The steam locomotives appeared to have their pistons and piston rods removed, but the crossheads and main rods were left installed. This left the main drivers much better balanced than if the main rods were removed, permitting higher speeds for the move.

One practice in moving steam 'on its own wheels' was to pull the main rods and eccentric crank and then install 'bobweights' on the main pins to compensate for the missing mass.

If you have functional lubrication, you can get around dealing with lubricating cold cylinders with steam oil by removing the crosshead keys and rolling the locomotive through at least one revolution, This advances the pistons to the front of the cylinder and detaches the rear of the piston rod from contact with the crosshead at other than crosshead FDC. If desired the piston rod can then be pushed slightly forward, if dead space permits, or the cylinder heads removed and the piston and rod extracted.

The #5511's piston rods had already been torched back when UP moved it from Green River to Cheyenne back in the early '60s.

Torching the pistons on larger donated U.P. locomotives was apparently the rule, not the exception. 4018 is torched, as are others.

When we have moved the 614 dead in tow we remove the main rods and install bobweights to compensate for the missing mass of the main rod. We activated the dead engine feature in the brake system so the brakes on the locomotive function as if the 614 was like any other car in the train.

We limit the speed to 40 mph and everything runs fine.

Ross Rowland

Richard,

that was always thought to be the case with UP Big boy 4012, however when I was assigned to clean the engine tender and firebox prior to movement to Scranton the Pistons and rods were in the tender coal space, not protected but were half buried in cinders.

Al P.

look cut to me..

No closer than any of the videos were shot at - it is impossible to see that the piston operating rod has been severed.

I hope you're not using that pic as proof for the current move. That's an old pic of 4018 at Fair Park in Texas. Not 5511 or even a Challenger. 5511's rods are torched just in front of the crossheads and 3985's piston rods (and I assume the pistons with them) were removed for the move. I'd guess the same is true for 3985's stems/valves. Photos of 5511 in the roundhouse by RRHMA during inspection show its valves were removed. See them on the RRHMA FB page.

Post-my previous on Dave L, there are several good clear photos of the move available out there. All you have to do is look. Google is a helpful thing.

yes I was talking about 4018