The K4’s were a class of USRA Light Pacifics built for the Grand Trunk Western in the 1920’s. The K4-a’s were a group of 5 ALCO numbered #5627-5631 in 1924, the Baldwin built K4-b’s numberd #5632-5634 came 5 years later in 1929.
#5632 is the only surviving GTW K4 today in 2021, however 34 years ago there was a K4-a. If you have a knowledge of the history of Steam Preservation you’ve probably came across the plight of Richard Jensen & his locomotives, GTW 5629 was his prized engine that had an excursion career between 1961-1973, the engine was scrapped in 1987 when Metra employees vandelized it and the owner Jensen failed to move it. (Please don’t post images of that in this thread.)
I believe your account of the demise of the locomotive is in error. He was requested numerous times and court ordered numerous times to move the locomotive which he chose to ignore for financial reasons. It was an eyesore and attracted vandalism from local lower class “children”. The liability possibility to Metra could have been huge. When you park your locomotive on someone elses property, do nothing to protect it for years, thumb your nose at your host and the courts don’t complain when the actions implied and taken occur. Your version smacks to me of disgruntled railfan logic with no skin in the game. I was priveledged to see that engine close up 2 or 3 years before it was cut up and it was a pile of rust at that point that was obviously never going to run again.
Doesn’t matter what happened to Jensen’s engines. What matters is the specific model of BL heater and cross-compound compressor that the K4a class was equipped with.
I see nothing in mine (either the MR or the four Simmons-Boardman I have access to) about the size of either the air compressor or the BL heater on that locomotive, which are the details he’s asking about.
steamlocomotive.com does mention the capacity of the Coffin applied to the K4b (5000gph), which might be a guide to the size or capacity of the Worthington.
I did, but there wasn’t a great deal of information on the BL varieties - that may be because at the time, there might have been only the original version.
There’s only six pages on feedwater heaters, and the Elesco takes-up three, and the Worthington BL the other three.
There is a drawing (might be an altered photo) of a BL on the side of a Mikado, with a cross compound air pump mounted immediately aft of the BL. That BL looks identical to the one in Oregon Steamer’s photo of the three guys working on the air pump.
I believe that Cal-Scale (Bowser) offers at least four versions of the BL, but can’t say for certain if they’re different in their details or if each were simply larger versions for use on bigger locomotives.
