Does anyone have any sources of video of a Duplex stoker in use on an operating steam locomotive? This would be used as part of a video demonstration of such a stoker in action.

Thanks in advance.

Wayne Laepple

Wayne,

I assume you have Books on the Duplex, I not, I can loan you one.

P. Ferry

Greetings:

The only locomotive running "recently" with a Duplex stoker was Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 which is currently awaiting the completion of repairs at Cleveland, OH.

The Duplex stoker on 4070 was very noisy compared to a BK or HT and the fireman had to do a fair amount of hand shoveling to keep the back foot or so of the firebox supplied with coal, especially when the locomotive was working hard.

Perhaps one of the folks at Midwest Railway Preservation Society (midwestrailway.org) can help...

J.David

PS: I helped Richard Jensen et al. return 4070 to serviceable condition in 1967-68. It was a very nice running locomotive, but the tender was a bit small for fan trip service. We had to leave our train on the GTW single track main line and run for water at Valparaiso on our first trip. JDC

NKP 587 has a duplex stoker so if you can find some cab footage of that then you’ll be in business!

One of several videos from a search for "locomotive stoker" on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUA_UET ... elnutBrown. Another of a working 1/8 or 1/10 scale model is pretty impressive.

I had thought about suggesting 4070's stoker, but it quit running in the home video age very early, so I doubted much exists in the way of operating video of it from the cab. I had the chance to be in the cab with it operating, including getting the opportunity to sit in the left-hand seat and use it briefly once ("When you see the stack clear, put more in"). Since it was the first full-size locomotive I was ever around much, I didn't know it's Duplex Stoker was a rare thing.

Funny thing about stoker operations - all you can see of their operation is coal being pushed into the firebox - and you can't even see that very well.

What needs to be seen is the operations that are happening in the tender and under the floorboards of the cab as the coal moves from tender to firebox - all of which can't be seen.

A video or even playing with an old fashioned manual meat grinder will give you the idea.

I know I've seen a video of the coal coming out of the stoker and being sprayed by steam jets into the fire. Or maybe I'm confusing it with having seen the real thing in action with our garratt before it was sold.

National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis has a 1/4 scale(?) version of what I believe was a salesman's model for a Duplex stoker, cut away, and designed to operate on air. Its on display under their large train shed. You may want to reach out to them for pictures or videos. Potential partnership there. It is a fantastic artifact, I may have photos of it on hand to post here later.

-Sam A.

The Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in Baraboo, WI, also has a model duplex stoker. Another place to ask about this.

I seem to recall the Ralph McAllister 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone constructed to about 14" gauge was built around a demonstration Duplex coal conveyor. It has been in indoor storage since built, but I do not recall seeing it in steam since it left Colorado. Contact the Whiskey River RR in Marshall, WI for more detailed info. The engine apparently was sold (at one time the asking price was $100k) so I am not sure of its current status or location.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4651952
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4651953

Can I ask what the purpose of the video might be? If you're trying to teach someone how to fire coal with a stoker there would be a number of sources here.

Knowledge of hand firing would be the best foundation. If someone can legitimately fire an engine working hard with a scoop, a stoker will be a natural tool for them to use.

I am involved in restoring a model Duplex Stoker at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. We plan for it to be displayed in the museum, but it will not be operated. We hope to produce a video showing it in operation, and we hoped to have a companion view of a full-size Duplex Stoker for comparison.

The unit was obtained from the Reading in 1970 and has been in storage since at least 1983. The RDG had a "Fuel Instruction Car" with this unit, as well as a similar model of a Standard Stoker and other appliances that a locomotive fireman needed to understand and use.

The Reading published a book "Firing the Steam Locomotive" around 1947. They sold originals on the Iron Horse Rambles and updates to the originals were on glued paper. You cut the new text from the paper, licked the glued back, then glued it over the replaced text. Just like General Orders and new timetable pages in an Employees' Timetable.

There have been reprints over the years and Abe's Books wants $10.00 + $2.00 S+H for a reprint.

The book covers Standard stokers which the T-1's have. RDG's I-9 class 2-8-0's had a mix of Standard and Duplex; I believe 50 of each among 100 locomotives.

The book shows the trough in the tender, the augur and the joints where the tender and cab join which I presume is common to both Standard and Duplex. I'd like to know how the Duplex separated the streams between left and right to go up the backhead to the distribution tray and air jets.

Phil Mulligan

Phil --

In the "pot" at the end of the main augur, there is a vertical vane that splits the feeds to the elevator augurs. It can be adjusted, however, to direct more coal to one side or the other of the firebox.

I am learning more about Duplex stokers than I ever thought I needed to know!

Cheers -- Wayne