Weed Spraying Train
NW Mailing List
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sat Nov 3 13:24:53 EDT 2018
Jim,
I am planning an article for The Arrow on all my summer jobs on the N&W,
but I don't know when this will come to fruition because I am working
(??) two other articles ahead of the summer job article.
Thanks for your interest.
Gordon
On 11/1/2018 9:13 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:
> Gordon,
> I for one would be extremely interested in your remembrances while
> working East of Williamson. Would you consider recollecting those
> days and perhaps writing an article or at least feeding us snatches
> through the list?
> Thanks,
> Jim Cochran
>
> On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 12:49 AM NW Mailing List
> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> wrote:
>
> Gordon,
> Speaking of the weed spraying train, do you have any more pictures
> of this train or where they may be found in the Archives? I’m
> contemplating building an N&W weed spraying train in O Scale.
>
> Sincerely,
> Joseph Congemi
>
> On Oct 30, 2018, at 22:52, NW Mailing List
> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> wrote:
>
>> I am very familiar with the use of water spouts to fill not only
>> steam loco tenders but also tank cars. I worked four summers
>> (1952 - 1955) as a laborer in the shops in Durham, NC (3 summers)
>> and in Winston-Salem, NC (1 summer). Several times daily I would
>> have to climb up onto the top of a tender tank, open the funnel
>> lid, pull the spout down against the counterweight tending to
>> pull the spout upward, generally stand or sit on the spout to
>> keep it down, reach up and pull on the rope to open the valve
>> which admitted water into the spout, and try to judge when to
>> shut off the tremendous flow of water to avoid overflowing the
>> tank. In addition, I worked June and July of 1954 as a laborer
>> on the N&W's weed spray train covering the entire N&W east of
>> Williamson, WV (the ability to see that part of the railroad up
>> close was why I sought that job). Our train had four tank cars
>> for water (plus two chemical tank cars, the spray car and a bunk
>> car). During those two months I filled the four tank cars from
>> many different water tanks (see the attached photo of one on the
>> Shenandoah Division as best as I can remember the location). I
>> am confident that the operators of today's weed control trains
>> wish that they had as great a selection of high-flow-rate water
>> sources as we did when water tanks were all over the railroad.
>>
>> I don't remember how long it might have taken to fill an almost
>> empty tender, but it didn't take long when you consider the
>> diameter of the spout and that the spout was completely filled
>> with rushing water. By the way, there was no need for a lock on
>> the water tank valve. The thief/vandal could never reach the
>> valve rope while standing on the ground.
>>
>> Gordon Hamilton
>>
>> On 10/30/2018 5:49 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
>>> Mike,
>>>
>>> Me too, that is why I originally asked the question. Remember,
>>> after coming to a complete stop, the brakeman would have to turn
>>> the valve (? terminology) on the car immediately behind the
>>> locomotive to keep air in the line; then the locomotive would
>>> uncouple from the train and move into place at the water plug.
>>> The brakeman would have to climb up on the tender and open the
>>> water fill hatch; then position the water spout over the
>>> tender. I'm not certain about the mechanism to operate the
>>> water spout, but I presume there was some type of lock so no
>>> vandals or ambitious railfans could discharge water improperly.
>>> The spouts were of large diameter so I imagine the water
>>> discharged at a fast rate, perhaps only taking a few minutes to
>>> reach capacity; then the entire process was reversed from
>>> securing the discharge pipe, closing the water hatch and
>>> climbing down from the tender. I would imagine a similar
>>> procedure was followed for coal loading. The locomotive then
>>> needed to back to the train and couple up, with the air hoses
>>> connected, etc.
>>>
>>> Since most sound decoders today have a water fill routine
>>> available, I have been programming this into my steam loco
>>> decoders (there is no coal fill that I am aware of); I also use
>>> the ash dump feature for locos returning the roundhouse and
>>> before going on the turntable. All interesting operational aspects.
>>>
>>> Jim Brewer
>>>
>>> On Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 5:04 PM NW Mailing List
>>> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm curious as to how long on average was a coal and water
>>> stop for a mainline locomotive? 15 minutes?
>>>
>>> Mike Weeks
>>> Seattle
>>>
>>> On Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 9:59 AM NW Mailing List
>>> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Jim,
>>> One of Bud Swearer's recordings is of a train stopping
>>> at Villamont for water and I don't think that they
>>> uncoupled from the train.
>>>
>>> Jimmy Lisle
>>>
>>> /Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID/
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>> <#m_2949048401770659248_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>> <WeedSprayTrain001.jpg>
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