Just saw a C&O steam turbine, what a beast ! it must weigh 15 pounds, and the length of it is astonishing, are these things really capable of running on an HO layout?? the curves must have a 3 foot radius just to turn.
Does anyone on this forum own one? and just how do they run, they must pull a ton of cars.
A guy hadthe older run of Overlands at the club. It was heavy, and it did run on the 32" radius and I believe it cleared the 28". There was an occasional short problem though, where it would bind and short across the body, and because of the turning radius being sharp, you actually CAN’T pull a decent train with it, as the tender swung too far adn stringlines. We did runbys with 10 cars, that was all we could keep going.
The C&O never really used them. I know the model is very heavy and large and will probably pull more cars than the real prototypes.
Here is a link.
It’s a nice looking model. Definitely too big for my layout. As I understand it the C&O had only three of these sacred cows as they were called. All three were scrapped only a few years after being built due to electrical and maintenance problems. They couldn’t make the run from DC to Cincinnati without some sort of failure. The models most likely run a lot better than the prototype ever did.
I own the N&W Jawn Henry, yes its BIG. Longest engine I own. The C&O ran them for passenger service.
The Jawn Henry was built using proven technologies. Water tube boiler at 600psi. The Jawn Henry was actually successful to a point, it had much better tractive effort, more efficiency than the Y6b’s. They put it on a helper service and it accordionned collapsed the caboose. They made sure they cut in before the caboose.
The downfall was various technical limitations, overspeeding a water pump, and controls again failing, it was an automatic firing machine.
I am working mine over to improve its performance and try to get it over sharper curves, it does have this shorting problem somewhere I havent solved. As is its limited to broader curves. EVen then I reccomend if you own one to chack it over to improve it, my ultimate plan is to 4 motor it with motors attached to the trucks.
The issue is motor torque swanging the frame while it runs. Frame mounted on engines like this do that.
NWSL will soon have their Stanton underfloor drives and I will evaluate them for this engine.
I have been testing sound, I think the UP turbine is fine if you turn the main motor sound off and hit the turbine sound, but I think it needs a variable whine associated with throttling.
Division point is making a new Jawn.
A few anecdotes about the C&O turbines:
And the biggest problem with N&W 4500 was abrasive, corrosive coal dust getting into EVERYTHING.
Jawn Henry was more successful than the C&O turbines, but neither could hold a sputtering candle to the reliability of an A, J, Y(anything) or Kanawha in regular service. Conventional steam was labor intensive, but the turbines were labor consumers without peer.
As far as I know, Japan never tried a steam turbine, whether direct gear or electric drive. And even the mechanical maniac who designs improbable cars and locomotives for the Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo isn’t tempted by turbines.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
You say that as if 36" radius curves are really special? Lots of layouts have 36" or larger radius curves - Personally I would not build an HO layout depicting a Class I railroad with anything less than 36" radius. Most of my curves are larger than 36" radius.
As for the C&O steam turbine, I’m a C&O fan and modeler, but I don’t have much interest in failures, turbines, triplexes, duplexes, and other similar loosers are not modeled here.
Sheldon