The question came up a while back and I believe the answer has been found;

From the BLE Journal, September 1887
'NEW SODA-MOTOR'

"In a recently patented soda motor, intended for use on street railways, the process of generating steam is as follows: The caustic soda, which is contained in a reservoir surrounding the steam boiler, is raised to a high initial temperature by means of jets of burning gas or petroleum, thus evaporating all moisture from the soda. The heat from the soda produces steam in the boiler, which is applied to an ordinary engine; the exhaust steam from the engine is then absorbed by the soda, producing heat sufficient to generate steam until the soda is supercharged with moisture, when the jets of flame, which in the meantime have been dispensed with, are again ignited to regenerate and reheat the soda. The operation may be repeated continuously."

I wonder if any were built ??

lamontdc@adelphia.net

> I wonder if any were built ??

There was a cheap reprint of an old Baldwin publication some years back, perhaps titled "The Locomotives that Baldwin Built," that had a builder's photograph of a soda motor,but no information. It looked like a steam dummy with a few odd appliances, maybe an 0-4-2T. This is the first description I've read of them. Weird.

Aarne H. Frobom
The Steam Railroading Institute
P. O. Box 665
Owosso, MI 48867-0665

> I wonder if any were built ??

Yes, Baldwin built four 0-4-2 Soda Motors for the Minneapolis Lyndale & Minnetonka Ry. As built, this line was electrified, but tried the conversion to "Soda Motor Power". The Soda Motors did not prove successful and the ML&M returned to electric power (the soda motors were remanufactured into conventional locomotives).

The Soda Motor's boiler was 84 1/2 inches in diameter and 15 feet long. A 5 ton "charge" of soda provided 6 hours of operation.

At the same time Baldwin experimented with these locomotives, similar engines were being produced and used (apparently with some sucess) in Europe.

See the below link for a photo of the Baldwin Soda Motor with its carbody removed.

Regards,
Jim Robinson


Soda Motor without its carbody

> See the below link for a photo of the
> Baldwin Soda Motor with its carbody removed.

Years ago (probably late 1960s) Trains Magazine carried two photos of a Baldwin Soda Motor. One like this one of the frame, mechanism, etc. The other of the complete locomotive with the wooden carbody that looked like a streetcar or steam dummy.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

On Page # 38 of Fred Westing's book "locomotives that Baldwin Built" are 2 pictures of a soda motor built in 1886. It used a reaction between bicarbonate of soda and an acid to produce carbon dioxide gas.
Roger Mitchell
Master Mechanic
Fort Collins Municipal Railway



Fort Collins Municipal Railway home page
n0mcr@netzero.net

> I wonder if any were built ??

Further research reveals that Baldwin built four 0-4-2 Soda Motors for the Minneapolis Lyndale & Minnetonka Ry. As built, this line was electrified, but tried the conversion to “Soda Motor Power.” The Soda Motors did not prove successful and the ML&M returned to electric power (the soda motors were remanufactured into conventional locomotives). The Soda Motor's boiler was 84 1/2 inches in diameter and 15 feet long. A 5 ton "charge" of soda provided 6 hours of operation. At the same time Baldwin experimented with these locomotives, similar engines were being produced and used (apparently with some success) in Europe.

I'm looking further.

hankmorris@earthlink.net

I believe these worked somewhat like the old soda-acid fire extinguishers. I've read that changing out the charge left huge piles of unattractive and dangerous mush that was hard to dispose of, even then.

ryarger@rypn.org

Follow the below link for some additional information on the Baldwin Soda Motors.

As stated by someone earlier, these four locomotives did not operate on the formation of CO2 or any other gas. They were steam locomotives (actually street railway steam dummies) that generated their steam from the intense heat caused by the chemical reaction when the caustic soda was dampened by a jet of steam from the engine's exhaust (which kept the process going). This chemical reaction process took the place of burning coal (or other fuel) to generate steam, which then operated the engine in a conventional manner. From the linked description, it sounds like the caustic soda wasn't "used up" and disposed of. Instead, after becoming completely saturated (after 6 hours of use) it was recycled/dried out (sounds like while still within the boiler) to be reused again.

The four Baldwin engines were built in 1889 and were 0-4-2's (I've also seen them referred to as 2-4-0's... I guess it depends on which direction you're soda-motoring in!).

Regards,
Jim Robinson


soda motor info