Everett Lueck Wrote:
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> Where did the Worthington BL figure into that
> option package, or was that a dealer only added
> option?
Definitely a dealer installed option.
#6 is a true oddity, as it has the specs of a 90-ton "West Coast Special" Heisler. The WCS engines came with a superheater and piston valves, and I would imagine the boiler size, heating surface, and feedwater appliances (aka "injectors") were sized with the efficiency of the installed superheater in mind.
The locomotive was built for a quarry operation in Pennsylvania who had only a couple of miles of track and wanted a big engine to lug heavy loads out of the pit, but not go very far with them, so they decided a superheater was not needed.
Meadow River bought the thing in the early 1940's and put it to work on the road haul bringing logs from the woods to the mill in Rainelle, WV. They had lots of trouble with the engine. It burned up bearings left and right and they could not keep it hot and full of water. The bearing issue was finally solved with a rather ingenious application of a 20+ feed mechanical lubricator and miles (seems like it anyway) of copper tubing to every bearing point on the locomotive. In order to get some more efficiency out of the boiler, they hung a Worthington BL feedwater heater on the fireman's side of the boiler. All of this seemed to do the trick, as Meadow River used the engine into the 1960's when they retired all their steam.
#6 was sold to Cass and ran under it's own power on the 100+ mile trip up the C&O main to it's new home. At Cass, the feedwater heater didn't last too long, probably because of the Cass "not invented here" policy, and not wanting to learn how to use and maintain it properly. So, a big #11 Simplex injector was installed. As such it is just like most any other turn-of-the-century (20th century) soak - it loves to eat and drink. Basic instructions are: shovel coal, open throttle, turn on injector, shovel more coal until you want to stop, close throttle, turn off injector. I have found the harder and faster you make her work, the better she likes it, but you HAVE to keep her hooked up high.
