Re: Thought exercise - steam VFT

["William Pearce" <ben_issacs@optusnet.com.au>]

    In re Dave's proposed design for this high-speed steam loco, coal firing
would mean a big amount of ash ending up in the ash pan, and this problem
was arising with high-performance steamers at that time, choking air supply
to the grate. If cab-forward Garratt, how is coal fired? No, oil firing
would be better.
With 120 inch diameter drivers one would need an IKB gauge to accomodate the
water tanks and coal bunker between such high drivers, or perhaps even
Adolf's 3 metre gauge!
  I suspect that the biggest problem with Dave's proposal is the intended
use of water troughs to maintain water supply. Picking up water at 200 mph
would be quite a strenuous exercise, no doubt someone with expertise in the
field of hydro-dynamics could comment on the posssibility of such being
done, I reckon that it would be pretty dicey! And if this could not be done,
Dave's whole design falls to the ground!
  From the aesthetics point of view, Dave's proposal with its giant wheels
would look much better than my steam multiple unit thing, and what would it
sound like at speed, probably like a Guzzi G.P. motorcycle or an MG42, my
travelling power station would probably give out a loud roar !
  An interesting exercise!
                                                    Regards,          Bill
Pearce.


"David Bromage" <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
p4ez5.27$_K4.4387@news0.optus.net.au">news:p4ez5.27$_K4.4387@news0.optus.net.au...
> James Brook (ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au) wrote:
> > The only possibility I can think of would be some sort of steam-electric
> > type of loco.
>
> It can be done with a reciprocating loco.
>
> Here's the short version:
>
> 8-8-8+8-8-8 cab forward garret. Maximum axle load 22t.
>
> 120" driving wheels (c.f. GWR Hurricane).
>
> 10 cylinders, 22" bore x 21" stroke. Banks of 5 on each engine unit. Each
> bank drives a single cam, via a lay shaft to the coupled wheels. This
> removes all hammer blow.
>
> Caprotti valve gear, which allows 0.5% cut off.
>
> 202 ft2 grate with a big combustion chamber above.
>
> Boiler barrel 16' long, 10.5' dia, 350psi.
>
> 12,000 ft2 of heating area in thermic syphons, flues and tubes.
>
> 50,000 ft2 of superheater area.
>
> 55t of coal.
>
> 13,500 gal of water, plus toughts about every 70 miles.
>
> Advesive mass = 8 x 22t = 176t.
>
> Total mass = 520t.
>
> Should be able to haul 6 cars (roughly 300t) non-stop in about 3 hours.
>
> Cheers
> David