Over Thanksgiving week the wife and I took a 7 night cruise on Delta Queen
Steamboat Company's magnificient Mississippi Queen. The cruise was
originally booked to go from New Orleans to Memphis, but Bitch Katrina
intervened. Since the dock facilities at N.O. were somewhat compromised by
Katrina, the cruise was rescheduled to go from Nashville, TN to Memphis, TN.
That distance, across TN doesn't seem so far, but it is a long way to go by
water.

Routing was Cumberland to the Ohio and then North on the Ohio to
Cave-in-Rock, IL; turnaround at Cave-in-Rock and back down the Ohio to the
Mississippi and thence to Memphis. We had great shore trips to some Civil
War battlegrounds and stopovers in several of the river towns, including
Paducah, KY. In Paducah, I found an 1895 book on electric motors, a very
welcome addition to my collection.

Naturally, I got a tour of the engine room on the Mississippi Queen. This
was against security regulations and had to be specially arranged -
otherwise, there would have been a case of passenger mutiny on the high
river! Imagine me standing up close and personal along side the monsterous
steam engines. (two of them on either side of the paddlewheel with cranks
at 90 degrees). The engines had a 10 foot stroke. Each engine was steeple
compounded with high pressure and low pressure cylinders of 16 in. and 32
in., respectively, on a common piston rod. I couldn't get a good look at
all of the valve gear.

The operator didn't know the exact description of the valve gear. It
looked, to me, to be a form of modified Hackworth, driven from the
connecting rod, ala single eccentrics, as in regular Hackworth. There was
an arm that toggled back and forth operated by the con rod (single eccentric
?) and that arm in turn imparted motion to cams which drove the valve rods.
Cut-off was controlled by linkages on the valve rods. As steamboats go, it
is a youngster, being been built in 1976. Does anyone have a more accurate
description of the type of valve gear on the Mississippi Queen?

Bob Swinney

(cross posted to r.s.s where there is an "expert" on steam engine
efficiency...)

"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Over Thanksgiving week the wife and I took a 7 night cruise on Delta Queen
Steamboat Company's magnificient Mississippi Queen. The cruise was
originally booked to go from New Orleans to Memphis, but Bitch Katrina
intervened. Since the dock facilities at N.O. were somewhat compromised
by
Katrina, the cruise was rescheduled to go from Nashville, TN to Memphis,
TN.
That distance, across TN doesn't seem so far, but it is a long way to go
by
water.

Routing was Cumberland to the Ohio and then North on the Ohio to
Cave-in-Rock, IL; turnaround at Cave-in-Rock and back down the Ohio to the
Mississippi and thence to Memphis. We had great shore trips to some Civil
War battlegrounds and stopovers in several of the river towns, including
Paducah, KY. In Paducah, I found an 1895 book on electric motors, a very
welcome addition to my collection.

Naturally, I got a tour of the engine room on the Mississippi Queen. This
was against security regulations and had to be specially arranged -
otherwise, there would have been a case of passenger mutiny on the high
river! Imagine me standing up close and personal along side the
monsterous
steam engines. (two of them on either side of the paddlewheel with cranks
at 90 degrees). The engines had a 10 foot stroke. Each engine was
steeple
compounded with high pressure and low pressure cylinders of 16 in. and 32
in., respectively, on a common piston rod. I couldn't get a good look at
all of the valve gear.

The operator didn't know the exact description of the valve gear. It
looked, to me, to be a form of modified Hackworth, driven from the
connecting rod, ala single eccentrics, as in regular Hackworth. There was
an arm that toggled back and forth operated by the con rod (single
eccentric
?) and that arm in turn imparted motion to cams which drove the valve
rods.
Cut-off was controlled by linkages on the valve rods. As steamboats go,
it
is a youngster, being been built in 1976. Does anyone have a more accurate
description of the type of valve gear on the Mississippi Queen?

Bob Swinney

I got to see the Delta Queen's engines when I was a kid.
Karl


"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Over Thanksgiving week the wife and I took a 7 night cruise on Delta Queen
Steamboat Company's magnificient Mississippi Queen. The cruise was
originally booked to go from New Orleans to Memphis, but Bitch Katrina
intervened. Since the dock facilities at N.O. were somewhat compromised
by
Katrina, the cruise was rescheduled to go from Nashville, TN to Memphis,
TN.
That distance, across TN doesn't seem so far, but it is a long way to go
by
water.

Routing was Cumberland to the Ohio and then North on the Ohio to
Cave-in-Rock, IL; turnaround at Cave-in-Rock and back down the Ohio to the
Mississippi and thence to Memphis. We had great shore trips to some Civil
War battlegrounds and stopovers in several of the river towns, including
Paducah, KY. In Paducah, I found an 1895 book on electric motors, a very
welcome addition to my collection.

Naturally, I got a tour of the engine room on the Mississippi Queen. This
was against security regulations and had to be specially arranged -
otherwise, there would have been a case of passenger mutiny on the high
river! Imagine me standing up close and personal along side the
monsterous
steam engines. (two of them on either side of the paddlewheel with cranks
at 90 degrees). The engines had a 10 foot stroke. Each engine was
steeple
compounded with high pressure and low pressure cylinders of 16 in. and 32
in., respectively, on a common piston rod. I couldn't get a good look at
all of the valve gear.

