PRR T1 Steam Locomotive Trust

Foamer fantasy. 

 

I'll at least give them some credit for doing a little bit of research, though.

 

Rusty

That is just too hilarious!!!

 

Not to mention, anyone stupid enough to "donate" money to that farce may as well just kiss those dollars goodbye.

 

Only two technical questions come to mind:

 

1) With a one piece cast steel engine bed, with integral cylinders, were would the patter come from and who would do the casting?

 

2) What railroad on the North American Continent would be willing to operate it?

About the cast frame- would it be possible to engineer a fabricated frame in its place? Not just for a T1 specifically, but for any steam locomotive?

As having been a machinist in the past that built 16" thru 36" gauge trains, yes the frame can be fabricated.  It'll have some different structural properties than the one piece cast frame, but some calculations would be required to make sure it would still be up to snuff.

Not really, due to the extreme strength required for the very high HP steam locomotives used in the U.S. and Canada, as compared to the "lighter" axle loadings in Europe and the UK. That "NEW" steam locomotive, The Tornado, that everybody always refers to, is a typical British fabricated frame, three cylinder design, and really wasn't all that difficult to manufacture, since all it took was about ten years and many, many millions of British Pounds.

I think if you check, there were 52 T1's built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, not 50.

Wasn't the T1 frame one of the biggest castings in the world?

 

Here's a pic of one..well actually it's a screen grab from one of the 200 RR DVD's I have on a hard drive.

 

Interesting, to say the least.  Now we know who won't be involved, we can get going with those who will.  Believing is the greatest law in the universe !

As for who's gonna run it ????   Amtrak...on the Northeast Corridor!   At a buck forty-plus, I'm not looking to see this puppy on the Algoma Central anytime soon.  If these guys are smart, they'll duplicate #5500's Franklin Rotary "B" poppet gear, extra weight, and "freight" valve timing.   Huzzah!   Wait 'til I tell Lindy; she'll head for chooch school like yesterday !

Contact link for the above site does not work !

Weren't the T1's pretty much exiled to the west end of the system where the land was flat and the curves gentle?

 

Rusty

A frame could rather easily be 3D printed. There will be a few issues, but we can print boats, planes, chairs, frames.....all sorts of stuff.  We can print in metal, we can print in plastics. 

Correct! A CORRECT PRR T-1 would NOT meet the clearance requirements of the Northeast Corridor. 

Rusty:

 

Harrisburg is about as far east as the PRR would send a T-1.

 

Curt

T1 is not as big as you might think, nor is it excessively heavy.  The long active wheel base could be an issue, but she's not the nightmare every one thinks. The other side of the coin is that just because you can do a buck forty doesn't mean you have to.

AFAIC, the reason a T1 makes a lot of sense is because you can get a LOT of people behind it, and not just a bunch of foamie basement dwellers, but the right people.  Hey, this movement had to start somewhere, and for reasons I can't begin to understand, the NYCS guys have dropped the ball on getting a new built Hudson.  It IS possible, and eventually , will be done!

 Case in point...the frame could be cast in two sections, front and rear and then permanently joined together.  And there are plenty of places on the NEC that could accomodate the T1....even flat out !

jaygee

I just used the 'contact us' successfully, maybe try it again.

Horseshoe curve sure if flat

How long would it take to built a T1? (or J3a or whatever...)

 

It only took 14 years to build the Tornado...

 

It took Kloke 10 years to build the Leviatan, a much smaller and simpler locomotive.

 

Rusty

contact us still not working !  Must be the Baldwin half of the T1 formula kickin' in !