Re: no "pun" intended, but . . .
| August 15, 2004 04:38PM |
the question "boils" down to this:
could a Shay take a standard-size train up Cumbres Pass, at the same speed, on a single tender of coal and water? Further, the implication is that it must do it day in, day out, for an equivalent cost in maintenance and operation.
I'm guessing no.
A Shay at 12mph is at the upper reaches of its speed range. It would be like operating a 56"-drivered 2-8-0 at 60mph. A Shay isn't designed to pull at top speed for over an hour - like any design, there is a "natural" speed where everything just gels. For a Shay, it's a little bit faster than I normally walk.
There is no way on earth the boiler could supply enough steam on a continuous basis to keep the cylinders moving. A Shay isn't designed to - it's a stop-and-start, haul-empties-in-and-loads-out engine.
Of course, we can settle this if Lindsey and Mark want to play around with a Shay after October 3 . . .
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could a Shay take a standard-size train up Cumbres Pass, at the same speed, on a single tender of coal and water? Further, the implication is that it must do it day in, day out, for an equivalent cost in maintenance and operation.
I'm guessing no.
A Shay at 12mph is at the upper reaches of its speed range. It would be like operating a 56"-drivered 2-8-0 at 60mph. A Shay isn't designed to pull at top speed for over an hour - like any design, there is a "natural" speed where everything just gels. For a Shay, it's a little bit faster than I normally walk.
There is no way on earth the boiler could supply enough steam on a continuous basis to keep the cylinders moving. A Shay isn't designed to - it's a stop-and-start, haul-empties-in-and-loads-out engine.
Of course, we can settle this if Lindsey and Mark want to play around with a Shay after October 3 . . .
" />
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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