The Ultimate Steam Page
Steam News

   updated January 2, 2008

Current Headlines:

New British Steam Locomotive A1 "Tornado" Steam Test (posted January 12, 2008)

The Vapor Locomotive Company (posted January 11, 2008)

Bio-Diesel Fired Steam on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway (update January 2, 2008)
 

Recent Headlines:

Belated Long-term News Update

UK's Hunslet Engine Company Producing New Steam Locomotives

York Steam Conference

Modern Steam interviews on BBC Radio

New Garratt Delivered to the FCAF

Number 29 Doing Well at the Grand Canyon Railroad

Big Chinese Steam Delivered to U.S. (updated 11 August 2006)

Book Reviews:  The Fire Burns Much Better by J.J.G. Koopmans

New British Steam Locomotive A1 "Tornado" Steam Test

The A1 Locomotive Trust, the group in the UK that's constructing a brand-new, standard gauge, mainline steamer, announced this week that the first fire had been lit in the firebox of their locomotive in preparation for steam testing on Friday, January 11, 2008. The locomotive has been under construction since the early 1990's, and this marks a major milestone in the completion of this engine.  The engine's boiler was delivered by Dampflokwerk Meiningen last year.

The locomotive is expected to be complete in time for testing an excursions in summer 2008.  Read the latest news at the Trust's website at: http://www.a1steam.com/update.html

The Economics of Coal as a Locomotive Fuel on US Class 1 Railroads

Steam student and enthusiast John Rhodes has just finished compiling a paper titled "The Economics of Coal as a Locomotive Fuel on US Class 1 Railroads".  The result of over two years work, the paper provides an up-to-date detailed comparison between the operating costs of current diesel locomotives and updated coal-burning steam locomotives.  The paper shows that due to the continuing huge cost differential in diesel oil and coal, moderately improved steam locomotives would be far cheaper to operate than current diesels.  The paper draws background information from an extensive variety of sources, ranging from the steam/diesel tests on the Norfolk and Western Railway up to current published performance data from EMD and GE. 

John's paper is available for download at this address:  http://www.trainweb.org/tusp/Coal Locomotive Final Paper.pdf (1.85 MB)

For additional information, contact John at:  johntrhodes [at] gmail [dot] com

The Vapor Locomotive Company

John Rhodes paper above mentions a new company which is investigating the production of bio-mass fueled locomotives.  See their website here:  The Vapor Locomotive Company

Bio-Diesel Fired Steam on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway (update January 2, 2008)

The latest change was the fitting of oil-firing equipment to No. 9 which allow it to burn bio-diesel fuel.  These photos show No. 9 after the conversion.

Visit Mt. Washington's website at:  http://www.thecog.com/cog_technology.php for more information and photos on No. 9's conversion. Other photos of No. 9 in operation with the new oil firing system are scattered around the site.

For more information on biodiesel fuels, see this page at Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel

UK's Hunslet Engine Company Producing New Steam Locomotives

Hunslet Engine Company has recently built 2 new Quarry Class 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotive.  Hunslet has been producing locomotives since 1864, so they have quite a history with steam.

Go to www.hunsletengine.com and click on "Hunslet Steam Co" for more information on the new locomotives and other services they offer related to steam locomotives.

Thanks to Mr. Andrew Ross of Hunslet for supplying this information.

York Steam Conferencee

A One-day Conference on "Development in Modern Steam Traction for Railways" was held at the National Railway Museum in York, UK on December 11, 2006.  Technical presentations were made by Dr. J. J. Koopmans, David Wardale, Martyn Bane, A. Hass, and Chris Newman. 

I'm also happy to report that two steam experts from the U.S. were able to attend, CMO Dave Griner and WRC Foreman Matt Janssen of Wasatch Railroad Contractors (WRC).  A brief report including photos is available on their website at: http://www.wasatch-rr-contractors.com/blog/  WRC has shown great interest in applying modern steam technology to operating steamers in the U.S.

Here is a listing of the technical presentations given at the conference, with links to websites or documents:

Dr. Koopmans's presentation  http://www.thefireburnsmuchbetter.nl
D. Wardale, Modern Steam in England: The Design of the 5AT  http://www.5at.co.uk/Dave_Wardale's_York_paper.doc
M. Bane, Water Treatment for Modern Steam Locomotives  http://www.portatreatment.com/pdf/york-paper.pdf
A. Hass, Modern Steam on the Hauenstein  http://www.modern-steam-hauenstein.ch/pdf/Full steam for a region.pdf
C. Newman, Traction Cost Comparisons for Indonesian Coal Haulage
http://www.5at.co.uk/Chris_Newman's_Cost_Comparison_Paper.doc
http://www.5at.co.uk/Chris_Newman's_York_Conference_Presentation.ppt

Modern Steam Interviews on BBC Radio

New Garratt Delivered to the FCAF

Shaun McMahon reports that the second Garratt locomotive, FCAF No. 5, was completed for the FCAF railway in Ushuaia, Argentina. The locomotive was evidently built by Girdlestone and Associates of South Africa, using some parts originally fabricated in Argentina when the first Garratt, no. 2 "L. D. Porta" was constructed in the 1990's.

