Saw a vid on youtube today of R&N (then BM&R) #425 pulling a train to Jim Thorpe around the time of the name transition. She still wore BM&R markings while a Uboat wore the new R&N scheme. At Hometown, she was pretty much down to her knees as an huge amount of steam was escaping from the steam chest just under the smoke box making it look like she was literally breathing in cold air with every thrust of the piston.

What would make the packing give way to have her lose all that steam?

Do you have a link to the specific video? A search on Youtube for "R&N 425" brings up over 50 hits

A possibility would be the rings are wore on the pistons or the wall in the cylinders are worn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmxlHsv_Gtg

This is one of a few videos I have seen of that trip, and might be the one in question.

Mr. Gray,
Baldwin Feeder is EXACTLY correct. That was the video I saw per your request and thank you Baldwin Feeder for posting it. The 'damage' makes 425 look evil, like a Iditarod Sled Dog puffing out the front of her 'face' like that.

If fiber packing is used, it is most likely compounded with rubber to hold the fibers together. The rubber makes the packing " live " ,or resilient, and follow the radial movement and and surface imperfections of the rod. As the packing ages, it " dries out ", becomes less resilient, and is more prone to damage by " cutting " by the moisture, rust and dirt in the steam. Once a small cut has started, it progresses faster than a crack in a F 150 windshield. A little bit of lost steam robs a lot of power and also expands a minimum of 1,609 times the volume of it's original water.

Now unless I am looking at the wrong video, does the escaping steam not appear to be coming from the joint in the front of the cylinder saddle casting?
I see some blowby of the rod, but as she is coming out of the tunnel it appears the leak to be in the casting halves in front.
Bruce Pierce

I'm no expert, but it sure does look like the problem is coming from somwhere in between the start of the exhaust passage on one side and the blast nozzle. I would think that this would have a negative effect on the draft to the fire and might explain why the loco is "on its knees."

METALLIC packing, guys.... check out King and Paxton Mitchell. Old junk packing wasn't commonly used on anything bigger than a 0-4-0T after 1890.

The steam probably is rebounding from the crosshead and guides back past the cylinders beside the saddle. A leak in the saddle woudn't be repaired very quickly and easily. New packings are a fairly fast and easy job.

dave

The front cylinder head is leaking badly as is the rear cylinder cock

wondering as to why they ran trips with the condition, perhaps they knew, maybe late in the season, once done, its into the shops for the fix, perhaps not super serious, but a needed fix.

In steam operating days I can see the engine asap being whipped into the shops for the fix but for tourist lines...uhm, yeh we know, we'll get it...

The video gives a date of July 4, 1992, but I believe that this is actually a Columbus Day trip. It is hard to see, but at 0:59 and 3:29 in the video you can see the details on the large flags on the pilot beam. These show a galleon type ship at the front of the flag, close to the flag staff. In addition to the flags, the Columbus Day trip featured someone dressed like Christopher Columbus, who posed for pictures before the trip started.

I was on the Columbus Day trip, and on that trip 425 had a leak just like this one. The leak developed after the train left Port Clinton. It grew worse as the trip progressed. I was in the last car on the way to Jim Thorpe, and we did not notice the leak until shortly before East Manahoy Junction. Speculation at the time was that we would not have 425 for the return to Port Clinton. Happily, she continued to pull the train.

On YouTube, Conrail6370 comments that the leak was repaired at Jim Thorpe during the layover. On the Columbus Day trip, 425 still leaked after the stop in Jim Thorpe. It may have been partially fixed.

I don't know if there was a loss of power due to the leak, but I do know that on the way back Charlie Kachel really moved 425 along. I spent most of my time on the way back in the vestibule right behind the tender. I remember a lot of stack talk, even on the down grades. A very happy memory and I wish I could ride that way again.

-Mark Trebing