Railway Preservation News
http://www.rypn.org/forums/

Cool Springs Mystery Porter
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=38107
Page 1 of 3

Author:  Jeff Terry [ Sat May 23, 2015 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Cool Springs Mystery Porter

I also posted this on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum....

I recently photographed this Porter 0-4-0 at Cool Springs Park, a roadside attraction near Rowlesburg, West Virginia. I have no information on it, and could find no indications of its heritage.

The Porter appears to be a close-clearance design with a home-built cab, and is 42” gauge. However, someone has modified the engine to run on 36” gauge track. The drivers on the right side of the locomotive touch the rails, while those on left side are suspended by guide wheels that have been bolted to the frame. Very strange, to say the least. It is NOT a compressed air locomotive – note the smokebox and the firebox in the cab.

The engine is possibly Three Forks – Sewel Coal. I do not have a copy of the Porter book to check if the Three Forks Coal Company rostered any close-clearance Porters.
There is quite a bit of 3’ gauge trackage on the grounds, including several EBT cars (two flatcars and a hopper) and cabooses from the B&O, one of which is on EBT trucks.
There is also a Vulcan 0-4-0T, reportedly from Crab Orchard Coal.

Attachments:
Cool Springs Porter 4.jpg
Cool Springs Porter 4.jpg [ 262.29 KiB | Viewed 10946 times ]
Cool Springs Porter 3.jpg
Cool Springs Porter 3.jpg [ 230.62 KiB | Viewed 10946 times ]
Cool Springs Porter 1.jpg
Cool Springs Porter 1.jpg [ 253.79 KiB | Viewed 10946 times ]

Author:  wesp [ Sat May 23, 2015 10:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Here is a link on steamlocomotive.info that lists the engine as "Three Forks Sewell Co".

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1515

Here is a link for the Vulcan. The Vulcan link also includes notes with history of this collection.

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1516

Wesley

Author:  Mark Jordan [ Sat May 23, 2015 12:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

What is the second lever adjacent to the Johnson Bar?

Cool Springs "Park" is a vast wasteland of heritage equipment. Many stationary, portable, and other steam engines and boilers simply rotting into the soil, including some very rare pieces.

I got goat-butted in my butt last time I was there.

Author:  NYCRRson [ Sat May 23, 2015 1:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Mark Jordan wrote:
What is the second lever adjacent to the Johnson Bar?

Manual Brakes ? This looks too small to have air brakes.

Looks like the stem of the throttle valve is sticking out of the top middle of the backhead. The throttle lever probably hung across the top of the boiler and was above the Johnson bar and brake lever. Looks like the actual throttle lever is long gone.

Cheers, KevinK

Author:  Kimball [ Sat May 23, 2015 10:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Yes, the other lever is a manual brake. I used it on the Fillmore + Western (CA)Porter "Sespe" 0-4-0 when I ran it a few years ago. Not terribly effective either, as I recall!

It was more of a parking brake, or a "we're almost stopped but I want to stop now (or sometime fairly soon) brake." As we came into the station, I shut her off and went to the brake - no dice! I reversed the Johnson bar, and gave her a shot of steam, and she stopped much better.

Author:  John T [ Sun May 24, 2015 9:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

I took a look through both the Porter and Vulcan lists and found nothing for Three Forks or Sewel. Porters usually have the builder's number stamped into the frame between the drivers.

Author:  Les Beckman [ Sun May 24, 2015 2:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

This "re-gauged" locomotive is really interesting. Brings up some questions:

1. How would you figure T.E. (tractive effort)? Having only one set of drivers on the rails would lower the T.E., or would it?

2. Would this revision make the 0-4-0 a 2-4-2?

3. Was this re-gauging done by a previous owner so that the locomotive could actually be used as motive power, or strictly at the Cool Springs Park to run around on their track (assuming they had some)?

4. If such an arrangement COULD provide enough tractive effort to move cars around, was this ever actually done by any company in the steam era?

Thanks.

Les

Author:  QJdriver [ Sun May 24, 2015 5:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Les, I'd say she's an 0-2-0T.

Author:  QJdriver [ Sun May 24, 2015 5:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Maybe an 0-1+2+1-0T, or a 1/2-2-1/2T.... thought I'd seen everything.

Author:  QJdriver [ Sun May 24, 2015 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

An engineering and design marvel --- engine weight on the crown brasses on the right side, on the fireman's side it's on the idlers with the drivers spinning on the grease cellars !!! It doesn't look like the idlers have any kind of bearings to speak of, either. Tractive effort would be cut in half because the weight on drivers is cut in half, sort of...

And we've been thinking there were only EIGHT wonders of the world.

Author:  Les Beckman [ Sun May 24, 2015 5:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

QJdriver wrote:
An engineering and design marvel --- engine weight on the crown brasses on the right side, on the fireman's side it's on the idlers with the drivers spinning on the grease cellars !!! It doesn't look like the idlers have any kind of bearings to speak of, either. Tractive effort would be cut in half because the weight on drivers is cut in half, sort of...

And we've been thinking there were only EIGHT wonders of the world.


Sammy -

Of course, we're assuming that the thing actually ran in this configuration! Be really interesting to know if she actually DID!


Les

Author:  QJdriver [ Sun May 24, 2015 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

I think she would run, but for how long ??? Don't know if she'd stay on the track, though, the idlers don't look to be sprung, seems like that might have consequences...

Author:  Mark Jordan [ Sun May 24, 2015 10:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

From what little I have seen at this site, nothing ever ran. There is barely enough track to house the rail equipment, which also includes some EBT hoppers and at least one standard gauge caboose (B&O?). I think there were "plans" that never got past the first few rails.

I encourage everyone to simply do a search (Google or whatever you wish) and view the photos. Lots and lots of stuff that is rusting away, that really should have a better fate.

Author:  Dougvv [ Mon May 25, 2015 3:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

Hi,

Based on inexpert SWAG, I'd say the TE on this booger is still the same (TE calculations do not depend on the number of drivers).

But with only half the weight on the two drivers, it has a very poor adhesion (slippery).

Fascinating item.

If it was built between about 1901 and 1920, Glover Machine Works built about 100-200 industrial steamers - many that looked like Porters. I doubt this is a Glover, but industrial locos look a lot alike.

Doug vV

Author:  QJdriver [ Mon May 25, 2015 4:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cool Springs Mystery Porter

You're right of course, TE is the same, but the FA is half as much. That teakettle is crippled by any formula you can figure. I think we all agree she MIGHT pull half as much as she did in the first place, if nothing malfunctioned too bad.

If she's a Glover, she's a Glover that SURE looks like a Porter for sure.

Page 1 of 3 All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/