Hello, Richard,
The best two summers of my life occurred when I was lucky to have fired and worked on #14. That was back in Russo time, before dirt was invented. Of recent, it has been my pleasure to serve as chief lackey and go-fer for Phil Reader in the most recent reincarnation of #12 at the CRRM (as well as painting the locomtoive), and I hope to help him with the repair of #14's ailing axle and bearing. As Phil noted, not terribly serious work (well, sort of--the hardest part is getting the front truck disconnected and out from under the locomotive), but the usual stumbling block is figuring out how to pay for the bits and pieces. Nobody wants to see #14 rot, least of all me, so we will get it done. I just can't say when. Scheduling is above my pay grade.
Regarding steaming qualities, I can assure you that, in my admittedly limited experience, I have never seen anything that steams quite like #14. We used to joke that on a summer day we could keep up a head of steam on #14 with a cigarette lighter. The usual struggle was to keep the locomotive from popping off all the time at the station platform--in other words, keeping her cool! Phil Reader will have more to say, but I personally attribute that steaming quality to two things: 1) a big firebox for the size of the locomotive, coupled to a boiler barrel with at lest a bazillion flue tubes in it; and 2) a draft/damper arrangement that puts the draft opening across the whole front of the bottom of the firebox, right below the burner and just above the floor. #12 and #40, on the other hand, have their draft openings in the middle of the floor of the firebox. IMHO, the arrangement in #14 provides better air/fuel mixing and combustion.
PS. Both #12 and #14 have something of a unique secondary draft built into the firebox door and drawing air from below the cab. Of recent, that draft had been kept closed at all times, but back in my time with #14, we kept it open when working the locomotive. There was/is some unresolved controversy about whether that secondary draft improved combustion or exposed the firebox and flues to cold air. I suspect that, back when the Shays were working in the woods, they were hauling impossible loads up impossible grades, and so they needed all the oxygen they could possibly draw into the firebox, and cold air from those firebox door drafts never had a chance to touch hot metal surfaces.
Just my two bits worth from the peanut gallery!
Mike
