The fireman's rolling furnace
The engineer's command center
The mind-bending physics of water and draft
Life on the footplate
chrisd The Mechanical Lubricator
We roll and we pump! (Oh-oh, yeah!) / The faster we go, the more the oil flows! (Smooth ride!)
chrisd Pump water from the tender to discover how steam pressure powers a massive locomotive.
chrisd Steam shooting through a nozzle creates a vacuum that sucks up cold water, condensing it to force open the boiler's check valve.
Who patented the revolutionary steam injector in 1858, eliminating the need for mechanical water pumps?
Scooping water splash: If a fireman forgot to raise the water scoop in time, the tender would violently overflow, soaking the rear of the cab and passenger windows!
chrisd The blastpipe nozzle directs escaping steam upward to pull heat through the boiler
Who invented the water trough system that allowed steam trains to refill their tenders while moving?
What physical force drove water up the scoop and into the tender from a track pan?