Welp, they did say generator and while that could have been of the electric sort it could have also been a steam generator. Then again, an SG requires electricity too. It gets very complicated to pull something like this off in a non Photoshop see-it-with-your-own-eyes way.

On the other hand, if it had been an illegal steam-up and the FRA comes calling and are told it was compressed air and trickery, would the FRA insist on being shown or just accept their word?

Steve

If those two pics are indeed Photoshopped, now would be a good time to post the original, unedited pictures.

I will say this, there is no evidence of any steam on their Facebook page that I can see. Smoke and water yes, but no steam.

The main question that still remains is why would you go through all the trouble of doing a fake steam-up like this, but not tell anybody it was fake until after speculation and accusations have started? We all know how serious this type of thing is, so why would you allow rumors to spread before trying to quell them? That, in itself, tells me this was a rogue steam-up that they were hoping no one would notice, and then they got caught in an "Oh Shit!" moment when someone got pictures that show it was actually under steam, and not just a mock-up, like they tried to show on their page.

Plus, anyone who uses the phrase "take a chill pill" in response to something this serious is automatically suspicious to me.

The one eyewitness account that we know of to this debacle is the guy that posted the initial photos. His caption which is cached to a point (the page and photo are gone but it still comes up in search results) is included as a photo.

John

Am I the only one who has a Facebook account that can see the videos of her clearly moving under her own power?
[url] http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 389&type=2[url]

At 0:09 seconds into the video, something just forward of the cab lets off steam as she backs away from the camera. Photoshopping a still is one thing, perhaps only Steven Spielberg is good enough to have black smoke come out the stack at exactly the right timing of the driver revolutions.

OK, so we know what his description says.

However, do we know he has the qualifications to verify the engine truly was under steam. It's chugging and smoke is coming out the stack, so it's under steam, right? Especially if you have no reason to suspect Hollywood fakery going on.

As Thomas the Tank engines proves again and again, you can fool a lot of folks with an air whistle and theatrical smoke. Many of the Six Flags parks have gutted former steam locomotives that you could get folks to swear were running under steam. Heck, the first time I saw one I was fooled for a bit until I was able to get a closer view and hear the engine.

Let's imagine this question... "So, Mr Foamer Fotographer... You say the engine appeared to be under steam. How did you make that determination? Was it solely based on observing what appeared to be smoke and steam? Were you able to view the engine up close? Did you observe condition of the sight glasses, tri-cocks and the steam gauge? Can you verify, without a doubt, that it was actually running under steam power?"

This video may change your opinion: http://goo.gl/k8XlI

That Facebook video looked an awful lot like what I would expect to see if the engine was running on AIR. Smoke, but not a single whiff of steam out the exhaust. No steam out the cylinder cocks either. No evidence of steam at all, except the whisp near the cab, which could just as easily be condensation from compressed air.

Also, the sound and length of the run is what I'd expect. A few good chugs, and then the exhaust gets softer and softer and she quickly rolls to a stop. Exactly what happens when you move a steamer on compressed air. (The few actual compressed air engines used high pressure air vessels, not 150 psi)

Oh, and the roar in the background? Sounds a lot like a portable air compressor to me...

NO, of all the photos and videos, that one is by far the easiest to argue is not under steam.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but if it's fake.....why would they be blowing down.....

No, that one doesn't either, not in the least. It's doing exactly what the description says, blowing out WATER. No steam is visible. Maybe they did a hydro test and that's how they released the pressure. But it looks like purely water.

Here's what a real blowdown looks like. Compare and contrast, noting the clouds of STEAM...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqMhCBG8uOo

No, it's really not. There's no steam visible. View the video I posted a link to, or pick any of the hundreds of others on Youtube. The hot water in the boiler is under pressure. Suddenly, it's released into the atmosphere at 0 PSI and some of it will turn to steam due to the lower pressure. You should see clouds of steam. (Ok, not really 0, it's normal air pressure, not a vacuum, but you get the idea...)

This is the photo that had the caption, here they are together. This is what "Mr. Foamer PHotographer" saw, this is the image he captured, this is the image he was almost immediately asked to take down.

Seriously, excuses have been made up to the point of suggesting the guy went back in time to capture the image..... Even if the boiler was not full of water and running in a traditional sense, it was full of steam in this image "running under it's own power". Pressure in the boiler + "scrap wood" (at the very least by their own admission) = a service day.

I was going to let this thread expire or be modded. But I can't let this go uncommented.



Some of it?

ALL of that 'hot water' in the boiler, every single molecule of it, is sitting at overcritical* pressure, and when pressure on it is first relieved, it will go to gas phase when it can. Meaning that when you blow down a working boiler, you don't get a gush of water anything -- you get a plume of steam. Any 'water' in it will be entrained in the plume, and show up essentially as that 'white color' of condensed droplets. But you won't see actual pouring, liquid water. (EDIT: this for full working pressure. See point below on what you may see at lower pressure!)

The blowdown plume will also exit with considerable force, essentially with boiler pressure across the entire cross-section of the blowdown valve. I can't watch Flash video on my computer at present, so I can't see what they were getting, but if it was water (in the boiler, to protect the tubes and legs from the 'mystery raincoats and smudge pots' supposedly in the firebox) then they were using air. I'd also expect to see the jet pressure visibly taper off as the air pressure in the boiler space falls, unless their compressor is so large that it can deliver a balancing number of cfm @ whatever "blowdown" pressure was.

* I use "overcritical" as a synonym for the technically-correct-but-misleading use of 'supercritical' to cover hot water kept from flashing to steam only by imposed pressure. This allows 'supercritical' to be used only in the context of pressure above about 3206 psi, where the 'steam' always behaves as if in liquid phase...


RME

Actually, at times you do see liquid water, especially when the pressure is fairly low (say under 75 PSI). It is quite possible to have pressure on the boiler and have some of the boiler water be surprisingly cool, again especially during initial fire up and raising pressure.

I can't vouch for the molecular theory behind it all, but I speak from first hand experience.

Mike,

I seriously hope you are not in a position of responsibility for any railroad, tourist railroad or railroad museum. With that attitude, you obviously have not 1) read and comprehended the thread; 2) have no regard for your own safety, safety of employees and others; 3) and I hope you never gain a position of responsibility.

Your ignorance of the subject matter for which you opine about, speaks volumes .(Note: "ignorance" is not used in a derogatory sense)