Me too Ross. I can't imagine what operating a locomotive with a computer monitor and a desktop console would be like, much less in an air conditioned cab. Hardly railroading, might as well work in an office.

I think the modern systems with such amenities as self lapping train brake and partial release has contributed to a loss of skill. If we make the jobs too easy, people only capable of doing easy jobs will fill them. OK until something unusual happens or a system goes awry, then the main line gets tied up and we stab the limited at the junction.........

dave

I personally don't care for self lapping.
I'll take a 6-ET any day.

There are two VERY important things that the 26 brake has that the 6ET does not - PRESSURE MAINTAINING and GRADUATED RELEASE. Both can be very important on a 34-car passenger train. That 26 brake stand has been in the 765 throughout her entire excursion career.

Yes, parts for the 6 brake can be obtained, but we would have to stock all the replacement parts ourselves. However, if we get stuck for parts on the road with a 26 brake, any locomotive shop on almost any railroad in the country can support the 26 brake.

Personally, my favorite brake valve is a 24RL set up for First Service and Pressure Maintaining. That's a sweetheart!

Rich:

I read someplace that you can convert a 6 so it will pressure maintain. I can't remember where I read it,but since I have never seen it done,do you know anything about it?

Back in the day, most (if not all) passenger engines had 6-ET schedule systems, and the cars were set for graduated release (switch the cap on the UC pipe bracket). Is graduated release an exclusive function of the equipment on the locomotive? I thought the car's equipment (and its positioning) had something to do with it.

You are correct in that the cars in the train all have to be set for graduated release AND the brake valve in the locomotive has to be capable of a graduated release in order to use the train brakes that way.

When set up for Graduated Release, movement of the 26 train brake handle in the service zone changes the EQ reservoir both UP and DOWN, depending on which way you move the brake handle. In practical application, if you want to "drive 'em in and set 'em down" (make a fast but smooth station stop from high speed) you can set a minimum reduction to get all the brakes applied lightly, then go in for a full service reduction to apply the brakes hard and bleed off speed quickly. As the speed settles down, you can gradually release the brakes by moving the brake handle back towards release, but still within the service zone. In other words, the train brakes can be "graduated off" a little at a time, as opposed to a freight car brake which can only be fully released once it is applied. By the time the train actually stops you can have the brakes back to only minimum reduction, which makes for a nice, smooth stop, providing you have been pulling on them a little to keep all the slack stretched.

We did not use Graduated Release on the long, 30+ car New River trains. We were concerned that it would not work relaiably on a train that long with a lot of D22 brakes in the train. However, the other important feature of the 26 brake - Pressure Maintaining - was very useful on those long trains.

There looks to be a battle of the Berkshires going on at Railpictures.net, with some stunning photography of SRI's 1225 and our 765; some are strikingly similar, and even captured within the same day or so, with both locomotives only an few hours away from each other! Very cool.

Kelly Lynch

Not a fan of railpictures.net, so here is my contribution...





The next couple are from the first fireup after repairs.








This one is way too contrasty. Accidently did it in post.

One more...




Only problem is the deisel in the background, along with the photographer and buildings.

"Only problem is the deisel in the background, along with the photographer and buildings."

Isn't that why they invented Photoshop? You kids and yer new-fangled "devices"....back in the day, we had to load our film two sheets at a time, in the dark! And we had to walk uphill in the snow, both ways, barefoot, to get to the tracks to take pictures!!

Seriously, very nice images of a FINE locomotive.

HP
Now digital too, having retired the 4x5 Speed Graphic...

What corner were the notches and how many/what shape where they?

In the '80's for fun, I shot high school football with a Speed, and then carried one around Paris for two weeks. Never did manage to use it on steam (the one time I had it primed to shoot in Norfolk, circa '84, 611 came up lame). I liked the 8 packs.

Still ain't a digital camera that can match a Speed. But that time will come, and soon.