The 'Pioneer': Light Passenger Locomotive of 1851: United States Bulletin 240, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, paper 42, 1964White, John H.
History
The 'Pioneer': Light Passenger Locomotive of 1851: United States Bulletin 240, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, paper 42, 1964
White, John H.
Locomotives
The throttle valve is a simple slide valve and must have been primitive
for the time, for the balance-poppet throttle valve was in use in this
country previous to 1851. It is located directly below the steam dome
even though it was common practice to place the throttle valve at the
front of the boiler in the smokebox. Considering the cramped condition
inside the smokebox, there would seem to be little space for the
addition of the throttle valve; hence its present location. The dry pipe
projects up into the steam dome to gather the hottest, driest steam for
the cylinders. The inverted, funnel-like cap on the top of the dry pipe
is to prevent priming, as drops of water may travel up the sides of the
pipe and then to the cylinders, with the possibility of great damage.
After the steam enters the throttle valve it passes through the front
end of the valve, through the top of the boiler via the dry pipe (fig.
18), through the front tube sheet, and then to the cylinders via the
petticoat pipes. The throttle lever is a simple arrangement readily
understood from the drawings. It has no latch and the throttle lever is
held in any desired setting by the wingnut and quadrant shown in figure
18. The water level in the boiler is indicated by the three brass cocks
located on the backhead. No gauge glass is used; they were not employed
in this country until the 1870's, although they were commonly used in
England at the time the _Pioneer_ was built.
While two safety valves were commonly required, only one was used on the
_Pioneer_. The safety valve is located on top of the steam dome.
Pressure is exerted on the lever by a spring balance, fixed at the
forward end by a knife-blade bearing. The pressure can be adjusted by
the thumbscrew on the balance. The graduated scale on the balance gave a
general but uncertain indication of the boiler pressure. The valve
itself is a poppet held against the face of the valve seat by a second
knife blade attached to the lever. The ornamental column forming the
stand of the safety valve is cast iron and does much to decorate the
interior of the cab. The pipe carrying the escaping steam projects
through the cab roof. It is made of copper with a decorative brass band.
This entire mechanism was replaced by a modern safety valve for use at
the Chicago Railroad Fair (1949). Fortunately, the old valve was
preserved and has since been replaced on the engine.
The steam gauge is a later addition, but could have been put on as early
as the 1860's, since the most recent patent date that it bears is 1859.
It is an Ashcroft gauge having a handsome 4--4--0 locomotive engraved on
its silver face.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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