveytime? (Not too narrow or wide I mean) So the train doesn't accidently derail that way? It's got to be plenty of math involved. You know?
6709ify 7 months ago
Her old whistle is way better. Please tell me they put her old whistle back.
Dinosorable 8 months ago
They must've changed 261's whistle, I have a collection of American steam train DVDs called Extreme Steam and 261's on one of them but it's whistle was a lot higher in pitch, Now 261's whistle sounds a lot like the whistles on Union Pacific 844 & Southern Pacific 4449, I like this whistle a lot better than the old one.
ford9572 1 year ago
ford9572 , They have a Delaware Lackawanna & Western whistle on her.
Conrail6370 1 year ago
@Conrail6370 No, it was a Lehigh & New England 2-10-0 whistle on her this weekend. The DL&W whistle was used in October, 1995.
BN6499 10 months ago
@Conrail6370 an it sounds good on the old girl
darkhound891 9 months ago
I have always wondered why this engine has a golden plated throttle what is the point? I guess why not right? Nice video!
Bassfanatic94 1 year ago
I see we have a Pinnacle Video editing user, nice!
FireAce44 1 year ago
FireAce44 , You found me out, I see. lol. I used that and two others. :)
Conrail6370 1 year ago
@Conrail6370 the typing is a dead giveway. They havent changed the font or style from Pinnacle 7 all the way to the newest one. I still use v12 Ultimate, I find it very stable.
FireAce44 1 year ago
FireAce44, I'm using Studio 8 .
Conrail6370 1 year ago
im not a steam engine conoisseur... but the whistle aint the same today... right?
bluesguitardude 1 year ago
I never knew that the 261 ran in the snow. I thought that they would only run it in May, again in October, and then back into winter storage.
captainmorgan757 1 year ago
Looks great pulling frieght and not a bunch of Company Officersand other idiots!
MOJONIXION 1 year ago
perty soon there ganna have to go back to steam. hahaha
littlejr92 1 year ago
LOVE That Whistle starting at 2:45!!!!!!!
RailRoadWorker18 1 year ago
Oh, what I'd give just to pull on that whistle cord!
LNERMallard 1 year ago
LNERMallard , I did pull it .:)
Conrail6370 1 year ago
Comment removed
LNERMallard 1 year ago
Awsome is the word.
Amazing what one had to know and do to master a boiler and engine to get from here to there.
Thankyou so much.
rayunseitig 1 year ago
I got to be in the cab of the 261 and blow the whistle a few times when it was in Duluth, mn in 2000. There is no other feeling like it.
Blom3B 1 year ago
Blom3B, Amen to that!
Conrail6370 1 month ago
Beautiful in the Snow!
pianomanmaestro 2 years ago
Amazing...beautiful machine! :) Jack
raconter1 2 years ago
I saw 261 when the locomotive came east to Steamtown years back.
fiddlerpin 2 years ago
The 1225 whistle sounds tame compaired to this one!
fiddlerpin 2 years ago
Man would I like to blow that whistle!
fiddlerpin 2 years ago
you read my mind!!!!
Starrywarz 2 years ago
@fiddlerpin I got to blow a 6" 3 chime crosby on a traction engine.....it was way cool. This however, would put that to shame
uglyst 2 years ago
at 5:12 and 5:20 is that wheel slip?
tomnaro 2 years ago
5:12, yes, 5:20 not so sure, but probably.
FanRailer 2 years ago
Real good stuff, thanks for sharing it
SkipW 2 years ago
wth? they going back to steam from diesel now?
ColonelSamatoshi 3 years ago
This was a Steamtown N.H.S. Steam Freight Special using 261.
Len.
Conrail6370 3 years ago
i wish they would lol. it might be kinda better tho just considering we have alot more coal in the US than oil
AlexR47x 2 years ago 2
Considering the good 'ol diesels they put in those things get a maximum or around 1/3 a mile per gallon, you may be on to something there.
nburdik 2 years ago
@AlexR47x I have been wondering if a nuclear steam engine would work. I mean, the only difference would be using a nuclear reaction to generate the heat instead of a coal, oil, or wood fire. It's the same on our Navy ships, nuclear fission is used to create heat to produce steam. A real advantage to rail is that you would only have to carry water, a chunk of uranium or plutonium the size of a basketball would generate the necessary heat!
atm91771 2 months ago in playlist steam trains
@atm91771 3 problems one if you wreck you could possibly have a release of radiation, two the cost for the Uranium/Plutonium, and three the lead shield for the reactor would have to be very thick. There are a couple more one is the insurance which would be very very high, it would be a possible target for terrorists, plus the cost of maintenance, and changing the fuel might be a problem especially in a rural area. It would be cool but it's very unlikely it would happen, only on paper.
LycoValleyRRFan 1 month ago
No. Several of the larger rail networks maintain a steam engine (or two) for special runs.
nburdik 2 years ago
Comment removed
DanielVolker 2 years ago
This shit brings tears to my eyes !!!!
zarits500 3 years ago 7
Some nice wrap-around safety glasses should help.
kellkan69 2 years ago
-Amazing !!!!!
zarits500 3 years ago 2
me gustaria que alguien me traduciese lo que dicen
pradochiqui 3 years ago
driving one of those suckers, now that's a REAL job, one word: BEAUTIFULL!
erpelteler 3 years ago 2
Awesome sight in the snow!
tk0173 3 years ago
It's nice to see all of these classic steamers on the rails pulling trains where they belong. Static display sucks and it is no way for a locomotive to slowly die.
UAL012 3 years ago
UAL012,
I agree. Steam locomotives belong on the track.
