Re: [CBQ] re: Piledriver sans tender

["'John D. Mitchell, Jr.' cbqrr47@yahoo.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

The IC used "drop hammer" piledrivers  and didn't need boilers to supply steam to the steam hammers (like the Q used). This just one of the many examples of the "cheap skate" IC! The drop hammers were inexpensive to buy and maintain, but slowwww! 
 

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From: "LZadnichek@aol.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] re: Piledriver sans tender

 

February 18, 2015

 

Gerald - Thanks! Since the pile driver itself weighed in the range of 90 net tons, your observation about minimizing the weight on trestles being constructed or repaired makes perfect sense. Back in the early 1970s when I moved south to the Alabama Gulf Coast, the L&N was still 100 per cent "steam" with their pile drivers assigned to protect the many trestles and bridges on the Mobile & New Orleans Division. The pile drivers all had been equipped with L&N passenger steam locomotive whistles, so when they self-propelled themselves to a job site and blew for the crossings it sounded just like a steam train was coming. They all had a very rapid exhaust, similar to that of a Shay, when moving. Finally, after the L&N became part of the SCL, the Mobile & New Orleans Division pile drivers were all retired and scrapped with the whistles being given to long term employees. The IC down here also kept a steam pile driver whose boiler had been condemned. A large industrial diesel air compressor had been mounted on a flat car coupled to it to replace the steam with compressed air. Best Regards - Louis

 

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL      

 

In a message dated 2/17/2015 3:44:10 P.M. Central Standard Time, CBQ@yahoogroups.com writes:

I asked the same question of a Q/BN B&B Foreman @ Galesburg years ago & later had it confirmed by a Pile Driver crew in SoDak on the C&NW when I was a C&NW Safety Mgr.

There were times, given the weight of a full tender (water/coal) that they would venture out on to a recently repaired trestle (or one needing just a bit of 'driving') sans tender so as to minimize the gross weight.  The pile drivers could carry enough fuel/water to maintain operation for a short period of time w/o the tender.  Ones I was most familiar with were all Alcos.  There whistles, whether a Q, C&NW or IC pile driver (the 3 RR's whose piledrivers I got up close with & spoke with crews) had the same steam whistles as normal Alco locos and thus looked & sounded alike.  The IC crew told me whenever they had to leave their pile driver unattended, they would detach the whistle and lock in side the tool/crew boxcar to keep railfans from stealing as these were undoubtedly the last steam loco whistles still in use by Class I RR's well after steam had been ret'd (except of course piledrivers and some cranes)

Gerald

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Posted by: "John D. Mitchell, Jr." <cbqrr47@yahoo.com>

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