Re: NNG: How not to run a Steam Locomotive

Here's a thought..... Does anyone out there know how the throttle valve in a British steam locomotive is set up? Do they use a "plug" valve like us Yankees? I'm getting the impression that British throttles are much more difficult to deal with and if wide open and the engine slips, the volume of steam roaring through the throttle make it impossible to close. I wonder if they use some sort of butterfly valve or some other unbalanced valve that the action of the steam through it makes it impossible to close.

Trying to center-up any kind of manually operated reverse gear - whether a Johnson Bar or a screw reverse with the engine spinning out of control is a great way to get hurt.

I remember an engineer in Chama that thought he was so smart because he could catch a slip by hooking the engine up a notch or two. He wasn't very big, in fact he was a wimpy little guy. One day he had an engine with dry valves that took a couple of extra steps, he grabbed the Johnson Bar, unlatched it and got taken for a ride out the front door of the cab as the bar jumped forward.

The engine didn't like it, it tore up my fire something fierce, but I thought it was pretty funny.

He never did that again....