There's a note today in FLIMSIES of the firing up and operation of Ohio Power Company number 3. Anyone have a photo? News as to whether Hocking Valley intends to use it on their passenger trains? The restoration of the 1920 Baldwin built 0-6-0 has been going on for quite a few years and its good to see that it has apparently been completed.


Les

Indeed the #3 was under steam and moving about. Not in full service yet, but looking good after 12 years of work.

Still needs a jacket.

Photo
https://m.facebook.com/hvsry/photos/a.1 ... 7&__tn__=E

Don't know anybody involved here but a hearty congrats on your progress. I know about the long process and when you nearing completion it is truly a wonderful event. Hoorah! {the "H" is silent}

Regards, John.

The little 060 is about 99% complete. Right now they are making test runs to make sure everything is ready to go. Please visit their facebook page. Yes it will be pulling trains in the near future. I believe the guys would like do this on the 4th of July.

.

Kelly -

Thanks for pointing that out. Isn't 1920 rather late for a wagon top boiler locomotive to be built? BTW, number 3 was actually built for the Beech Bottom Power Company at Power, West Virginia, and wasn't transferred to parent Ohio Power Company until much later. Beech Bottom Power has a nice "ring" to it. Wonder if the folks at HVSR might consider putting that name on the tender?

Les

Here's a photo of number 3 after her first operation pulling trains:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 34&nseq=33

Sure looks good!


Les

Found some videos on the HVSR #3 Steamer:

Youtube.com/Model HO Railroadboy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmI-rK ... wPA/videos

Youtube.com/Josh Pack
https://www.youtube.com/user/45780joshua/videos

Hocking Valley Scenic Railway #3, by Kirby Grubb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhgy2kUtHaQ

Coming soon to Nelsonville's Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, by Hikeeba! Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSFncsoRmY

None are these are My Videos. Just wanted to share these YT.com Links.

Enjoy! ^_^

After watching a couple of videos I have to ask if this just wasn't a typo that this locomotive was built in 1920? I looks like about a 1906 logging locomotive that is missing its pony truck. Seriously if this was built in 1920 it must be off an older design, which was common. Normally don't get that excited about 0-6-0s but she is rather cute. Guess I like the smaller stuff.

The privately owned Western Coal and Coke #! at Mid Continent was I think a 1913 build from a much older design. Sometimes a proven older design beat the newer and untested improvements? Regardless the #3 looks great. Congrats again, John.

The story that I was told is that No. 3 was ordered by Ohio Power for their Power, WV electric generating facility. The boiler had been laying around the Baldwin plant for some time, since at the beginning of WWI all foreign orders for locomotives were cancelled to concentrate on domestic orders. The boiler was to have been used on a Grand Trunk locomotive for operation in Canada. So apparently Baldwin made a deal with Ohio Power to use the orphaned boiler on an 0-6-0 chassis, probably saving Ohio Power a great deal of money in the process. It is an interesting story and adds to the character of No. 3.

I'll be going down there on the 17th. to see her run.

But....Doesn't the rest of the loco, slide valves, inside gear, etc., look just as ancient as that boiler? I've seen the BLW plate up close and it does say 1920, but the appearance sure looks like the suggested 1906.

Totally agree as the tender, cab and the whole engine appears much older than 1920. Certainly not trying to argue, it just doesn't fit the year at all. Maybe after accepting an older boiler it was just as easy to use up other existing or easily made parts that belonged on the original design? It is not that easy to fit an orphan boiler to a different frame and running gear/cyl? Other wise we could snap up all the failed welded boilers that didn't fit the intended use and make workable steam locomotives. I say that part kind of tongue and cheek, but after some rather small repairs/modifications to a boiler it is amazing what no longer fits to an existing locomotive. So if you build new or try to fit an existing boiler to a different locomotive I can imagine a real project? Just idle thoughts. Regardless sure is a nice looking locomotive. Got that classic Baldwin look, like a 49 Chev sedan bulge mobile. Regards, John.

Greetings:
In re-archaic design features on "newer" steam locomotives, Illinois Railway Museum owns a 75 ton 0-6-0 built in 1922 that: isn't superheated, has a narrow firebox, slide valves, manual reverse, wooden cab and NO ELECTRICITY, all this on a locomotive built new for The Commonwealth Edison Co.
J.David
PS: I used to see this locomotive looking down from the Chicago Skyway into the ComEd plant at 103rd (?) Street. Years later it was purchased by Herb Hansen and eventually showed up at IRM, it was the first locomotive that I got operating (not a full restoration). Switching with it was a real chore, it took a good deal of effort to move the Johnson Bar back and forth and when the guy on the ground missed the coupling for the third time... On the road it rode fine as long as it was pulling hard, but when you shut off or drifted it yawed badly and upset the track department. JDC

But all those "archaic" features were still in production, because they were still in demand. IRM has Tuskegee Railroad 101, a Baldwin 2-6-2 built in 1924 that is non superheated, with slide valves. Many industrial concerns wanted the older technology; it was well understood by their shop forces, and could be repaired with the machine tools at hand.

We run a Vulcan 0-4-0T that's saturated, slide valves, Stephenson gear - just as they were being made in 1880. Ours was made in the 1940s. We also have under restoration a Vulcan prairie built in the late 1920s, saturated but with piston valves and Walschaert gear. I look at locomotives like the B&O Museum's 0-4-0t, and Jack Siffert's superpower 0-6-0, and it does make me wonder why things that were "standard" for 30 years when a locomotive was built were not standard in a lot of instances........ keeping a piston valve in good order is much easier than a slide valve.