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Default ATSF Steam locomotive # 3751

Robert Swinney wrote:
"Beautiful" is the word ! What was the function of the (apparent) Amtrac B power unit? The old
steamer appeared to be under nearly full load judging by the sound it made. Was the Amtrac B there
for aux functions, such as air conditioning, etc used in the coaches?

Bob Swinney

"Joe788" wrote in message
...
Beautiful restored 1927 4-8-4 steam locomotive that on May 1st 2010
made a special overnight trip to San Diego.

My new girlfriend and I were walking in Cardiff By The Sea on Saturday
when it passed by. Just an awesome sight to behold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5VG5OQwTNE

Two possibilities, and likely some of both ...

1) Amtrak passenger equipment is now all-electric, and runs off "Head
End Power" (HEP) rom the locomotive. This runs the lighting, air
conditioning, etc. It's pretty heavy "AC" service, and the steam loco's
tiny generator is entirely inadequate ("DC", and the wrong voltage) for
such service.

Steam loco generators (steam turbo-gens) are normally just for the
locomotive's own lights (headlights, class lights, cab lights, etc.).

"Back then", passenger cars were heated, and sometimes cooled, with
steam provided by the locomotive. This made sense when the locomotive
could provide plentiful steam. When Dieels came into service, all the
trains still needed steam. Early Diesel and electric passenger locos
carried oil-fired steam generators (boilers, or more usually flash steam
generators) to serve their train. In very cold weather, or when using a
loco without steam capabaility, a "steam generator car" was often added
to the train to provide additonal steam capacity. This continued into
the early days of Amtrak, until "HEP" was adopted as standard. It took a
few years to transition to the new power requirements.

Early car electric lighting, if used (often 32 volt DC), came from a
bank of batteries under each car, recharged by mechanicaly-driven
generators coupled to the car's wheels by shaft or belt. Same for most
cabooses. Today for passenger cars, it's all "HEP", all "AC", and
cabooses are all but gone anyway. Th eonly exceptions are antiue cars
sometimes operated in "museum trains". Even older passenger cars still
in service, like private cars, are now converted to "HEP".

2) The railroad being used (usually NOT Amtrak, who own very little
trackage), requires "protection power" (a second locomotive) in case
there's some breakdown on the road. Nowadays this is almost always the
case whenever any steam loco moves over any railroad. Tourist lines
avoid it if they own their own track and can make the rules, and
occasionally a railroad will allow a lone steamer to operate ... but
that's quite rare.
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