Industrial Locomotives

metman499 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:42 pm

The Dickinson's built under the ALCO banner are not necessarily Dickinson designs. Once ALCO was incorporated in the early 1900s things get a little confusing. Some plants (suck as Cooke) continued to built their old product lines while others built designs pioneered at other works. Steinbrenner has a revised and expanded ALCO: A Centennial Remembrance out and my copy of the first run is in NJ. I will look into the question further when I go to NJ for Christmas.

robertjohndavis · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:24 pm

Thanks Chris! It is about time I got around to reading this board regularly. Great stuff!

The Dickson Mfg Co. had locations around Scranton. The biggest building left is near Vine Street. It is a huge stone building with a clock tower. The Steamtown parking lot was built after the park service tore down some Dickson buildings. The "silk mill" that houses the trolley museum was also used by Dickson for awhile.

They made lots of products, and built some pretty neat steam before becoming part of ALCo in 1901.

The O&W and Lackawanna were major customers. The most famous group of engines may have been the 2-8-0 camelbacks built for the O&W in the 1890's. These were known as the "Dickson hogs."

I found this link to an O&W Dickson 2-6-0.

Here's a neat D&H 4-4-0 from pre-1901:

The odd stuff was in the mining line. Here is a pneumatic mine loco for the D&H Coal Co. from this site: http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/comprair/comprair.htm

Cool, huh?

Rob

Chris · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:41 pm

woah! now thats cool, didnt know hudson coal had anything like that!!!

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:58 pm

that thing looks like a hot dog on rails! :lol:

I now think its pretty safe to assume that hudson had EVERYTHING.... They didn't miss out on much. I wonder where they were using the Pnumatic locomotives?

Miner Greg · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:10 am

Yeah, that is a wild looking locomotive.

I love to see more photos of the real old industrial mining locomotives such as the compressed air and fireless steam engines. It be great if anyone would post of up any photos they have...

Miner Greg

Chris · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:15 am

oh alright greg but only cause you asked........

Hudson Coal Co.

Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron.

neither loco i have a builder or date for.

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:13 pm

What the heck is the trough on top of the first one? a sand holder?

and on the second, anyone know why the cylinder casings aren't smooth like a regular locomotive? They're obviously not heat related like the plates or rings around some modern cylinders.. What are those called again by the way?

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:53 pm

Also, another question, What was the purpose of the huge (wide) smokestacks on some locomotives (Page 3 of this thread from Chris's SD trip). Why are some stacks straight, and some made so big and wide like that?

Chris · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:00 pm

well i can answer the cylinder question, you were right. cooling fins, to add more surface area to cool the cylinder. the compressed air was hot!

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:09 pm

Really?? You would think then that more steam locomotives would have them too then considering the temperature of the steam.. Any reason why they don't? On a steam locomotive the steam is expelled from the cylinder and escapes the smokestack. I notice the compressed air locos don't have a stack. is it expelled into the air from a valve right on the cylinder?

It actually makes sense that the compressed air would be hot though considering a diesel engine fires because the compression in the engine heats the air in the cylinder enough to ignite the fuel.

Chris · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:26 pm

yes the act of compressing the air heats it up tremendously. im not really sure as to how they totally work compared to the steam engine i just know they are similar. there was a link a few posts ago that had a good history and theory on operation.

Mike Piersa · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:47 pm

For anything compressed air related, try searching Compressed Air Magazine. They have an online archive going back to 1896! A search of the archives will reveal a multitude of mining information. You have to sign up to view the material, but membership is free:
http://www.compressedairmagazine.com/

Dragulajeeper · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:49 pm

UGMiner Banks wrote:

Also, another question, What was the purpose of the huge (wide) smokestacks on some locomotives (Page 3 of this thread from Chris's SD trip). Why are some stacks straight, and some made so big and wide like that?

The wide stack is for locomotives that burn wood. The stack had a bunch of fins in it and the embers would bounce around in it until it cools off and then fly out so it does not catch the train itself on fire or start a wildfire, etc etc.

Chris · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:08 pm

huh, well i never knew that either!

John · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:23 pm

compressing air generates a lot of heat--its the ignition source in a diesel engine and the reason an air compressor has fins on it.

when compressed air expands, like it does in the compressed air locomotive above, it requires heat. ever had a regulator freeze up? this is why.

those fins probably draw heat from the surroundings (dissipated the cold) to keep things from freezing up.

this is pretty interesting. good point banks!

Industrial Locomotives

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