Worthington #4 BL2 Feedwater Heater question

[Gary Bonine]

Curtis,
I was part of the group that restored and operated the SP MK-5, number 786 in Austin, TX. in the 1990's. It is equipped with the SA system. The control valve for both the SA and BL systems should be the same. It is listed in some diagrams ( BL ) as the "pump throttle valve" and is on the fireman's side.
Gary

[LivingLegend]

Rob:

The restoration of SP 5021.... Which made it as far as the Santa Fe Yard/Shops at San Bernardino.

Here is a link to a picture of 5021 at San Bernardino taken 1971/

Best of my recollection, as the brain cells fade. Somebody out there correct me as needed and fill in the holes.....

As I wrote previously....

5021 was kept/stored at the Santa Fe San Bernardino yard/shop facility for a period of time. I don't remember the engine doing a revenue, railfan trip of any sort.

Not long after the 5021 was removed from the original site of the RLHS's L.A. County Fairgrounds facility at Pomona, the The SP, whose trackage right of way was near the fairgrounds, took up the spur that lead into it. (For info: The RLHS moved their display tracks to another area of the fairgrounds back in the 1990's so the Fairplex' horse track stables could be expanded.)

Back in 1976, when the American Freedom Train with SP 4449 was making it's Bi-Centennial cross country tour, a temp track was laid into the fairgrounds so the Freedom Train could be displayed there. Before the temp track was picked up after the Freedom Train departed, 5021 was bought back to Pomona and the RLHS site to resume it's display there. The RLHS figured that it might possibly be the last chance they would have, with the temp track for the Freedom Train still in place, to get the engine back into the fairgrounds.

I have a flyer, in my boxed up stuff somewhere around here, that was distributed back in the early 1970's with Frank Venolia up in the engineer's seat that was taken to promote 5021 and it's potential for use in movie, TV, and commercial work.

LL

[FLtenwheeler]

Curtis,

Worthington had 3 models of heaters.

The B, as in 3-B, is the original type, was equiped with 3 steam valves, and had a straight horizontal surface for the bottom of the pump.

The BL, as in again size 3-BL, has the redesigned bottom casting that has the jog in the bottom surface.

The BL-2, as in size 3BL-2, is the BL with a new valve system, that only has one steam valve.

You can tell by most photos which model you are looking at, but often it is tough to tell the size. Catalog sizes I have seen mentioned range from 1 to 4 1/2, which also included a 4 1/4 model as well. I have also seen a size 5, which I seem to remember as being a type B.

The type S heater also had the 3 valve arrangement, and like the B and BL series, could be upgraded to the single steam valve, becoming the type S-2. The S type heater built with the single valve was the SA type.

This is the basic run down on the pumps.

I would be interested in hearing the locations of any locomotives that still have the B, BL or BL2 pumps on them.

The SP 5000's were built with the type B, but do you know what size they were? Does any one know what size is on the PRR I1s that is near Buffalo?

Regards,

Doug.

Here are some pictures. I am still looking for information on the early pump.

Tim

[FLtenwheeler]

I found a manual. Here is some more information.

Tim

[FLtenwheeler]

If anyone wants a higher resolution scan of the figures I can email them.

Tim

[Asteamhead]

FLtenwheeler, thanks for posting the B manual!
Curtis_F, regarding the later model BL-2 this type had the same single - piston valve as the later SA types. Locomotive Cyclopedia 1947 issue, page 368 is showing a cross section of that SA - valve. I had been lucky to get a short desription of how it works by means of just 2 x 3 steam bores in the main cylinder. No additional valve or mechanics but just one (differential) piston valve ! To me the function looks quite sophisticated yet logical. Reliability of the prototype was beyond any doubts, but within a small model? There are a lot of steam chanels which are sealed by just one piston ring to the next chamber, which I consider to be too narrow for 1" or 1.5" models. Would be of interest, if anybody managed to built the Worthington SA-valve as a working model?

When I built my 6SA in scale 1 in 10, the Peters (or Knorr / Westinghouse) solution locked easier to be built.
The Peters valve is using a main differential piston and a steering valve which is driven by steam from just one side. The other side is pushed back mechanical by the main piston. No hollow piston rod necessary here!
Asteamhead