Driving/Firing a steam locomotive

[Popoff]

Could someone please recommend to me some good reading material for learning to properly drive and fire a proto steam locomotive? Many thanks.

[arizonachris]

I did a nice little write up on steam locomotives for the Railworks Wiki: http://railworks.wikia.com/wiki/Railworks_Wiki If only I could find where it wound up being posted. *sigh*

[micaelcorleone]

I did a nice little write up on steam locomotives for the Railworks Wiki: http://railworks.wikia.com/wiki/Railworks_Wiki If only I could find where it wound up being posted. *sigh*

Do you mean this one? http://railworks.wikia.com/wiki/Driving_steam_locomotives

[arizonachris]

Do you mean this one? http://railworks.wikia.com/wiki/Driving_steam_locomotives

Umm, yep, that's the one. Darn it, getting old sux. Thanks, MC. (your new nick name)

[GeorgeT93]

arizonachris,

I was just browsing the wiki, is this the writeup you did for driving steam locos?
http://railworks.wikia.com/wiki/Driving_steam_locomotives

I found it in through the "Driving Help" section in the "General Advice and Tutorials" link, then on the page that opened, the third link under the "Driving Aid" section is the link for "driving steam locomotives", which brings you to the link I posted above. Hope this is what you were trying to find, and thanks again for all the help with my password last night. :)

Hope this helps. :)

-George

Ooops, looks like micaelcorleone beat me to it. Glad you found your tutorial. :)

[micaelcorleone]

Thanks, MC. (your new nick name)

np (no problem) .

MC? Reminds me on a friend that we used to josh with "MC Double Fresh" (some rapper slang I think, I don't like rap music btw).

[arizonachris]

Ooops, looks like micaelcorleone beat me to it. Glad you found your tutorial. :)

Yeah, bro, as they say, you got "ninja'd"

[arizonachris]

"MC Double Fresh" (some rapper slang I think, I don't like rap music btw).

Eww, no way, dude. Sounds like some Mc Donald's burger. I don't do McDonalds, even if they give it free. And, please, rap is some guy on a synth. It's not music. (I think we think along the same lines) did I say Think too many times?

[Popoff]

A friend of mine actually fired on a proto steam locomotive and had many facinating stories to tell about his experiences (and mis-adventures) with live steam. I was kind of looking for material of this nature from real life. I'm authoring steam scenarios and want to make it seem as realistic and accurate as possible. I haven't had much luck finding this kind of info on the web. It goes back too many years, I guess.

[GeorgeT93]

A friend of mine actually fired on a proto steam locomotive and had many facinating stories to tell about his experiences (and mis-adventures) with live steam. I was kind of looking for material of this nature from real life. I'm authoring steam scenarios and want to make it seem as realistic and accurate as possible. I haven't had much luck finding this kind of info on the web. It goes back too many years, I guess.

Well I certainly can't give you any information on this since.... I don't know anything about how it all works in the real world, but I do love the steam engines, and am looking forward to the scenarios you're working on! (I hope there's some passenger scenarios!) :)

-George

[Popoff]

I'm working on a suite of freight scenarios for Michael (GreatNortherner) Stephan's Moscow, Camden & San Augustine 1920's Route . Michael created a set of very challenging steam passenger scenarios that I enjoyed very much so I decided to try to fill in with some equally challenging freight work. As of now, they are so difficult to get through that I can't run them myself!

[kin3]

On driving a steam loco...did they use the reverser as a brake? Seems I read somewhere that they used it this way kinda like dynamic brakes.

[Popoff]

Kinnie,

That is exactly the kind of practical info that I am looking for. I don't know if reversing in motion was practiced or not, but it sure works great in the simulator, doesn't it?

Another thing that I'm sure most people don't realize is the fact that a steam engine developes its maximum horsepower (at full pressure) at 0 rpm or a dead stop.

[grumplstink]

Apparently some very early locos (1860s) had such inefficient brakes that when entering the station the driver would engage reverse and gliding towards the buffers in a slide, would finally stop the train, a good driver could just "kiss" the buffers with hardly a jolt to the train. The buffers were also used to unstick the driving wheels from the rails due to this action ( nearly heat welded) by using them as a buffer...lol and jerk the driving wheels forwards and backwards to release them.....so I've heard....the good old days.