NKP 765 - A Well-Timed Steam Locomotive

Good to hear! Thanks for posting.

On a smaller scale, the Strasburg repaired the links and eccentrics of the Stephenson valve gear on ex-CN 2-6-0 #89 a while ago. She sounds like a junior #765 lifting her train out of Groff's Grove running forward returning to Strasburg.

Rich,

Great video!  I had a lot of fun chasing her this past weekend down.  Reminded me of the times I saw her pulling the New River Train.  I also look forward to chasing it again this coming weekend.

BTW "I met you at Wendys this past weekend"

Awesome! Yes my friend and I rode behind 734 back in May and we were both amazed how out of time she was. Hopefully they can fix her soon.

Nice post Rich! 

You definitely made your point about how well-timed 765 is. It is definitely better than the 734 video I showed you in the post!

How do you guys keep it so well tuned? Is it the way they were designed or is it the fact that 765 has a lot of life yet until she goes back "under the knife" for her 15 year inspection. 

Thanks! 

Baker Valve Gear and Lima Locomotive Works craftsmanship.

And she is still fairly fresh out of an overhaul where everything in the valve gear was brought back to print.

Excellent video Rich.  She really sounds smooth.

Pretty good video for "hand held", by golly. How fast do you figure

she was going in that last clip with the N&W "Hooter" ?

Ed Mullan

Thanks, Ed. The steadiness comes from years of practice. We were going 40 mph in those scenes.  I shot the pacing video as I was driving, with my hand braced against the passenger seat back for support.

I am also pleased with what you DON'T hear...no rods clanking away as we go down the road.

Awww, not a PRR fan   Now those steamers made some noise and not the good kind!

Rich:

Who has been providing the "home road" whistles for these NS trips?

Curt

What an AWESOME piece of equipment!!!!!!  Thanks to all who take such good care of her.

Steam Rules

"a country boy can survive!"

Actually, the "home road" guest whistles are personal property of our crew members with one exception, a member and friend who owns the Hooter whistle.

Now Rich texting is bad while driving but shooting video? 

You need to hire an assistant the next time you and the crew go on the road with the 765 !  

Rich, Very nice viedo. Thanks for sharing.

Now Rich texting is bad while driving but shooting video? 

You need to hire an assistant the next time you and the crew go on the road with the 765 !  

This was a Tuesday morning and there was no one on the road near the locomotive when I shot the pacing scenes. That's why I decided to do it, on the spur of the moment. The scenes were shot east of Portsmouth along US 52.

It has been many years since I last shot any trains on video.

9:50 in this video

Rich, even with a phone you can still get it done. I guess it's like riding a bike.

Wow, that was so cool.  Almost makes me want to switch over to steam!!    Thanks for sharing.  (Why can't my iPhone shoot video like that??!!)

- Mike

She certainly sounds VERY good. An interesting bit of information; my old mentor, the late Willard A. (Bill) Gardner, told me that the Baker Pillard Valve Gear was really only PERFECTLY square in one position in REVERSE! If you listen to recordings & videos from the prime if NKP steam (1950s), you will hear that famous "Lima Gait" at speed of 55 to 70MPH. I can attest to the fact that 765 sounds the same way at 60+MPH, back in the 1980s, prior to worn valve gear components.

The SP 4449 however, does NOT have that "Lima Gait", since she does not have Baker Pillard valve gear. Square and sharp, just like a Lima should be, but no NKP "700 gait". 

NKP 765 sure sounds the best today that she has ever been, and it's a darn shame she is limited to only 40MPH!

Thanks NKP!

Curt

nice job by the iPhone, too!

RICH - Is the SD70ACe tied in as a part of the consist or do you just "haul it" as a backup if needed?

With the tenders between it and the 765 - I assume you are not using it.

Or if you are using for power, how do you coordinate its operation with the lead unit 765?

Jack, you have no idea how much I would like to get her up to about 60 with the throttle on the roof. Let her do what she was designed to do!  You think THIS sounds good...you should hear her hooked up and working hard at 60+ mph with the "Lima Gait" on full display! Maybe someday...

