Re: Smoke Density Light - #610 in '76

Cameron, Sharrod et al -

Ex-T&P #610 was equipped with a smoke density light when she pulled the American Freedom Train for three weeks in February, 1976.  The light is easy to spot in several of my photos from that time — see [ngdiscussion.net] through [ngdiscussion.net].

Doyle McCormack got stuck with a totally inexperienced fireman – yore's trooly – the first night #610 was used on the AFT (Austin to Houston, IIRC) when both Andy Adams and Dick Jensen fell asleep on the tender around 4:00 a.m. after a VERY long day of prepping 610 to take over from ex-S.P. #4449.  I had been hostling 4449 for several weeks, and 610 for a few days, but prior to that night had fired out on the road for only about an hour under the close supervision of Al Phillips, so Doyle definitely had his work cut out for himself not only running the engine but at the same time coaching me on when to increase or decrease the fuel supply, atomizer and blower, etc.  I'm not sure how much Doyle relied on the density light, but I sure didn't have the background to make use of it at all.  Anyway, we got through the night without running out of steam, and I was sure relieved when Bob Slover took over the firing valve when we stopped in College Station an hour or two after sunrise.

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2019 04:26PM by Russo Loco.