Check valve water flow/top mount vs. side mount.

Chris Salmonson · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2011 6:58 pm

The Bessemer & Lake Erie 154 from the Baldwin class of 1909 has the discharge on the top. In the link below you can see it located directly behind the bell.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rulesqualified/5426698300/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Newriver400 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:32 am

JohnHillier wrote:

I have a couple questions regarding research that has been done on the top checks.

Actually, looks more like several than just two...

JohnHillier wrote:

Considering all the above class engines were built by Baldwin, would this have been an individual railroad decision?

Very much so. K&T 10 and CN 5288 both have top mounted checks, but USA 610, the last commercially built locomotive for a domestic customer, has side checks as spec'd by the US Military.

JohnHillier wrote:

Third, if a deflector plate or nozzle was needed to keep the new water from hitting the dry pipe, depending on the size of the boiler couldn't this be avoided alternately by placing the pipe off center or is there not enough space when factoring in the amount of area that the water will dissipate once it exits the nozzle?

Possible I suppose, but certainly not as practical, not to mention the additional engineering necessary to move front flue sheet bracing and maintain an even loading and consistent stress levels on the braces, sheet, and shell.

Don't know the answers to 1, 4, and 5.

JohnHillier wrote:

Thanks again.

Hope that helped some...

Best,
Mike

M Austin · **Joined:** Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:05 am **Posts:** 488

Click on image to download full Master Boiler Makers article.

JohnHillier · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:36 am

Thanks for the file, just what I was looking for.

Bobk · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:27 am

This would have to be an expensive proposition when adding a deflector is a much easier fix. Looking at the Santa Fe drawings for this you can see where guarding against cooling the drypipe is not the only purpose of this apparatus. The construction shows that the apparatus has sumps on each side of the deflector and each then holds an amount of feedwater before it is ejected into the boiler through the spreaders. Looking at this then it would seem that the water is held momentarily within the device so that it picks up additional heat. Even without a drypipe in the way an engineered spreading device would be in place.

J.David · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:33 am

Thanks, Matt for taking the time to find and post the artical from the MBMA.
An item of interest to me is mention in the 4th paragraph about "wavy side sheets".
There are a number of folks who are convinced that the "waves" are caused by thinning of the sheets due to wastage. However, in all the "wavy" sheets that I have Ultra-Sonicly tested, I have never found significant wastage. Also, I have generally found more "waves" in areas with rigid stays than flexis.
Also interesting is the mention in first full paragraph on page 163 about variations in firebox temperature which confirms my posting earlier in this thread (from 2002).
J.David

Newriver400 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:29 pm

I cleaned up the PDF a bit in Acrobat for those interested... Hope it helps a bit.