Ist time here have two questions

[lalatheman]

Hi ,
It is my first time here, thatis first time to write a post . Have been here 3 times prior to read and saw there are many . . .ah, . .multi talanted people here.
Question 1
Read a post that i've searched for that resonated with me, guy was saying somthing like

" a clever persistant person can get good results with less than perfect tools".

I'd like to find that post and reread.

Question 2
Believe i read in a Library book PERHAPS it was "Yankees under steam"the old west steamers running through snow sheds and tunnells inthe mountains some had a tank to compress the exhaustsmoke into , so people could breath. HUH ? could that be so ? . . . on more than an occasional or expeimental basis?
Wait! maybee that was pertaining to the early London underground subway trains before electrification?

Ill say My dream would me a small stationary engine to power my old machinetools. . Converting them BACK to lineshaft drive first.

Also that im interested in trains and steam cars going to Greenfield village on 10 and 11 th this month they will have steam automobiles and train running

David Lawrence

David Lawrence

[tel]

" a clever persistant person can get good results with less than perfect tools".

Sounds like an Unkism to me. Tho' I agree (don't tell 'IM tho')

[EARS_MCFLY]

An Unk-ism? Hmmmm--yeah, it does sound like him at that!!

[Unka Jesse]

Well, it might have been me that said that about making do with old tools, but I sure don't remember it.

Tel and a few others will be with me on this, anyone (well most anyone) can turn out good work with new machines, but it takes skill to turn out nice work with worn machine tools. I know I have to constantly correct for taper on my Atlas/Craftsman lathe whenever anything is held in the chuck only. This is not due to wear, but the headstock is not perfectly aligned with the bed and this defect seems to be a problem with many Atlas 12" lathes made in the 1970s.

"Unk-ism" Well well, Tel has coined a new word and I catch the brunt of it as usual. http://bbs.livesteam.net//smile.gif

David, as to your question about snow sheds and smoke compressors, I haven't heard of that being done on our Western railroads, but I bet the crew and passengers would have appreciated such a device.

Unka Jesse

[railfancwb]

Southern Pacific once had miles of snow sheds, and they used cab-forward locomotives to keep the crew at least from being asphyxiated. Some were quite large locomotives. Of necessity they were oil burners, as the tender was at the smokebox end of the locomotive. Charles

[willy]

Some locomotives did have a tank near the top of the stack. Yet these were used for water preheaters.

I am sure some nut thought they could pull it off, yet the reality would say "what a waste of time".

Good luck in your modeling endeavors.

Willy

[Jan-Eric Nystrom]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Some locomotives did have a tank near the top of the stack. Yet these were used for water preheaters.</font>

On some engines, there were boxlike spark catchers attached to the top of the stack, ISTR?

Greetings,
J-E

[Unka Jesse]

J-E et al, yes indeed many American locomotives, especially in the drier western states used some form of spark catcher. Many used the common diamond stack which had an internal screen and trap, but the Durango and Silverton locomotives have what is called a "bear trap" cinder and spark catcher as seen in this photo I made near Durango, Colorado in 1997.

Unka Jesse
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c400/Unkajesse/DS473.jpg