3 Locos attack the hill

[SemperVaporo]

That is not Walschaerts gear, it is Southern Valve Gear. I don't know what gear it was originally built with, but Southern was added when it was on the Surry, Sussex and Southampton, prior to being sold to Argent Lumber Co.

More info can be found on the mcrr dot org website

[75Bird455]

Interesting that that non superheated, slide valve equipped 2-6-0 had Walchaerts valve gear. I assume that was retrofitted?

[SemperVaporo]

@bcschmerker: The Cocks discharge directly below the cylinders. I think the steam at the stack is the Blower was open. Lots of possible reasons for the engine not making the hill. For as big and clunky as a Steamer is, there are fine balances that must be maintained to get it to run perfectly and dozens of things that can upset those balances, not all of them are immediately cureable by the Fireman or Engineer and if they get wacky at the wrong moment then stuff like this happens.

[bcschmerker]

A lot of speculation about the reason for the 0-4-0t Henschel failing to full-pull the first attempt, where the 2-6-0 Baldwin succeeded. I noticed a steady blast of steam from the Henschel's stack on both attempts, rather than the timed chug of the Baldwin; do the cylinder purge cocks discharge into the smokebox?

[Smoofie92]

what IS that on the second engine? Jiffy Pop Econo Size?

[Sundancetr4]

Ok .... Everybody get out and push..... The place looks like fun though!

[myleftnutts]

@0812201  And if by some chance,this is a large gauge miniature train,what gauge would this be???. and would this run to build today???.

[myleftnutts]

@0812201 U sound like u know what you're talking,and the reason i say this is because I Know Nothing of this,therfore i'm going to ask u. is this "Henschel" what u would call a large gauge miniature train???. which is hard to believe,since it looks like a full size train to me,although a small one.

[SteffenReichel]

Wow, the Henschel stalling...

How bad is that fireman? Well, I saw the engine appearing, still in complete white steam from the chimney, so she was quite rushing on full reverser, but I was wondering, why the drain cocks still open. And the noise... it's not the typical hard beat of an exhaust, it's a rushing noise of escaping steam. I think she stalls, because the engine was so hard puking, I never saw before. Guess the boiler was complete full, so the fireman missed his aim...

[MrDorfmann]

The thick white clouds out of the chimney of the Henschel indicates the steam is very wet, so she´s priming (boiler is probably to full). The wooshy exhaust indicates that either the piston valves or the piston rings are worn out and leaking.

That´s why they didn´t make the hill in my opinion.

[furmaster212]

@0812201 not to mention the cylender cocks wher open, he should have closed them going up the hill, and like you said, pulling the reverser to full stroke, but after that stall the cylenders wher full of water and THEN needed the cocks open..... shoulda been closed in the first place.

[SwampDaddy7]

Someone needs to get out and push the Henschel over the hill haha

[ColumbiaAndHoodRiver]

the reason the shay made it was because it was built for it

[trainlover479]

lol TECHNIQUE!!! lol that reminds me of that episode of spongbob exept a train version, LOL

[SeriosProductions]

The 3 S's of climbing hills, Speed, Strength and Shay!

[k0bkl1]

The Henschel needs the #14 in front to help it!

[DanielVolker]

Nice! The 9 acts like there is now hill. No. 9 puts on a great show and the old Henschel struggles.!

[SR722]

Why did the Henschel stall? Were they using more coaches than usual that day ( I've seen it run without problems before)?

[SemperVaporo]

A few theories were advanced, see the previous comments. An engine that small should still be able to move that train, but with the cylinder cocks open a lot of power was being lost. It might also have had to stop at a signal back a short way and not had enough momentum then to make it, which may be why backing up (farther past the signal) could have helped it make it at the end.

[SR722]

Oh. I noticed the cocks open when it eased to a stop, but I didn't notice them open before ( looked more like worn packing leaking). At any rate, it makes sense. thanks!

[Detoyato]

Yes It does look like leaky packing (notice the steam aint coming from under the cylinders but instead behind it)

[PCLRmike]

@SemperVaporo

I hast to add you are wrong as a fireman on a railway in the uk and I own 3 working miniature loco's the advance of opening the drain cocks, Is to lower the risk of wheel spining the driver should af notch down on the forwards revering lever to full forward to increase the amout of steam entreing the cylinders

[tpvalley]

@SemperVaporo

it must have had to little pressure or a steam feed leak; the wheels werent even slipping and on such a small loco slippage should be the problem not stalling?!

is it a german import?

[NGTmodels]

@SemperVaporo

Your comments about the cylinder cocks being open causing a loss of steam pressure. I expect the Driver wanted the ability to run more cut-off, and have a longer power stroke..., opening the cylinder cocks allows you do this without slipping the drivers so easily. There 'can be' some advantage to what the Driver is doing, we weren't there.

[stinkstorm]

Old Threshers is a waste of money. They charge too much and there isn't much to see.

[SemperVaporo]

You obviously don't like to see working: Railroad Steam Locomotives, Electric Trollys, Antique cars, Stationary Steam, Diesel & Gas engines. Demonstrations of: Horse-drawn equipment, steam operated sawmill & veneer mill. Sorgum mill. Crafts: Pioneer & modern. More & better food than at the State Fair (Henry County Pork Producers "Pork burgers" [drool!!]). Carrosel. Pioneer Village, American-West town, Tool & swap tents, modern entertainment shows, Modern farm equip. More stuff than I can possibl

[stinkstorm]

Yes, I suppose you are right.  There is more than I remembered.

