# look what came to town today....



## ScotO (May 14, 2013)

The Nickel Plate Road #765 came to work today, prepping for some central PA excursions the next two weekends.  Got to get up close and personal with this beast, what a treat it was.  Steam locomotives are amazing pieces of machinery, with all the mechanical gadgetry that is involved in making them work......

A couple close up pictures of her.....


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## Jags (May 14, 2013)

That is one cool tool.  I have had the fortune to actually ride a couple of different steam loco's.  Simply amazing.
This is kinda local to me: (and I have been there a few times)
http://www.irm.org/


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## fossil (May 14, 2013)

That's one beautiful old machine.  (not a whole lot of work there for an electrician, though )


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## gzecc (May 14, 2013)

They are amazing. Probably had a 75 years useful life? The steam locomotive technology that is.


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## Jags (May 14, 2013)

Cool - the 765 was first assigned to Bellevue, IA.  I see Bellevue from my cabin.


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## ScotO (May 14, 2013)

fossil said:


> That's one beautiful old machine. (not a whole lot of work there for an electrician, though )


You're right, Rick......but there ARE two or three steam turbines on that beast, to power the cab signal, lighting, and some of the required electronic monitoring equipment.  But, as you can see from the photos inside the cab, it's still very much a 'hands-on' machine.....lots of instrumentation and valves.  Back in the days when steam was king, the engineer, fireman AND conductor made their money.  Especially that poor fireman!


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## ScotO (May 14, 2013)

gzecc said:


> They are amazing. Probably had a 75 years useful life? The steam locomotive technology that is.


The engineer (who has been with this machine since the 70's) told me a great deal of history and information on the locomotive.  It gets a TOTAL tear-down every 15 years!!  Every nut, bolt, and screw.  Totally torn down.  It needs to be re-certified federally for the boiler every 15 years.  But the guys who run it and maintain it do a phenominal job.  This locomotive is very much in excellent condition.  Hard to believe it probably put over 10,000 miles a month or more under it's belly.....


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## PapaDave (May 14, 2013)

Beautiful machine.
Since you work for a RR, have you ever heard the term "foamer"?


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## ScotO (May 14, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> Beautiful machine.
> Since you work for a RR, have you ever heard the term "foamer"?


Yes.....there were a PILE of 'em hanging on the fence all day today.....


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## fishingpol (May 14, 2013)

Just.. plain... freakin... awesome...

Pure, raw power.


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## ScotO (May 14, 2013)

fishingpol said:


> Just.. plain... freakin... awesome...
> 
> Pure, raw power.


I forgot to mention, the firebox is over 100 cubic feet!!  6 separate shaker grates (all of them 2' x 4')....
Then you have the stokers.......I know, I know....I'm a geek for machinery.  Especially one that burns 1 ton of coal every 10 miles!!....


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## DexterDay (May 14, 2013)

I seem it on my way to work.  It was stopped by Hopkins in Cleveland. Black smoke chugging and it was gettin ready to roll. 

Had a slew of cars behind it... (Maybe it wasn't this one? Because it did have a bunch of them?)

Maybe it was a different one? 

Either way. That is awesome. Love that our ancestors were so innovative. The Iron Age. Love it. 

Love that old steel.


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## begreen (May 14, 2013)

Classic Berkshire. That's a beautiful steam machine. Thanks for posting Scotty.


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## bogydave (May 15, 2013)

Thanks scotty

Beautiful Beast!

Headed for Altoona:
*By Jason Cato* 
*Published:* Monday, May 13, 2013, 1:06 p.m._Updated: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 _

Nickel Plate Road No. 765, a 404-ton Berkshire steam locomotive, rambled through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties on Monday on its way to Altoona.
“Thank you for a great showing,” tweeted Daniel Udrija. “It was so nice to watch it go by in Avon Lake with my 19-month-old daughter. She loved it.”
The dead-head trip — meaning the locomotive is without passengers or freight — continues eastward to the Harrisburg area on Tuesday.
The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based locomotive, built in 1944, will carry Norfolk Southern employees around Horseshoe Curve outside Altoona on Saturday and Sunday, and will be used for public trips around the bend between Lewistown and Gallitzin from May 25-27. Tickets for the public trips sold out within 24 hours in February.
No. 765 will pass through the Pittsburgh region again on May 29 and stop at the Conway rail yard in Beaver County.
The steam locomotive covered more than 4,000 miles last year in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania, operating employee-appreciation excursions for Norfolk Southern's 30th anniversary. Its progress can be tracked at www.fortwaynerailroad.org/locate/locate.html.


Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4012167-74/locomotive-steam-county#ixzz2TKlUHa9P


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## Freeheat (May 15, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Especially one that burns 1 ton of coal every 10 miles


 
Wow I didn't know it  consumed that much


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## ScotO (May 15, 2013)

DexterDay said:


> I seem it on my way to work.  It was stopped by Hopkins in Cleveland. Black smoke chugging and it was gettin ready to roll.
> 
> Had a slew of cars behind it... (Maybe it wasn't this one? Because it did have a bunch of them?)
> 
> ...


That WAS the #765, Dex.  They came through Cleveland.  The engineer told me that the 250-some mile trip from Cleveland consumed 26 ton of coal.......crazy!


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## lukem (May 15, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> That WAS the #765, Dex. They came through Cleveland. The engineer told me that the 250-some mile trip from Cleveland consumed 26 ton of coal.......crazy!


 
That's a lot of shoveling.


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## Delta-T (May 15, 2013)

please tell me it was pulling the circus...that would be the ultimate of nostalgia..especialy if the giraffe's head was sticking out the top of the car. I especially like the bell on the front.


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## ScotO (May 15, 2013)

lukem said:


> That's a lot of shoveling.