Few details have been publicized on the locomotive so far, but it is believed to incorporate all the modifications made to no. 2 by Shaun McMahon (with guidance from L. D. Porta and assistance from Phil Girdlestone). In addition the photos show a Belpaire firebox, a small well tank underneath the boiler (which may be part of a feedwater heating system) and an external throttle valve located near the front of the boiler, indicating that the new locomotive is superheated which should greatly increase its power and efficiency above that of no. 2. Finally, significant changes in appearance are evident including revised cab and tank contours, as well as a much larger smokebox (likely to accomodate the superheater components).

Photos of "tuning up" in Ushuaia in May, 2006:

FCAF No. 5 During Tuning Up in May 2006

FCAF No. 5 During Tuning Up in May 2006

New Garratt for FCAF Under Construction at Girdlestone & Associates in South Africa

photo courtesy of Shaun McMahon

This link shows photos of the locomotive in the shop prior to shipment, and being loaded for shipment to Ushuaia.

http://ports.co.za/news/article_2006_04_5_0213.html#five

For more on the FCAF, go to http://www.trainweb.org/tusp/fcaf/fcaf.html

Number 29 Doing Well at the Grand Canyon Railway

My wife recently took a trip out west with her mother and sister and was treated to a ride behind the Grand Canyon Railway's No. 29, which has been fitted with a Lempor exhaust and improved oil firing equipment designed by Nigel Day.  She stopped by to say hello to the crew and mentioned that she was the wife of the "Ultimate Steam Page" author.  Evidently I have a couple of fans on the GCRR crews.  Thanks for your friendly greeting to my wife.  Hopefully, I'll be out there to see things soon.

Grand Canyon Railway No. 29 and Crew

Front End of Grand Canyon Railway No. 29 Showing Lempor Stack

Big Chinese Steam Delivered to U.S.

(update 11 August 2006) A photo of the two QJ's in Iowa City, Iowa on the rails, undergoing re-installation of  parts removed for transport and being checked over: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=154439

(update June 2006)  Evidently the two QJ's were delivered to the port of Houston, Texas in June 2006 and loaded on special flat cars for shipment to Iowa.  The link below shows some excellent photos of the locomotives and tenders:

http://www.pbase.com/copcarss/chinese_steam

(previous story) TRAINS News Wire Breaking News, April 21, 2006

More Chinese steam coming to the U.S.

PITTSBURGH — Mainline steam in China is finished, but two Chinese locomotives will have a second life in U.S. in 2006, with three more possibly coming later. Railroad Development Corp. of Pittsburgh said Friday it has acquired a pair of Chinese class QJ 2-10-2 locomotives, including No. 7081, which had the distinction of hauling the world’s last regularly scheduled mainline steam passenger train. The other is No. 6988. RDC (www.rrdc.com) is a privately held railway management and investment company which owns or has financial interests in rail properties in the U.S. and six other countries in Latin America, Africa, and Europe, including the Iowa Interstate Railroad linking Chicago, Des Moines, and Omaha.

According to RDC Chairman Henry Posner III, the two locomotives were overhauled in China by the Jinzhou 701 Works to meet U.S. Federal Railroad Administration standards, under the supervision of steam consultant Dennis Daugherty and under contract with U.S. company Multipower International. They were being shipped through the Chinese port of Dalian, and upon arrival in the U.S. will be shipped to the Iowa Interstate on special eight-axle flatcars. Once in Iowa, the pair will be fired up and operated once, to demonstrate that they are FRA compliant and operate properly. Posner says the locomotives will probably be tested in regular freight service on the Iowa Interstate.

Why bring Chinese steam to the U.S.? “It’s a test of the market, without any preconceived notions,” Posner said. “I didn’t see anyone else putting their hands up to buy these engines in the last year.” Ideally, there would be a market to resell the engines to regional or tourist railroads. Absent that, other methods of generating revenue would be examined, such as serious photo charters or renting them out. If there is a market for the locomotives, RDC has an option to buy three more QJs.

The QJ (a derivation of the Soviet LV class) was the last Chinese steam design to go into production and was the most numerous steam class to run in China. The first prototypes were introduced in 1956. Eventually more than 4,700 QJs were built, the majority between 1964 and 1988. The Datong Locomotive Works built No. 7081 in 1986, while No. 6988 was built in 1985. Two Chinese-built steam locomotives, both 2-8-2s built in 1988, currently operate in the U.S., hauling tourists. A class JS runs on Iowa’s Boone & Scenic Valley, and a class SY, built for Connecticut’s Valley Railroad, was sold to the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which transferred the engine to the NYS&W Historical Society, which operates it on the Bel-Del line at Phillipsburg, N.J. A third 1988 Chinese 2-8-2, also class SY, is in storage in Pennsylvania, having worked on the now-embargoed Knox & Kane tourist line to Kinzua Viaduct. - Steve Glischinski

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http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/steam/internat.htm

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http://www.steamcentral.com

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