Roger Mitchell Wrote:
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> The big advantage of the baker valve gear is that
> it had all pivotal joints that could use needle
> bearings and was more reliable and easier to
> maintain.
Anybody here ever ride behind or watch Grand Canyon Ry. 2-8-0 29?
She carries Baker motion. I never got to work on her except for
helping to pull her compressor one day, but did get a ride in the
Williams yard. She is a most impressive machine, one of the
unheralded pullers in this country. I have an old VCR tape of her
in 1993 taken at around Mile 4 at Pronghorn Rd. that shows her making
a start after having to stop at the crossing to pick up a late
passenger.
She was sitting right at the beginning of a stretch of 3%, but by the time
she passed by me, she had the train up to track speed. All this with
no slip.
If you are up at the Canyon where she has been on display, take a
close look at her Baker gear and you should see an old welding
repair of a casting crack. I forget what side, but it is noticeable.