This tender has the "modern" (for the steam era and tenders of that time) auger- driven coal feed.  Which meant only SOME shoveling had to be done by the fireman.  Maybe only 5 tons or so......


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## lukem (May 15, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> This tender has the "modern" (for the steam era and tenders of that time) auger- driven coal feed. Which meant only SOME shoveling had to be done by the fireman. Maybe only 5 tons or so......


 
Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.


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## ScotO (May 15, 2013)

lukem said:


> Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.


Uhhhhh, yeah.....okay....


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## ScotO (May 15, 2013)

Delta-T said:


> please tell me it was pulling the circus...that would be the ultimate of nostalgia..especialy if the giraffe's head was sticking out the top of the car. I especially like the bell on the front.


Lol...not this time, Delta.....
BUT, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus train comes through this way around once a year, and WOW, what an operation that is.  That is one HELL of an operation.......longer than some freight trains that we see here (and we see some VERY long trains built in this yard.....)


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## jtakeman (May 15, 2013)

Awesome Scotty, Thanks for sharing. We love the steam loco's. Got to see its sister(759 IIRC) at steam town a few years back. But its static. We'd love to see it operate. Might have to plan a trip one of these days? Looks like its all booked for this season though.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 15, 2013)

That's neat Scott. We have one in this area too that makes several runs each year. It is amazing too how much they charge to ride on the train but never seem to have problems selling out.


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## swagler85 (May 16, 2013)

lukem said:


> Yawn. I shoveled 5 ton of coal before I got out of bed this morning.


Pics or it didn't happen


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## basod (May 18, 2013)

Either those are some huge wheels or you're vertically challenged


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## ScotO (May 18, 2013)

basod said:


> Either those are some huge wheels or you're vertically challenged


  Actually, I'm only 5'10".....but those wheels are close to 6' tall, on the rail.  So, maybe a little of BOTH!!

Everything about that locomotive is MASSIVE.....with the loaded tender, it weighs in at 404 TONS.......
I bet, back in the day, I could bench-press one of those massive driving rods behind me in that picture......probably not so much anymore!!


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## basod (May 18, 2013)

404 TONS!!
Dang and I thought a 380,000lb dry weight transformer we changed was a big pick  - well when you see it elevated by a hydraulic crane it's impressive.
Oh and a Ton of coal every ten miles - How about 220gal/min of diesel fuel? 75,000+ shaft horsepower gas turbine?


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## ScotO (May 18, 2013)

basod said:


> 404 TONS!!
> Dang and I thought a 380,000lb dry weight transformer we changed was a big pick - well when you see it elevated by a hydraulic crane it's impressive.
> Oh and a Ton of coal every ten miles - How about 220gal/min of diesel fuel? 75,000+ shaft horsepower gas turbine?


I used to own the 200 ton crane job in the shop at work.  We'd regularly lift 340,000lb+ locomotives 50 feet into the air, and travel them over a hundred or more yards to a new set of trucks......first time I did that it was a little nerve-wracking......
After a while, you get "used" to it.  Flipping 40,000lb trucks end over end with the crane was even more nerve-wracking than lifting a locomotive.....wish I had some video of that.....


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## DevilsBrew (May 19, 2013)

How cool is that.  (I collect RR memorabilia.)


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## Gasifier (May 25, 2013)

Good post Scotty. Interesting. Thanks.


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## ScotO (May 26, 2013)

The 765 has been running excursions all weekend, back and forth from Lewistown, PA to Altoona, PA.  Got this video this afternoon at the grade crossing right down the road from my house on the ex-PRR mainline.......too bad it's on my cell phone.  Not the greatest quality of video, but it is what it is.....


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## hobbyheater (May 26, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> .
> A couple close up pictures of her.....


 
I found this on youtube.   looks like it is really moving.


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## DAKSY (May 28, 2013)

Pretty sweet, Scotty...

Wiki even has a page on it...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Plate_765


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## charly (May 28, 2013)

Watched a few programs on the old steam engines... Amazing the dedication that goes into maintaining them..  They are functional works of art!  Thanks for posting all of this Scotty!  Must have felt great stepping inside that steam engine,,, like going back in time! How cool to get to run one first hand with an Engineer by your side!


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## ScotO (May 28, 2013)

charly said:


> Watched a few programs on the old steam engines... Amazing the dedication that goes into maintaining them.. They are functional works of art! Thanks for posting all of this Scotty! Must have felt great stepping inside that steam engine,,, like going back in time! How cool to get to run one first hand with an Engineer by your side!


My one buddy got to ride in the cab of it going up over the Horseshoe Curve!!  He's got some great video of that trip, too!  As soon as he brings the SD card with that video into work (he isn't very computer literate) I'll upload it to this thread.....I am excited to see that video myself!!


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## charly (May 28, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> My one buddy got to ride in the cab of it going up over the Horseshoe Curve!! He's got some great video of that trip, too! As soon as he brings the SD card with that video into work (he isn't very computer literate) I'll upload it to this thread.....I am excited to see that video myself!!


That had to be a great ride!   Can't wait to see the video..


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## charly (May 28, 2013)

Isn't that where the first wood stove gloves came from,,, steam train engineers?


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## WeldrDave (May 28, 2013)

Beautiful Scott, Thanks for sharing that..... I don't know much about trains, but thats simply stunning.


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## nate379 (May 28, 2013)

That's not too bad.  If it was using diesel it'd be about 1.5 miles per gallon.



Scotty Overkill said:


> I forgot to mention, the firebox is over 100 cubic feet!! 6 separate shaker grates   Especially one that burns 1 ton of coal every 10 miles!!....


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## ScotO (Jun 5, 2013)

A fantastic video of the Memorial Day weekend excursions on the NKP #765.........


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