Re: 488’s First Revenue Trip of 2022

You and me both - what fun it could be!

I suspect a little bit would go a long way...

SR_Krause Wrote:
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> I've had a long-term fantasy of taking a team of
> engineers ("little e engineers!") who are current
> with some of the advanced analysis methods,
> metalurgy and other techniques developed in the
> prior century since these locomotives were built
> and "disassemble them down to requirements". First
> requirement being: the external visuals have to
> remain the same.
>
> But firebox drafting seems like a HUGE
> opportunity. Both on the smokebox end and the
> firebox end, and looking at both coal and oil.
> Mass air flow analysis tools are a 'toolbox' item,
> they're not a specialty item anymore, so
> optimizing the front end to be efficient and
> strategically place some 'dead zones' to drop
> cinders becomes a realistic goal.
>
> Boiler? Superheaters? Eh, those are constrained by
> basic design and limits of sticking with familiar,
> easy to work with materials. Firebox? Lots of
> thermal circulation opportunities some of which
> are being tried now with different arch tube
> designs.
>
> Fun speculation!
>
> SRK