Interesting that ads would claim better fuel economy. If 488 steams significantly better now, that seems to say that the MM front end is a better, more efficient solution for the 488 (and maybe K36s in general). Nothing like the fireman's back as a measurement of efficiency in this case! I agree with another post - that video of an absolutely clean stack while working hard is a very impressive testament to the drafting efficiency.
SRK
dshutson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don’t know if there’s any hard information
> on that. The Locomotive Firebox Company developed
> the Cyclone and Anderson front ends as
> alternatives to the master mechanic and advertised
> them in catalogs and journals during that period.
> They claimed that eliminating netting in the
> smokebox required less maintenance and inspection,
> as well as better fuel economy, reduced back
> pressure (due to nozzle size), and on and on.
>
> [attachment 84234
> 1DC0ED8E-5F25-4745-B7DF-9763807EFD61.jpeg]
>
> I suppose that’s all true to an extent but it
> all depends on what the operator of the locomotive
> desires to achieve. The savings back then on a
> mainline RR operating a large number of coal
> burners may have been justifiable, especially in
> wetter areas less prone to fire danger.
>
> Right now, at the C&TS and in the west we are
> significantly more interested in fire prevention
> than saving a nominal amount of resources, whether
> that be saving 0.1 ton of coal per trip or paying
> shop crews to inspect the netting now and then.
> After much research I have become convinced that
> the master mechanic front end is superior to the
> cyclone for the purpose of fire prevention. I
> believe this is especially true when cyclone front
> ends are paired with stack screens which was never
> intended to be done.
>
> There are absolutely people out there more
> knowledgeable than myself on the topic who can
> chime in. I know Kelly Anderson is one of them,
> and maybe someone from the RBM&N since I believe
> the T1 also has a cyclone front end.
