RE: [ihc] no IH content, but fun--

[Steven Stegmann <steve.stegmann@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg,

Did you ever hear of the Napier Nomad diesel aircraft
engine.  I saw one at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazey
center at Dulles Airport.

Turbocharged diesel, with a second turbine whose
output was combined with the shaft drive to the
propeller.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Nomad

Steve
--- Greg Hermann <bearbvd@domain.elided> wrote:

> At 8:04 AM 10/25/04, Steven Stegmann wrote:
> >There's a UP "Big Boy" in the St. Louis County
> >Transportation Museum.  Hard to imagine something
> like
> >that moving.
> >
> >Steve
> 
> The UP's 'Big Blows' were equally amazing, but not
> as heavy as the 'Big
> Boys'. They were gas turbine electrics--which burned
> SO much fuel oil that
> they had to have a tanker-tender just to carry their
> fuel. I think, at
> least, they had the decency to put traction motors
> on the tender as well as
> on the locomotive !!!
> 
> But the MOST interesting UP thing I ever saw was, I
> _THINK_ (never was able
> to chase down the details) was what appeared to be a
> combined cycle gas
> turbine unit !!! Think it had to be a gas turbine
> electric top cycle with a
> RECIP STEAM bottoming cycle !!!!!! This was in '92,
> saw it taking a long
> freight down 'the ramp' in western Nebraska. My
> guess would be a big two
> shaft turbine--fan jet sort of affair--taking power
> off the shaft to make
> power for traction motors on the tender, and on the
> leading and trailing
> trucks, using the fan to pull air over a steam
> condenser (yep, it appeared
> to be a closed steam cycle, only a wisp of dark
> exhaust smoke from it), and
> then take the turbine exhaust through a fire tube
> boiler (with perhaps a
> bit of afterburn using the excess O2 in the exhaust
> stream--to run the
> pretty convention steam drivers !!!
> 
> Greg
> 
> >--- Greg Hermann <bearbvd@domain.elided> wrote:
> >
> >> At 11:30 PM 10/24/04, John M. Adams wrote:
> >> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> >> From: owner-ihc@domain.elided
> >> [mailto:owner-ihc@domain.elided]On Behalf Of
> >> >> Greg Hermann
> >> >> Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 9:42 PM
> >> >> To: ihc@domain.elided
> >> >> Subject: [ihc] no IH content, but fun--
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Saw a 148 wheeler (highway) rig today !!!!
> >> >
> >> >P.S. If that WAS an E60C or equivalent loco like
> >> their other ones, its
> >> >weight is typically between 185 and 195 U.S.
> tons
> >> (plus or minus a few
> >> >pounds... :)
> >>
> >> Sorta light compared to, say, one of the UP's old
> >> 'Big Boy' steam mallets
> >> !!! Climbed and looked all over one of them once
> at
> >> the Forney
> >> Transportation Museam once in Denver, before they
> >> moved it. 1,250,000 lbs.
> >> of iron in one of those critters !! :-)
> >>
> >>  If you add the weight of the two tractors, the
> >> "jeeps", the
> >> >carrier beam... Man, I don't want to think what
> the
> >> total weight of that rig
> >> >was.
> >>
> >> Had to be in the neighborhood of 600 K lbs,,
> maybe
> >> even north of that,
> >> including the ballast on the two tractors.
> >>
> >> Must really be a LOT of art involved for the two
> >> tractor drivers to
> >> coordinate their driving!
> >>
> >> Greg
> >>
> >> How do get a rating to drive something like that?
> >> It's not like there's
> >> >much opportunity to practice! Wish I could have
> >> seen it...
> >> >
> >> >Any pictures?
> >> >
> >> >Thanks,
> >> >
> >> >John A.