Barco Low Water Alarm

[JBodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here is the Barco low water alarm. Consists of 9 investment castings, 7 tee bolts and nuts, and machined plug. Available only machined and assembled. $225.oo
Thanks
Jack

[SteveM]

Interesting. How exactly does that work?

Steve

[Steamin]

Steve, it is a non-functioning model.
See this thread http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vie ... entral J1e for details, jump to page 6
Steamin

[Bill Shields]

Just a giggle..

I once had a very good friend (now passed on) tell me that "The Barco Low Water Alarm was a device used to let the engine crew know that they were about to die"...

[Rwilliams]

I read somewhere a description of an Allegheny pulling a heavy coal train that was observed with the low water alarm screaming in the cab. The observer noted that the engineer was still working steam but the head brakeman decided he had had enough and doom was eminent based on the alarm whistle. The head brakeman was then observed exiting the cab and beginning to climb down the ladder to escape his doom. He was too late in making his decision as the crown sheet let go before he reached the ground sending the boiler high into the air and the engine crew along with it. I wonder what the rear end crew saw from the caboose?

Another article estimated that a major boiler explosion has momentary rupture pressure of about 3000 PSI as all the water tries to turn into steam in a very short time. Certainly not a good place to be when it happens. Bill's friend was right.

Robert

[Bill Shields]

He was also an accident investigator.....

[nickco201]

I heard a story from Bill Purdie's son about the water alarm going off on either S&A 750 or SRR 722 one time, can't remember which. Apparently someone was supposed to have been watching it, and Bill and crew were a good distance from the locomotive and heard a funny sound they didn't recognize. Eventually someone realized what it was, they rushed back to the locomotive and turned both injectors on. Most SRR engines to my knowledge were set so the Nathan alarm would go off about 3 inches above the crown sheet.

[tsph6500]

They are called low water alarms, not no water alarms…