Re: NNG Fireless Locomotive

We have a 3' gauge Porter fireless running in southern New Jersey, although it is on air not steam at the moment. I spent many years on conventional 3 foot gauge steam locomotives and can certainly attest to how quite a fireless really is by comparison. I suppose there are a few simple reasons. There's no blast pipe to create any sort of draft nor baffles and such for cinders. In fact I suspect back pressure is probably something one wants to avoid at all costs on a fireless. So, there really is no heavy chug, just a pleasant chuff really.

In working on the valves I found the ports to be much larger than on a conventional engine of a similar size. On ours, the snifters are built into the top of the slide valve. Again that's quite different. And they make the oddest rattle sound when rolling very slowly with the throttle shut.

Of the four fireless engines I have climbed over now, one thing stands out: the Johnson bar quadrant. There's a lot more notches on the quadrant of a fireless than on a conventional locomotive. I suspect it was quite an art to efficiently use the charge by the engineer thus calling for very fine adjustment of the Johnson bar. Ours was good for about 5 hours on a charge of 150psi.

I heard the noise this Heisler fireless was making. Ours seems to make similar noises. I wonder if they are running on air or steam. I see no exhaust whiffs so suspect air. Can that be confirmed? With everything so quite when running one of these, even the little sounds really stand out.

Ours is Apache Powder #6, HK Porter 7197, built 1930. She's little, coming in at 7 tons, but a blast to run none the less. Some day I'll figure out how to post a video on you tube. We have several videos of it running on our short track of about 300 feet. With the 20 inch wheels that is a nice little run.

J.R.