The operator didn't know the exact description of the valve gear. It
looked, to me, to be a form of modified Hackworth, driven from the
connecting rod, ala single eccentrics, as in regular Hackworth. There was
an arm that toggled back and forth operated by the con rod (single
eccentric
?) and that arm in turn imparted motion to cams which drove the valve
rods.
Cut-off was controlled by linkages on the valve rods. As steamboats go,
it
is a youngster, being been built in 1976. Does anyone have a more accurate
description of the type of valve gear on the Mississippi Queen?

Bob Swinney

I would love to see the engines on the Delta Queen. They've got to be
classics. That "Queen" is 80 years old now! Plans are to some day soon
take a trip on that venerable vessle. So far, I've been on 2 out 3 boats of
the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, the American Queen and the Mississippi
Queen.

Bob Swinney
"everyman" wrote in message
...
I got to see the Delta Queen's engines when I was a kid.
Karl


"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Over Thanksgiving week the wife and I took a 7 night cruise on Delta
Queen
Steamboat Company's magnificient Mississippi Queen. The cruise was
originally booked to go from New Orleans to Memphis, but Bitch Katrina
intervened. Since the dock facilities at N.O. were somewhat compromised
by
Katrina, the cruise was rescheduled to go from Nashville, TN to Memphis,
TN.
That distance, across TN doesn't seem so far, but it is a long way to go
by
water.

Routing was Cumberland to the Ohio and then North on the Ohio to
Cave-in-Rock, IL; turnaround at Cave-in-Rock and back down the Ohio to
the
Mississippi and thence to Memphis. We had great shore trips to some
Civil
War battlegrounds and stopovers in several of the river towns, including
Paducah, KY. In Paducah, I found an 1895 book on electric motors, a very
welcome addition to my collection.

Naturally, I got a tour of the engine room on the Mississippi Queen.
This
was against security regulations and had to be specially arranged -
otherwise, there would have been a case of passenger mutiny on the high
river! Imagine me standing up close and personal along side the
monsterous
steam engines. (two of them on either side of the paddlewheel with
cranks
at 90 degrees). The engines had a 10 foot stroke. Each engine was
steeple
compounded with high pressure and low pressure cylinders of 16 in. and 32
in., respectively, on a common piston rod. I couldn't get a good look
at
all of the valve gear.

The operator didn't know the exact description of the valve gear. It
looked, to me, to be a form of modified Hackworth, driven from the
connecting rod, ala single eccentrics, as in regular Hackworth. There
was
an arm that toggled back and forth operated by the con rod (single
eccentric
?) and that arm in turn imparted motion to cams which drove the valve
rods.
Cut-off was controlled by linkages on the valve rods. As steamboats go,
it
is a youngster, being been built in 1976. Does anyone have a more
accurate
description of the type of valve gear on the Mississippi Queen?

Bob Swinney

I was a kid and expected a marine type steam engine.
Karl

"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
I would love to see the engines on the Delta Queen. They've got to be
classics. That "Queen" is 80 years old now! Plans are to some day soon
take a trip on that venerable vessle. So far, I've been on 2 out 3 boats
of
the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, the American Queen and the Mississippi
Queen.

Bob Swinney
"everyman" wrote in message
...
I got to see the Delta Queen's engines when I was a kid.
Karl


"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Over Thanksgiving week the wife and I took a 7 night cruise on Delta
Queen
Steamboat Company's magnificient Mississippi Queen. The cruise was
originally booked to go from New Orleans to Memphis, but Bitch Katrina
intervened. Since the dock facilities at N.O. were somewhat
compromised
by
Katrina, the cruise was rescheduled to go from Nashville, TN to
Memphis,
TN.
That distance, across TN doesn't seem so far, but it is a long way to
go
by
water.

Routing was Cumberland to the Ohio and then North on the Ohio to
Cave-in-Rock, IL; turnaround at Cave-in-Rock and back down the Ohio to
the
Mississippi and thence to Memphis. We had great shore trips to some
Civil
War battlegrounds and stopovers in several of the river towns,
including
Paducah, KY. In Paducah, I found an 1895 book on electric motors, a
very
welcome addition to my collection.

Naturally, I got a tour of the engine room on the Mississippi Queen.
This
was against security regulations and had to be specially arranged -
otherwise, there would have been a case of passenger mutiny on the high
river! Imagine me standing up close and personal along side the
monsterous
steam engines. (two of them on either side of the paddlewheel with
cranks
at 90 degrees). The engines had a 10 foot stroke. Each engine was
steeple
compounded with high pressure and low pressure cylinders of 16 in. and
32
in., respectively, on a common piston rod. I couldn't get a good look
at
all of the valve gear.

The operator didn't know the exact description of the valve gear. It
looked, to me, to be a form of modified Hackworth, driven from the
connecting rod, ala single eccentrics, as in regular Hackworth. There
was
an arm that toggled back and forth operated by the con rod (single
eccentric
?) and that arm in turn imparted motion to cams which drove the valve
rods.
Cut-off was controlled by linkages on the valve rods. As steamboats
go,
it
is a youngster, being been built in 1976. Does anyone have a more
accurate
description of the type of valve gear on the Mississippi Queen?

Bob Swinney