That's why I'm so honored to be a part of the Kamloops Heritage Railway. We restored and operate Ex-CNR consolidation #2141.
It's great to see so many steamers on here.
Pac3steel 3 years ago
Man, what a beautiful video. Thanks very much!!!
Railfan59 3 years ago
I believe I saw clips of 261 pulling freight on Lots and Lots of Trains Vol.2
amtraklover 3 years ago
Who was driving 261?
kevindatrainmasta 3 years ago
Steve Sandberg
Conrail6370 3 years ago
Did you ask him when 261 was restored?
kevindatrainmasta 3 years ago
very early 1990s, for about $1 million
yourweathertodayHD 2 years ago
Great Video! Love the fact that the camera is held steady.
The engine sounds and looks fantastic. In cab shots are great as well although it seems odd to hear an 2 way radio in a steamer cab!
Love the winter scenery as well. Was she slipping as seen toward the end of the video?
altetz 3 years ago
The regulator (throttle) is the large bar over the brakes, the reverser is small lever forward, and the cut-off is the smaller lever just to the right of the reverser? Correct?
After being up in the cab of a Bullied Pacific I still was bewildered, and I see American locomotives can occasionally slip too.
choirboyfromhell 3 years ago
But not much
chappybolo 3 years ago
Comment removed
DanielVolker 2 years ago
No, it's coal fired. it has a vanderbuilt tender.
Len.
Conrail6370 3 years ago
looks like it ran on oil the way the tender is shaped
sedtr 3 years ago
It's good to see a northern run on our line.
The 261 and the Pocono class northerns the lackawanna had were actually much closer in design than people think.
lennyos 3 years ago
the whistle sounds different than the one I'm used to hearing on her. This one sounds like it was off of the 1522 or something.
ronthecyborg 3 years ago
Yes the whistle sounds like the 1522 but I think it has a little more shrill.
Mikelandscaper 3 years ago
The whistle may be an original DL&W whistle, but I'm not sure. I know when she masqueraded as Lackawanna 1643, she had a whistle from one of the Poconos on her, although I've never heard audio from it so I can't confirm whether it's the same or not.
ThatYankeeKid 3 years ago
When did she masquerade as Lackawanna 1643?
yerkees01 3 years ago
Sorry, I was mistaken on the number, it was 1661, and it was shortly before she returned home to Minnesota.
ThatYankeeKid 2 years ago
what the....what's 261 doing pulling freight?
MaxInterjects 3 years ago
"what the....what's 261 doing pulling freight? "
Actually, she was a freight engine: the Milwaukee Road used mainly 4-4-2 Atlantics, 4-6-4 Baltics, Pacifics and Ten Wheelers for passenger trains. My guess is that the Northerns could have been used for dual service-but all of the pics I've seen of them in revenue service were hauling freight. Some of the freight cars are a bit modern-but she looks great hauling tonnage.
BenAliGtor 3 years ago
I know. I just wanted to know how they got him to pull that train. What road owned the train itself and who allowed it?
Also will he pull freight again? i only saw 261 once in my life when he doubleheaded with CP 2816 last summer. would love to see him again!
MaxInterjects 3 years ago
this trip was done on the Delaware-Lackawanna railroad out of Scranton PA. It was a special outing while the engine was in Scranton at Steamtown after the grand opening. I work on the Steamtown locomotives and I'll tell you that hill is one sum-bitch to climb.
lennyos 3 years ago
Pulling tonage is actually good for the loco rather than running lite. She's running square and really sings when at speed. Don't steam clean the side rod bearings before the run to Galesburg though. yes - a 26 brake valve. Nice loco.
SkyhawkTL 3 years ago
what did it burn
tweetsie12190 3 years ago
bituminous soft coal
Engineer5344 3 years ago
Nice to see her hauling freight- the way she was intended to haul.
BenAliGtor 4 years ago
doesn't take much to get er rollin
Engineer5344 4 years ago
now that's a locomotive I like!
RailfanAlex 4 years ago
did you just ask to get the cab ride?
nax1345 4 years ago
It was all part of the train ride.
Len.
Conrail6370 4 years ago
ok thanks for sharing the video with every one!!!
nax1345 4 years ago
Cool
RichardSwayne 4 years ago
No. The word is COLD! lol.
Len.
Conrail6370 4 years ago
in the cab? was something wrong? i run steam traction engines under dean alling.
horseguy1 4 years ago
Been there on 2317 and 3254.
You'd think it'd be really warm and cozy around that firebox but you still freeze in those cabs.
lennyos 3 years ago
Don't 2317 and 3254 have winterized cabs? Or does that just mean they protect you from the bad weather, not the cold?
yourweathertodayHD 2 years ago
they do both have "All weather cabs" but while running the engine you usually have the side windows open for a clear view. '54 does have a cab heater and it does help but the all weather cab in my opinion is more so the crew isn't in contact with rain and snow whilst running more than for temp but in winter I'd def take an all weather cab over a standard one.
lennyos 2 years ago
Absulutely fantastic! An impressive show with #261 in the snow plus some nice in-cab shots. I am really glad that you showed this video. Thanks.
railfan101 4 years ago
Well It's been locked up in my valt of master VHS tapes, I thought I would pull it out and watch it . the other day, then It came to me, Why shoudn't I post it. So I did. I'm glad you'll like it. I know I had a great time on the trip. I went with a few friend that weekend. and was it ever cold! The month is February of 1996.
Len.
Conrail6370 4 years ago
Glad you like the footage, I had a blast with the crew in the cab. Mr. Ross Rowland was there too. It was so cool to hear him talk STEAM!
Len.
Conrail6370 4 years ago