Re: [CBQ] Scrap metal - How Many Nails Would A M-4-A Make?

["LZadnichek@aol.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

November 1, 2015

 

Rupert, Hol, Nolen and Leo - Since it's poured rain all day and I don't have anything more productive to do on a very soggy Sunday evening except watch PBS, I've given this some thought and here's my math on how many 10 penny (3d) nails could be made by NWS&W from a scrapped Q Class M-4-A and its tender:

 

512,770 pounds locomotive weight in working order

156,000 pounds tender weight empty

671,370 pounds

 

less 8,340 pounds for water in boiler (1,000 gal. @ 8.34 pounds per gal)

less 1,000 pounds for coal/cinders on locomotive grates (106.5 sq. foot grate area figuring a bushel of bituminous coal weighs 76 pounds)

less 20,177 pounds for slag (cutting loss) or 4 per cent (Leo, 2 per cent would be fine for clean plate steel, but cutting-up a M-4-A involved very heavy torch work on the dirty, grease encrusted thick castings that, from experience, would quickly separate the inexperienced from the experienced burner, eat-up gas/oxygen at a fierce rate and produce rivers of molten slag)

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641,853 pounds locomotive and tender estimated scrap weight, or 286.55 gross tons (2,240 pounds equals one gross ton)

 

Of course, the Q had scales to weigh representative locomotives and their tenders along with calculations of coal and water amounts/weights in order to ascertain the for-sale-as-scrap-weights in gross or net tons. The buyer, if they had scrapped similar locomotives before, knew from experience how much steel scrap weight each locomotive and its tender would yield. If not, they could make their own inspections, calculations and make their quotation accordingly. I speculate that each locomotive including its tender unless otherwise specified was individually bid as lump sum delivered to the buyer's scrap yard. I further speculate that the Q absorbed transportation cost over their own rails and if interchange was required, then the buyer paid for the extra transportation over the other railroad. If there is one piece of Q paperwork I would really like to see above all others, it would be an invitation to bid on scrap steam locomotives issued to scrap companies such as NWS&W. It would answer so many of my questions on just how the Q purchasing department went about disposing of their steam power as we all have speculated upon in this continuing thread.

 

Now, all that being said, how many 10 penny (3d) common nails would a M-4-A make? I hear a drum roll..... Or, may be it's a M-4-A's ghostly whistle blowing from beyond the torch yard..... A 3d nail is three inches long and its takes 70 nails to make a pound (or so various sources on the Internet report). So, multiply 641,853 pounds against 70 and your have the magic number, 44,929,710 nails (plus/minus)! Rather mind boggling if I do say so myself. That is A LOT of nails! Everyone enjoy their evening while reflecting on this number. Perhaps, those "evil" train masters who tormented their train crews in an earlier life are now deep underground in a very HOT place assigned the task of taking all those nails and recreating a M-4-A from them.  That would be H---! I'll be commenting on some other posts in the morning. Best Regards - Louis

 

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL  

 

  

 

  

 

In a message dated 10/27/2015 8:40:10 P.M. Central Daylight Time, CBQ@yahoogroups.com writes:

Nolen

Thanks for the link – I see that a 10 penny nail is the same as my 3 inch nail. 

I suspect that converting nails into M-4-A’s would be similar to converting pumpkins into coaches at the stroke of midnight!

Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ

 

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From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: 28 October 2015 14:28
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [CBQ] Scrap metal

 

How bout we try working this the other direction?  How many nails do we have to buy to build an M-4-A?  Hmmm!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(fastener)

 

Nolen Null

 

From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 8:08 PM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CBQ] Scrap metal

 

 

Louis

After deductions for non-ferrous parts, coal and water, oxidation, wear, cutting loss, etc. what would be the scrap steel weight of a M-4-A? (and how big is a 10 penny nail?)

Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ

 

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Posted by: LZadnichek@aol.com

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