In preparation for the upcoming season, we dissembled and inspected the 765′s MB-type stoker. Here it is running on shop air shortly before re-installation.
A steam locomotive is comprised of many appliances, all with specific tasks and all powered by steam themselves. The MB-type stoker motor is capable of feeding up to 10,000lbs of coal per hour to the firebox. Though many think the stoker is automatic, it is controlled by the fireman. A steam valve in the cab powers the motor, which in turn spins a long steel auger in the tender that feeds coal to the firebox when the 765 operates. The speed of the auger depends on the fireman’s ability to determine how much fuel the 765 needs to burn at any given time. As the engineer uses steam to power the locomotive’s wheels, the fireman must make up that steam by combusting more coal, which in turn flashes more water to steam. That water is replaced and fed to the boiler via an injector or water pump.
A fireman is often trying to find the “sweet spot” between the demand for steam by the throttle and the creation within the firebox and boiler. Too much coal smothers the fire and makes it difficult for oxygen to travel through the grates, and too much steam wastes the coal and water as the excess steam is released through safety valves. Too little coal and the grate space of the firebox is being underutilized and the locomotive’s power dwindles, and grates that aren’t covered by coal can actually melt and the cold air traveling through open grates can damage the firebox interior. Likewise, fluctuations between too much and not enough cause unnecessary wear and tear on the boiler and firebox.
When you see black smoke coming from the 765′s stack, it typically means that the fire is heavy and that the coal is not combusting properly. A light gray haze or clean stack typically means the fire is hot, light, and bright.
Though the locomotive can be fed by the stoker, the fireman must occasionally make adjustments to the firebed by fine-tuning stoker jets (which propel the coal being fed with steam into the firebox) or by hand, using the shovel.
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Our steam locomotive no. 765 was built by hand and hammer, put to work on lightning fast trains, and one of thousands of steam locomotives that sped the country to victory during World War II. The 765 was the supercharged Cadillac of its day, so monumental it was saved for display in the city it called home: Fort Wayne.
But an iron horse like this is born to run. In 1972 a group of volunteers formed the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc and decided the 765’s best days weren’t over.
Completely restored to the way it looked and sounded in service for the Nickel Plate Railroad, the 765 operates in public exhibition and passenger excursion service throughout the country, bringing the sights and sounds of a dramatic era in American innovation to thousands every year. Not bad for a machine built in 1944.
40 years later, the locomotive is still alive and well thanks to our supporters and volunteers. Join us in celebrating our 40th anniversary and help us write the next chapter in railroading’s legacy with one of its most magnificent machines.
2012 may be the railroad historical society’s most active year in history as the 765 will lead a number of employee appreciation specials for Norfolk Southern as it celebrates its own 30th anniversary and the society will also release an extensive souvenir book detailing the operation of the 765 since its removal from Lawton Park in 1974.
Check out our brief video chronicling last four decades.
Various projects consume the weekend work sessions as the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society prepares Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765 for the excursion season.
Wasatch Railroad Contractors interviewed Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society members after a successful mainline run during Train Festival 2011 in Rock Island, IL.
The interview with fireman Kelly Lynch and engineer Rich Melvin begins at 11:46.
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is proud to announce the return of the famous Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765. Order tickets online at: http://www.hoosiervalley.org
The winter season allows the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to perform important annual maintenance and fine tuning practices on historic Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765 at its restoration facility in New Haven, Indiana.
