Friday, June 26, 2015

I love a good short story



The very small steam engine has an oversized steam compressor to provide enough power to tip and empty the coal cars into the plant's fuel hopper. The locomotive's working life was remarkably brief; the plant was converted to oil power in 1927. Instead of being sold or scrapped, #1 was mothballed. It was "rediscovered" by San Antonio rail enthusiasts in the the early 1960s. The Texas Transportation Museum was formed in order for them to be able to acquire it, as the utility was only allowed to give it away to a registered non-profit.

Firing up #1 at the brewery in 1964 turned out to have an unexpected consequence. Regulations and statutory oversight was a lot more relaxed in those days. The volunteers simply filled the boiler with water, its fuel tank with oil, lit the fire and waited to see what would happen. The locomotive had not been used since the late 1920's and belched out such an amount of smoke and soot that the museum volunteers were obliged to wash cars and windows for blocks all around the scene of the "crime".


Found on http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/collection-1925-baldwin-steam-locomotive.php

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