Re: Flanger & Jordan Spreader snow plowing photo freight!

First to Answer JBWX: No you cannot run both a flanger and a spreader from the same engine, even if you could run air from the flanger back to the Jordan. The engineer controls the flanger blade with a valve in the locomotive cab. To lower the flanger, you close the valve, to raise it you open the valve. The Jordan needs a constant supply of air to keep the big reservoir tank changed. There are no operating controls aboard the flanger. It's all done from the cab.

If they do indeed run the Jordan from the engine, they need to be sure to bring along lots of extra valve oil and compressor oil, and remember to fill the cups on the compressor at regular intervals. The only time we ever ran the Jordan all day behind the engine was for a Bill Peter charter in 1981. We dutifully kept the hydrostatic lubricator filled, keeping the steam end well lubed. But we completely forgot about the air side of the pump (I get a pass on this, I was a newly minted tallow pot then. I didn't know any better...) result was a fried air end of the pump. Tore up the piston rings, lots of bad stuff. 489 got a new(er) pump out of the deal. The air oil cups on the pump are intended to last all day under normal service, not under the constant pump cycling the occurs when trying to keep the Jordan's reservoir full.

To answer Ken S. Both the flangers and the Jordan run off main reservoir pressure - 125-130 lbs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2018 10:28AM by Earl.