Re: D&RGW 340 post?

For the record, (and it might just be a modern day record). I have personally punched the cylinder heads out on 3 locomotives. Actually only 2, but I did one twice.

Back in the late 80's Russ Fischer and I were charging up Cumbres with 489, when above Hamilton Point when there was this ungodly BANG on the left side. I plugged the train (amazing how fast a train can stop in emergency going up a 4% grade). Investigation showed, the piston rod had broken through the keyway slot in the crosshead, put the piston into the front head, broke the front head and broke a bunch of the head studs. We backed to Cresco where the shop brought us 488 to continue our interrupted journey.

In 1993-ish. I was running 497 as rear end pusher on Greg Scholl's infamous charter. This was right after the Rotary had run and 497 had been in use on that event. We had an intermittent, but very loud pound on the right side. I was trying to figure out what was happening that would cause something like that to come and go at random intervals. Coming off the end of Lobato Trestle, I opened 497 up, it made a couple of big bangs, and settled down. Then I saw a black thing about 9" long shoot out the side.

My brain fired off "Crap!!! I know what...." KERBANG!!!!......"..it is." before I could get the throttle closed, all hell broke loose. The piston rod key had come loose while plowing snow, and was rattling around in the crosshead, held in place by the cotter pin on the back side. The piston rod would come loose in the tapered fit in the crosshead and slam back and forth, being kept in place by the steel key, then seat itself back in the crosshead and quiet down for a while then come loose again. Coming off the Trestle, the cotter pin finally sheared off and the big steel key shot out into the weeds. Before I could react, the deed was done. 497 had quite a bit of lateral motion in its front driver. When plowing snow, the locomotives tend to get shoved into angles to the rail. It was surmised that in plowing the front side rod managed to clip the piston rod key enough times to knock it loose.

Then, in 2001 I was on 489 again above Hamilton point when the right side piston rod broke through the keyway slot and punched out the right front head. It was within a 1/2 a mile of its previous incident.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2016 06:41AM by Earl.