In two different books on the Southern Pacific I read references to a handbrake on steam locomotive tenders. I have never seen any pictures or plans showing such equipment. Was this unique to SP or did other roads equip there steam tenders with handbrakes?
Mark Vinski
Nobody? OK, I’ll give it a go.
I’ve never seen any photos of handbrake wheels on tenders myself and don’t recall seeing any handbrake wheels on tenders I’ve been up close to.
To my knowledge when a steam locomotive was “tied down” without the locomotive brakes engaged the wheels were either chocked or chained to prevent movement. Tenders standing alone were chocked.
If anyone else wants to chime inplease do so!
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The T-Handle thing with a vertical handhold is the handbrake on this tender
What railroad is that tender from? In the background there are what look like European smokebox fronts
I’ve seen water shutoff valves in similar locations on tenders.
Mark
Here’s a link:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3897109
to a photo of the handbrake on the tender of SP 975, a 2-10-2.
Ed
I wonder if that is original equipment or might have been added after retirement or by the museum. It looks like a fairly modern Ajax handbrake and wheel.
Mark
As a kid living in Garrett, IN in the 1959-60 era, B&O had several steam engine parked at the Shop Track area. After working hours my group of friends and I would go to the Shop Track and play on the equipment there. I can’t remember if I saw anything that looked like a hand brake on either the locomotives or the tenders.
I was surprised to see a ratchet-type hand brake on Pennsy’s K4 1361.
https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=447129
I don’t know when it was applied or what other classes of PRR tenders had handbrakes but the 1361 certainly does.
A slightly clearer shot here after sandblasting. Ratchet handle (similar to what I’ve seen on heavyweight Pullmans) and follow the shaft down to the chain which uses an offset eye to pull the brake cylinder out to apply the brake.
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/702796/
This 250F85 has one shown near the right hinges of the coal doors:
25000 gal tender by Edmund, on Flickr
A Hagley Trust photo.
Crop of the lever:
25000 gal tender handbrake crop by Edmund, on Flickr
and the chain:
25000 gal tender handbrake chain by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
What is the device that is attached to the engineer side front journal box lid on the 1361’s tender in the railpictures.net photos?
My money would be on a speed-recorder generator, perhaps substituting for one on the pilot truck to provide speed input for the automatic train control.
Presumably there is something inside the box lid that engages with the axle end. Be interesting to see its details.
It does look like the type used on many GE locomotives. I wonder what the plans are for roller bearing adaptation? Is the journal box cover rigged so that it can be lifted off with the drive gear, which I believe is simply an encoder for a magnetic pickup, still in place?
I would guess that some kind of “aftermarket” speed indicator, perhaps with recording capabilities was installed at some time since she sat at the Curve.
PTC will probably change all this, I would imagine.
I haven’t kept up with “historical exemptions” in that regard.
I’m pretty sure that’s a rotating-generator type, which would be a physical drive from the axle end. It would have to be replaced for an AP bearing conversion because the rotating caps need to be exposed, but I suspect the ‘legacy’ automatic train control equipment will not be ‘restored to operability’ (although it would be a shame not to preserve it as a working exhibit somewhere). I don’t know if this is as much of a concern for the K4s because the lead truck bearings are inside anyway…
I confess I would be tempted to ‘repurpose’ the radar out of an EMD to provide a speed-recorder input that does not require wheel contact or axle-end drive.