Car 57........what are these department ?

car57 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:23 pm

Car 57 yielded these tonight when we took up the sub floor, they are round pins with square shafts and a square peg in the centre two of them in the centre of the car about 18 inches apart.....are they something to do with brake adjustment ?

I have no idea,

Mike Pannell

o anderson · **Posted:** Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:03 am

valves for Pintsch lighting? The textured metal suggests it was intended to be there as part of the car flooring.
O.

nwppzler · **Joined:** Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:12 pm **Posts:** 10

Looks like what turned out to be a steam heating valve we found in the chassis of B&O car 20. I can't find any pics, another member may have a pic and remember details, ours had a name he looked up on google. We gave it to the museum since there is no record of our car having steam heat.

daylight4449 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:14 am

Maybe underfloor utility access? We have similar covers all around my High School that give access to the major utilities.

Mike Manson · **Joined:** Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:29 am **Posts:** 34

The NWPRRHS crew found a similar valve cover in the floor debris of B&O 20. It was for Gold's Vapor steam heating system. As mentioned above, we gave it back to the B&O Museum because our project car (Central Pacific 29/NWP 123) had no record of using steam for heating.

Mike Manson

nwppzler · **Joined:** Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:12 pm **Posts:** 10

To clarify my previous answer, it's not an actual valve, more of an adaptor/linkage piece.

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:03 pm

I took a look at the 1922 Car Builder's Cyclopedia, and was disappointed that I didn't find an illustration of this exact piece of hardware. However, on page 879 there is a piping schematic titled "Gold Multiple system of Hot Water Circulation" that shows a pair of valves with their stems extending through the floor. This is a schematic for a car with a coal fired "Baker" style duplex heater, the type that had a closed hot water system in the car that could be heated either with a coal fire in the heater, or from train line steam, using the heater as a heat exchanger.

It is not clear from the illustration if these valves are under the seats or if they have removable handles. It appears that the Vapor equipment of the time tended to bring the piping through the floor and mount the entire valve above the floor under the seat.

I think finding these fittings on car 57 is a pretty good indication that the car was equipped with a hot water system at some point in its life.

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

it looks like any extending parts of it has been cut off. What is directly below on the car at this location?