[Steam-engine] Reverser lever

[Francis Orr]

Lawrence,

My grandfather was also an engineer working a long time on the Erie and then
becoming a road engineer for the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Then his health
failed him and he moved to Long Island, NY and became Chief Engineer at a
dairy. Good thing he did move because he took my father with him and that is
where he met my mother, on a farm across the potato lots from the dairy. My
grandfather later moved back upstate to just outside Dundee, NY on Seneca
Lake.

Just below his farm was a RR line on a long uphill climb out of Watkins
Glen, NY. The freights coming up the hill would have a helper on the end and
sometimes, even one cut into the middle of the drag. Standing on a crossing
and watching the train go by, I sometimes thought that I could stall out the
engine just by putting a handkerchief on a siderod. One night, just after
Christmas, with low clouds and a light snow, I was in my bedroom watching a
train coming up the hill. The low clouds reflected the glow from the fire
when the fire door was opened. Just below the farm, one of the engines lost
its footing and like you said, fireworks, as she tossed about half her fire
out the stack. These engines were run with the Johnson Bar in the last
notch, throttle as far back as you could pull it and you better believe that
the drains were closed!

Regarding drains, in the early 50s when the Long Island Railroad was in
receivership and being operated by the Pennsy, one of their K4s got a slug
of water in the right cylinder and blew the cylinder head about 100' down
the track. I had a piece of it for years. The engineer was one of my
mother's cousins. Another locomotive was dispatched to take the train on
into the city while the original locomotive crew disconnected and tied up
the right side connecting rod. They then ran it back in on the left side
only. I am sure they were very diligent about not stopping on top or bottom
dead center. I have moved freight cars with a pinch bar but doubt that it
would work with a locomotive!

Francis A. Orr