geysergazer posted:Rich Melvin posted:As a point of continuing education...
Geysergazer, when a locomotive loses traction and spins the wheels, it is called a “slip.” The term “spun out “ was never used to describe this event.
Rich, thanks. Be that as it may,
the description I think my fuzzy brain remembers from that many-years-ago Trains article was that, when a T1 slipped it was more like a Detroit Diesel running-off with the governor stuck. Hence my use of a non-authentic term.
That Wiki pic is of the prototype T1 and IIRC it was especially prone to wheel slip because suspension equalization geometry wasn't quite right, a problem they rectified for the production run. The picture really fits.
A lot, and I mean A LOT, of misinformation about the PRR T-1 locomotives, has published over the years. One of the most often repeated has been the "tendency to slip". However, the REAL fact was primarily the Engineer's fault, as the PRR never properly trained their Engineers on the PROPER use of a high pressure, VERY high horsepower steam locomotive equipped with an American Multiple Valve Front End Throttle. The "rare" really good Engineers didn't seem to have such issues.
