Thanks to Charlie, Russ and John for your intresting and apt comments. I
agree with John that much of what we are talking about is a matter of
emphasis. And your point about exhaust steam injectors on the O-3s is well
taken. I had wondered about these when I was poring over that 1935 list and
suspected they must be something like what you descibe (I KNEW you knew
more about this than I did ... Now, what the heck is a Nicholson Thermic
Syphon?). I wonder how well these exhaust steam injectors worked -- they
must have had the same problems with oil residue that the Worthingtons had.
I guess my point about the O-3s still would be that all of that class
equipped with only this more primitive technology (exhaust steam injectors)
were assigned to the Lines East, while the O-3s on the Lines West all had
more efficient, state-of-the-art FWHs. Of course, as Russ suggests, there
may have been differences in the purchasing policies of management on the
Lines East vs. West.
About Russ's other point (grades on the FW&D), I don't know what to say.
Most of what I know about such matters I've had to glean piecemeal from
various sources, and about the FW&D, that's essentially zilch. I wish we
had a comprehensive sourcebook showing track profiles or at least a list of
ruling grades on the Q's various divisions and subdivisions. Corbin and
Kerka give some such information, but only for a few sections of the
railroad. And nothing for the C&S or FW&D. Maybe one of our Texas friends
can help out. My folks lived in Dallas for about 20 years. They moved there
just as I was starting college, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time in
Texas, but we did take some trips together and drove out west occasionally.
I don't recall the country northwest of Ft Worth being very hilly, nor does
it look to be in Steve Goen's pictorial. I don't doubt the FW&D had its bad
stretches. But I wonder how they compared with, say, Angora Hill or the run
up to Palmer Lake?
Jonathan
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