For all of You Train Lovers
- Thread starter khryslerkid
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Here in the Peoples Republic of Portland, not all is nonsense. The city owns 3, yes 3, operating steam locos, including the most famous in recent history, the Southern Pacific #4449, which pulled the Freedom Train in '76. As a fundraiser, the Oregon Railway Historical Foundation runs the Holiday Express from Thanksgiving until Christmas, with several historic passenger cars for families, each with a volunteer Santa. The cab of the loco is as finely finished as any show MOPAR!
YY1
Well-Known Member
Ex Reading 4-8-4 2101 (AFT 1) pulled the Freedom Train on the Eastern leg.
I got a cab ride into the station, hand on the throttle, rang the bell, had breakfast in the observation car and a guided VIP tour.
Also 5 minutes on the local news.
Won the local "coloring contest".
I was 8.
I got a cab ride into the station, hand on the throttle, rang the bell, had breakfast in the observation car and a guided VIP tour.
Also 5 minutes on the local news.
Won the local "coloring contest".
I was 8.
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Sometimes cars get sideswiped...
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soupguy
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Progress being made on the East Broad Top, engines are having the boilers gone through for re certification
This is engines 16 and 14
This is engines 16 and 14
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snakeyes
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Have you ever heard of paper railroad wheels? It doesn't seem real, but in the late 1800's they were a going concern. Made of compressed layers of paper pressed into a steel hub and rim, these wheels were popular until the early 1900s when the increased weight of larger railcars started to be cause problems with other types of composite wheels, such as wood core wheels, and fell out of public favor.
By "paper", I don't mean sheets of writing paper. These wheels used heavy strawboard, the sort of thick cardboard-like material that you would see in boxes or the covers of a hard covered book. Stacks of circular sheets of this strawboard were stacked and glued together, with a 650 ton press squeezing them together. After they were clamped for a few hours, they were allowed to completely dry out over a period of weeks. Then they were cut to size and fitted to a steel rim and hub. Heavy coats of oil based paint helped with waterproofing.
The reason for these wheels was for passenger use; they offered a far smoother and quieter ride than cast iron. Pullman coaches were good customers of this type of wheel, as well as the restaurant cars where a silent ride helped with the ambiance. The coach builder, George Pullman, advertised these wheels on his cars as a prestige item. The Allen Paper Car Wheel Company started operations in Morris, Illinois but sales kept increasing so factories were opened up in New York and Chicago as well. Each plant took about 80 employees to turn out 24 wheels per day. By 1886 they already had 60,000 of these wheels in service.
This design of wheel was so popular that it was produced in England and Germany for awhile. Even though they were strong enough to withstand the stresses, after their champion George Pullman died in 1897 the car builders started phasing them out due to the publicity of other types of composite wheel failures. But even after they were replaced with cast iron and cast steel wheels after a good twenty-five year run, it wasn't uncommon to see an example on old rolling stock even into the early 1960s.
By "paper", I don't mean sheets of writing paper. These wheels used heavy strawboard, the sort of thick cardboard-like material that you would see in boxes or the covers of a hard covered book. Stacks of circular sheets of this strawboard were stacked and glued together, with a 650 ton press squeezing them together. After they were clamped for a few hours, they were allowed to completely dry out over a period of weeks. Then they were cut to size and fitted to a steel rim and hub. Heavy coats of oil based paint helped with waterproofing.
The reason for these wheels was for passenger use; they offered a far smoother and quieter ride than cast iron. Pullman coaches were good customers of this type of wheel, as well as the restaurant cars where a silent ride helped with the ambiance. The coach builder, George Pullman, advertised these wheels on his cars as a prestige item. The Allen Paper Car Wheel Company started operations in Morris, Illinois but sales kept increasing so factories were opened up in New York and Chicago as well. Each plant took about 80 employees to turn out 24 wheels per day. By 1886 they already had 60,000 of these wheels in service.
This design of wheel was so popular that it was produced in England and Germany for awhile. Even though they were strong enough to withstand the stresses, after their champion George Pullman died in 1897 the car builders started phasing them out due to the publicity of other types of composite wheel failures. But even after they were replaced with cast iron and cast steel wheels after a good twenty-five year run, it wasn't uncommon to see an example on old rolling stock even into the early 1960s.
YY1
Well-Known Member
My mom used to work for Mead Paper.
I remember her calling my attention to a TV ad where they drove a mercedes over a ramp made of cardboard.
I occasionally see that type of cardboard in packaging, esp computers.
I remember her calling my attention to a TV ad where they drove a mercedes over a ramp made of cardboard.
I occasionally see that type of cardboard in packaging, esp computers.
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Hmmm, it seems like while we have trouble getting modern speed trains over here, in France they consider them obsolete after 22 years, abandon them and get newer, upgraded models.
This was Eurostar 373018, it had a short but fast life.
This was Eurostar 373018, it had a short but fast life.
I regularly ride the Chunnel, brand name Eurostar, from Ebbsfleet suburban station, near my daughters home in Kent. Yes they have new trains, which are a bit more comfortable. Any train in the Channel Tunnel must meet the special requirements in fire safety, ability to climb out of the tunnel partially disabled, etc. The first generation even needed dual voltages, 750vDC from Waterloo station to the tunnel entrance, then the AC voltage common in France (i forget the voltage.) After the opening of the High Speed Line 1 about 10y ago, it is all AC. The land speed record for trains in England is 204mph, set by one of the new sets on the HSL. Still150 kph less than the French, world record!
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