I might still go and buy one of those grilled turkey legs. Those always smell pretty good.

[Taranau]

They think they can,they think they can...The Yosemite Mountain Sugarpine trains are Shays,#10 and #15.They may slow down a little,but they don't stop till the engineer tells them to.

[ncrailfan]

Get the shay to help push!

[NLTiger1]

omg i love going there it is very fun riding the trains thats my favorite part my goal is to become a engineer

[3rdconfederate]

Shays rock!!!

[trainboy94]

That's to much for little 16

[Gr8CFce]

This has to be the best place to see the trains! I just LOOOOVE the Threshers Reunion! Their trains rock!

[ReevesMan88]

When a certian engineer is in the Shay,you ought to hear the locomotive talk going up the hill.

[btflco]

Ok so we all know a shay can pull because of its gearing, the 2-6-0 crew had their act together, but 16 is carrying over terrible, and probably does not have enough steam. Here is the scenario. This hill is NOTHING! The platform is up ahead and the engineers are trained to come in with the bar in the corner, a set of air on (so they are pulling against the brakes) so they come into the station stretched out for the next trip.

[BroEG843]

A Shay can gitrdone!

[TheOriginalWheelsTV]

Where is this place?

[SemperVaporo]

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, U.S.A. Center of loop of track is at Lat 40°57'26"N, Lon 91°32'50"W, (Google Earth is lousy res). Thresher's Reunion is always the 5 days ending on Labor Day (1st Monday of September). There are other days when the RR is in operation, see Midwest Central RR and Old Threshers web sites (YouTube won't let me post them here).

[jnh2011]

ya i am a Jr. Conductor for the MCRR and i can remember a few times this past reunion where it didn't make it all the way up the hill and they had to go back down a couple more times to try it again. it was kinda fun

[resopicker]

Not enough stars to rate this....thanks!

[lostchord359]

Agreed about the Shay. What hill??

[lostchord359]

Well if the enineer on #16 kept the firebox doors open, the blower on all the way, & the injectors about 1/2 way he might have made it up. Also, why were the cylinder cocks left open on them??

[SemperVaporo]

Although I wondered about the cylinder cocks myself, I remember an old sign that reads,

"Never, but never, question the Engineer's judgement."

So, I didn't ask. :-)

[ryechaz]

Well, if he didn't let the water get so high that he had carry-over, then he might have made the first try. Be glad he did have the cylinder cocks open, or else someone could have had a nice front cylinder head for a hood ornament!

[Gojirafan101]

I work at the Red Caboose Gift Shop at the south station there with my Mom

My dad is an engineer and my brother is a jr. conductor

[SemperVaporo]

Sure had GREAT weather this year! Another outstanding show. You and your family and all the others are to be thanked for such a great time!

[Gojirafan101]

Sure thing

[uhyi2]

the whistles were funny spaz

[SemperVaporo]

I don't know what you mean by "spaz", but with dozens of real and model steam tractors, 3 steam locos, and the factory whistles on the museum building, there are random whistle sounds all day long; screechers, hooters, multi-chime, high, low, and inbetween. Wear ear-plugs at noon when the public address announces, "It is now 12 o-clock, time for the noon whistle."

[Gr8CFce]

I'll tell you what, when those whistles sound, I get goosebumps EVERY TIME!It's almost the best part of the whole reunion:0) I'm usually sitting in the grandstand at this time waiting for the "Cavalcade of Power". Watching this video makes me wish the reunion would get here faster:0) Thank you for posting this!

[Chris9017]

That German 0-4-0T gets a huge workout, the mogul has a little challenge, and the shay has no interference. GEARED ENGINES RULE THE MOUNTAINS AND HIlLS. To the shay, that was a small incline, not even a hill.

[Engineer5344]

how much railroad equipment does mt pleasant own as of now.

[SemperVaporo]

I don't know what they have "now". Do a web search for "Midwest Central RR", and/or "Midwest Old Settler's and Thresher's Reunion". (I can't get the URL's to list here.)

[Engineer5344]

that mogul has an incredible bark to it. do you guys work those engines really hard for the fans or do you guys really like to test out their strength.

[SemperVaporo]

I can't say what their motives are, as I am just a faithful attendee... love to just sit and watch the various steam engines and locomotives chuff and blow the whistles (fun with a couple hundred "noon whistles" all at once). But that is a fairly good grade there and they really cannot hit it "at speed", what with the crowd and the stop at the station at the top; so the reverser must be "in the corner" and the throttle "wide open"... makes for a wonderful chuff!

[ReevesMan88]

I'm pretty sure it depends on the engineer their are some that like to make it work their are some that like to get it up the hill

[manokiller]

Where is this place?

[SemperVaporo]

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, U.S.A. Center of loop of track is at Lat 40°57'26"N, Lon 91°32'50"W, (Google Earth is lousy res). Thresher's Reunion is always the 5 days ending on Labor Day (1st Monday of September). There are other days when the RR is in operation, see Midwest Central RR and Old Threshers web sites (YouTube wouldn't let me post them here).

[manokiller]

ok thanks mate :D

[speedysq]

old threshers is the best place to be i am a train conductor and my friend and i work on the ground trains