Re: Steam heating and low voltage hep

[Bob <gioia@fastlink.com.au>]

David Bromage wrote:

> Bob (gioia@fastlink.com.au) wrote:
> >I'll have to find my notes on this but from memory there were also some 44
> >class fitted with this feature for the Cooma Mail. It was not considered a
> >great success however they persevered with it for many years. It probably
> >would not be considered as head end power as the source of the power was the
> >locomotives main generator unlike a proper head end powered loco that has a
> >separate MG set.
>
> I'd call it proper hep as the train power is provided by the locomotive.
> The Amtrak F40PH and Genesis units work the same way, not having a
> seperate hep engine. The New Haven's Fairbanks-Morse Speedmasters were the
> same.
>
> >The cars were ones with an X prefix to the code. These being
> >XAM (TAM), XCM (MCE), XFS (FS) and XBS (BS).
>
> This was part of what I was looking for. Anyone got the 44 and 48 class
> locos which were equipped for this? What was the operating voltage?
>

The operating voltage was that of the main generator depending on which notch the
throtle was in. At maximum the output was around 600vdc. I am still unable to find
my records on the locos but I do remember that 6 48 class and 4 44 class were so
fitted. The 48s were from memory 4825 to 4830 while the 44s were definatly Mk1s
but not in a consecutive numbering pattern.

> >The other electric heated cars
> >were the E prefix cars that had power supplied by a power van. Although I
> >never saw it myself I believe there was a train of these cars ran to Cooma
> >during the snow season. As a matter of interest the electric heaters in the X
> >and E cars were identical except for the way they were connected ie series or
> >parallel.
>
> What cars were so equipped and what was the operating voltage?
>

EAM ,ECM and EFS cars were so wired. They used a 415v power supply from a power
van.

> How does all this compare to the air-conditioned cars? (Let's turn this
> into a general discussion about hep)
>
> >As for the steam heated cars they did not change their
> >code and were not easy to identify especially in latter years when the steam
> >equipment was still there but not in use. The only clue was to find the steam
> >unit under the seats and a control knob on the side wall below the window at
> >floor lever.
>
> When was steam heating abandoned?
>

To my knowledge the last train so equipped was the Southern Highlands express
where set 102 (R cars) were used. As this train was diesel hauled after 1969 I
would have at a guess that this must have been the last. I don't know of any
regular workings of steam hauled passenger trains after this so I think that this
was also the end of Steam heating. After this time they used the famous old foot
warmers that were thrown onto the floor.

> >There was an even earlier form of  ' head end power' on the
> >NSWGR as used on the Yass Tramway where the 13 class supplied power to the
> >CCA car via a jumper cable. The 13s power came from the steam driven
> >generator that supplies power to locomotive headlights.
>
> Was this 24 or 48 volts? I assume this would have been in use between the
> time electric lighting was introduced (i.e. the end of gas) and the
> withdrawal of the 13 class? Dates?
>

In fact all steam locomotive lighting is 32vdc. What is unclear however is if the
CCA had 32 v globes or did they reduce the voltage at the car to 24vdc as was the
standard voltage for carriage lighting. The 13 class for Yass was fitted with a
larger M3 type turbo generator to allow for the extra lighting in the CCA.

I am still looking for more bits to answer the rest of these  interesting
questions.
Bob