While going through some old NKP steam shop records, I came across a sheet titled “Air Pump Mileage as of June 30, 1956”. The record lists the engine number, pump no’s, and mileage. Mileage is listed as a two or three digit number.
For instance, 765 is listed with pump no’s 827 & 757 with corresponding mileages of 62 & 47.

Anyone have any idea as to what this sheet is telling us or what it means?

Jim Kreider

It's telling you how many miles had been accumulated by those two air pumps
since they were new or since their last rebuild.

Shops had virtual armies of clerks who kept track of such things, which allowed managers to plan overhauls or replacements according to time/mileage guidelines in place on that particular railroad. Similar records were kept for hundreds of other parts.

If a pump failed, it also let them know how long it had been since the last overhaul, where it was done, etc.

This is how failure patterns were discovered. If a certain component on various pumps failed at about the same time. it showed up and let them know what to look for to find out why.

I think you missed what he's asking.



Obviously the pump hasn't gone 47 miles since the last rebuild. Even on most tourist railroads, that's only a day or two's work.

I'm going to GUESS that it means 47,000 miles, with the 1,000 implied? (The use of "K" to abbreviate it was far off in the sci-fi future along with ray guns and anti-gravity.) But that is only a guess and I suspect it's what he's trying to clarify.

The theory about the mileage numbers representing 1000 miles certainly makes sense except for a note which says "#- Indicates Mileage Run Out and Pump Should be Removed".
There is only one entry on the sheet with the symbol "#" by the number and that is for 2-8-2 970 and it has a pump mileage of only 63.
The highest pump mileage listed is for the two pumps on Berkshire 716 and it is 185.

Jim Kreider

Jim;

We all live in a Visual driven world today.

You, yourself wrote...

"... Anyone have any idea as to what this sheet is telling us or what it means?"

Share a photo of the sheet. Give the crowd here something to "SEE".

It's not too much to ask for such authentication anymore. It's a requirement.

John

Here it is.

Remembering the length on the New York, Chicago & St. Louis RR,
which only ran West of Buffalo, I think the figures are in Hundreds
of miles.

Huh? Remembering the "100 mile day", 6,300 miles would be 63 trips, easily accomplished in three months, even for steam. It's got to be k miles.