The NKP Heritage Unit is there for show, protection should the 765 have a problem and to help us stretch the coal on the long deadheads. We have an MU Box in the cab of the 765 that is used to control it. When we hit a grade I set the 765 to work at a moderate level of power and then I just reach over and dial up whatever additional power I need from the diesel.

Ed, I'm not aware of any significant design differences between the original Alco-built Berks and the later ones built by Lima. However, the old head NKP engineers always said that among the fleet of 80 Berks, the 763 and the 765 were the best ones. See John Rehor's article in the October 1962 issue of Trains magazine for that quote.

A well-known engineer with a life-long attractions to God's railroad told me the exact same thing, 3/4 in reverse if I remember correctly, however he made no mention of Baker "Pillard" gear. Would some one explain "Pillard"?

DV

The name is actually "Pilliod." The Baker Locomotive Valve Gear, invented by the A.D. Baker Company, was produced by the Pilliod Co. of Swanton, Ohio. First patented in 1903.

Thanks for the correction Rich. Spelling has never been my long suit! Glad you knew what I was talking about.

For added fun, some day put the NS Heritage unit in dynamic brake, say brake position 3 or 3, then you'll be able to run 765 at full throttle, and still maintain a solid 40MPH. Might be fun for a few miles, especially for Fireman "training" purposes!

The Baker-Pilliod Valve Gear patented in 1903 is much different from the later Baker Valve Gear, patented about 1909; the later BVG is vastly more simple.  The original Pilliod valve gear promised quicker valve openings and closings that the other gears then in service.  NKP had some engines with the original Pilliod gear, I believe; N&W had one class A 4-6-0 (#89) with it and the first class E-2 Pacifics of 1910 had it.  It was characterized by the use of an eccentric crank with a very short throw.

The gear was simplified into the form as you now see it; however, the patents were held by the Pilliod Company who manufactured the gear until the end of steam.

Ol' Abner Baker did a good job . . .

But did you know that there were railroads who wouldn't use Baker because of paying the premium price for the manufacturing?  Poor Ol' Egide Walschaerts patent had run out many years before, so anybody who wanted to could manufacture and use his gear.  N&W, NYC, C&O and NKP were some of the railroads who made the widest use of Baker.  Baker got a boost during USRA, because it was specified on both switchers, both Mallets, both Pacifics and both Mountains.

EdKing 

Only 60+ ??? - I believe you mean something like the sustained 79+/- we were treated to during the 1993 Akron to Pittsburgh trips. Of my many memories behind big steam, that one, as I've mentioned several times, stands out among the best.

There's absolutely nothing like that thrill as enjoyed from the open door concession car I had the pleasure of working, and observing from. There is nothing like the feel and sound of a well tuned 2-8-4, or 4-8-4, at real track speed, and to think I was lucky enough to have enjoyed all four days of it for miles on end !!!

I believe I'm safe in saying that the Berks also reached their optimal performance curve at those speeds as well!

Great video!   With the 765 in such prime running condition, a longer HD video is almost begging to be made...  Maybe some day when some 60+ mph running is given the green light...

Andy

Can't help you with 60mph running, but I got some very good pacing coming north out of Portsmouth on the ferry run to Columbus.  Nice afternoon lighting, and some acceleration coming out of the slow order, then just coasting at 40mph.  Sounded simply effortless.

Current plan is to make one tape covering the entire 2011-2012 NS Steam Program with a short intro recap of SR/NS Steam v1, then into the new stuff.  There will also probably be a double set that is more bare-bones with graphics only of 630 and 765, since so much will have to be cut out of the main program due to time constraints. Think one volume of each engine at the moment.  I've got some very good stuff from both engines--and before anyone goes knocking it, 630 with 6-7 passenger cars and no diesel at 40mph before it started having bearing problems in the heat sounded REALLY good.  With 10 passenger cars, 765 hasn't even broken a sweat yet.  So much power on a relatively flat railroad.

Will probably get started on the editing once everything for the year starts to wrap up.  It's all filmed in 3ccd HDV and will be out in both BluRay and downconverted widescreen dvd.  I've gotten too much good stuff this year to leave it all sitting around collecting dust on a shelf.

Kevin

This thread reminded me of the SAR Red Devil that when in tune has a light stack and is fairly quiet and sounds like a sewing machine. Steam at speed..in their natural habitat can't be beat.