My thoughts also, Jon. I was fishing to see if anyone had some on hand knowledge. I guess they can make the tanks as big as can be tolerated because there is such an abundance of weight, since your not carrying fuel, water and the fire box in which to generate steam.
NARCO was the name of the company that had the fireless steamer in Elizabethtown, TN. It was a big enough factory that it had its own station on the timetable.
There was some discussion of this when the “mall engine” was being rebuilt in the VRR shops …
Typically, these were filled from trackside boilers… like the kind that powered a large factory, etc. The “blowdown valve” is actually a fill valve, but, being at the bottom of the boiler, would serve as a drain as well. Once connected to the factory boiler, and up to pressure, most of what filled the “thermos bottle” located where the boiler would normally be was superheated water… around 380 degrees F … once disconnected, when the Fireless’ engineer opened the throttle valve, the drop in pressure caused the water to flash to steam … which then did the work in the cylinders to move the locomotive. A well insulated fireless could go for several hours without refilling, depending on the workload.
Try this… photos, diagrams, and stuff from the advertisements and manual: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/porter/porter-pd.html
Matthew (OV)
Ahhhhhhhh!! Those were the days when publicists could get away with this quote;
“New, unskilled labor ever women - can operate it after a few brie instructions.”
I assume ever was meant be even?
TonyWalsham said:
Ahhhhhhhh!! Those were the days when publicists could get away with this quote;“New, unskilled labor ever women - can operate it after a few brie instructions.”
I assume ever was meant be even?
I love Brie.
Only I am on a reduce cheese diet now. 
Marty Johnston said:Hey Marty! Thanks for chiming in! I've viewed your wonderfully inspiring site many times!
Hi All, I have posted photos and information about air locomotives and 7/8's models on my website http://www.narrowgaugechaos.com that might be of interest. The page with air locomotive information is http://www.narrowgaugechaos.com/RPC/RPC.html Marty J
cale
Any 7/8ths full layout pictorials in Garden Railways over the last two years? I don’t recall seeing a full pictorial - granted my interest was not high so I may have missed one. I would like seeing some comparisons of 7/8 “critter” locos or other against an LGB Mogul or other very easily compared loco product. i presume the ore dumps can be modified off the Bachman ore cars making them higher (?).
Wendell
Wendell Hanks said:
Any 7/8ths full layout pictorials in Garden Railways over the last two years? I don't recall seeing a full pictorial - granted my interest was not high so I may have missed one. I would like seeing some comparisons of 7/8 "critter" locos or other against an LGB Mogul or other very easily compared loco product. i presume the ore dumps can be modified off the Bachman ore cars making them higher (?).Wendell
GR Mag featured the Plum loco build (as mentioned earlier in post).
The last issue or so featured a Brass 1:20.3 switcher that was inspired by a feature story of 7/8 in 2000 (I believe).
That is all I can recall, in my last 5 yrs of subscribing. No wait, Jeff (Steam Guy) had some photos of some Slate Cars built up in 7/8 last year…
I too would love to see a critter beside a Mogul, or a figure comparo. I’d guess if you really wanted to use the Bmann dumps you could, though they’d be a little spindly compared to the other more robust offerings, like the HLW tippers, LGB Tippers and 2 Axle Shorty Gons. I was told that the Sesame Street Trains from years ago would work…well the Gons that came with set were compatible, if not rough…but a start none the less.
Sidestreet has plans from Phill Creer
(http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/railways/Planspix/pix/36plymouth.jpg)
Plan #36 http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/railways/plans.html http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/gifs/plans.pdf More useful/less links: http://bts.au.com/7eighths/pdfs/manufacturers.pdf
(http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/pictures67/Lead.jpg)
http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/locos/loco67.html IF this link don’t get you, you’re already dead: http://www.zelmeroz.com/album_model/basics/28_netherdale.pdf this is pretty! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_jJNcxx_6o[/youtube] that is 7/8 http://www.panyo.com/dh2002/ops/12.htm another: http://www.panyo.com/dh2002/ops/11.htm both from: http://www.panyo.com/dh2002/ops.htm http://www.amalgamatedconserves.org.uk/ http://carendt.com/seveneighths/
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4485804249_06fc2d89b9.jpg)
http://foggybottomrr.blogspot.com/ Gives a pretty good perspective on how large these things are? 2 itches, one scratch: http://grw.trains.com/~/media/import/images/5/f/5/waterline_overall.ashx?bc=ffffff&mw=250 http://grw.trains.com/en/sitecore/content/Home/Product%20and%20Hobby%20News/Product%20Reviews/2008/02/Waterline%20Inc%20live-steam%200-4-0T%20locomotive.aspx Merry Christmas
Cale-
The steamer video (Arielle at Stavers) is really attention getting. The large cab, I am guessing, is what makes it 7/8ths – plus the rolling stock. It can really pull.
Thanks for all of the sites. I’m very interested in starting on my own loco – after the new year and a house repair.
Marry Christmas.
Wendell
more Big Trains
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW3mWF2WCyM[/youtube]
Wendell,
yes, a mentioned earlier a good many folks up-size the cab to fit 7/8, raise the stack, and there you go!
Merry Christmas!
cale
For motor blocks, I did see in the Li-Train site listing LGB motor blocks. There are over 50 pages of parts listings on their site from plastic engine body parts, gears, and drive train parts. Granted, the prices are “LGB” higher than desired. However, this is the singular source of any LGB quantity that I know of.
I have a prejudice towards LGB’s (pre-Marklin) motor blocks as the Moguls we use are twelve years old and have a least a thousand hours collective run time. Keep 'em lubed and clean and they run – same for our 0-6-0 Santa Fe switcher diesels. True, the B’mann 0-4-0 tank switcher has done fine . I have not seen that motor block listed on the B’mann site.
As a note: Where did Li-train obtain all those parts? Does this mean Marklin has exhausted or Walthers, their parts supply for the LGB products?
Wendell
