Rail riding

[Retrorockit]

I found this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYVB6aJqviI

The 2 cylinders are double action. Power up and down stroke. So it's equal to a 4 cylinder 2 stroke (or 4 stroke v8). It's making power everywhere in the stroke. Doesn't really need to idle, or have a clutch, or flywheel. You'll notice it pulls just fine at 0 RPM. Kind of like electric that way. Steam engines don't blow the piston down with pressure. They shoot a small amount of steam in, then let it expand to remove the heat from it.

[Retrorockit]

https://imgs.search.brave.com/2QJOP7CC0QWb6zuOZQkTfU16JIhISJEhAKbFhq3-iP0/rs:fit:600:315:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLnBp/bmltZy5jb20vNzM2/eC84Yy9lNy9mYy84/Y2U3ZmM2ODU1ZjBi/YjMyNjJlODJmYmIw/NmFmNTQwNy0tZ2ly/bHMtd2Vla2VuZC1t/aWx3YXVrZWUuanBn

On real ones the connecting rod goes straight to the wheels. No transmission. To go faster just add bigger wheels.The 2nd car is the fuel tank.
A train like that could hit 100mph if they were running late. Like when a diesel broke down and they had to make up time.

[ncmired]

Related to work and train engines of old, it looks like the Big Boy No. 4014 is rolling again - all 1.1 million pounds of it:

Yes, obsolete, but it makes glorious noises, as do the still runnable V-12 R&R Griffons & Merlins, and the Allisons of old:

These V-12 engines must have sounded phenomenal when pushed to war emergency power.

[Retrorockit]

Because they weren't hauling coal that one would've been an oil burner.

[73Eldo]

I didn't think UP built many (or any?) of their own locos. For sure the later ones were all ALCO's which included the big boys, challengers, and northers. Some railroads did build their own, Southern Pacific I think was one that still has a few survivors. The big boys were coal. Back when they were still in regular use they did try to convert one to oil but it apparently didn't work so they ended up converting it back. When they restored one 2019 they did convert it to oil which works fine for how hard it needs to work these days.

In the 70's and 80's people were putting those V12's in just about everything you could think of and if you broke it you didn't bother to repair it because they were apparently so cheap and easy to get from military surplus. Now days even broken engines and parts apparently go for huge money.

[Retrorockit]

I'm kind of working form memory on this. I passed all my train books on to my brother so I can't look these things up.

[Retrorockit]

Most beastly single engine fighter was the Hawker Tempest. 3500HP. I won't even try to explain it. No cams, no valves.........
https://mechtraveller.com/2019/10/th...e-aero-engine/
Jets came along before it reached it's full potential.

[Retrorockit]

Opposed piston diesel is pretty cool. They list it as 18 cylinders, but that means 36 rods and pistons moving around. Sleeve valves made it possible.
Kind of like 3x 60* vee 12 aircraft engines spliced together.

[73Eldo]

There was also that Chrysler tank engine? that I think was 3 V8's in a triangle. I saw one of those at a museum before I knew they existed. Museum didn't have much info on it and that was the very early days if the internet so i think it was years before I was able to learn more.

[Retrorockit]

They also made some 18 cylinder sleeve valve air cooled radials for the Hawker Sea Fury. The "Flat" head layout made them very compact for their displacement.
I found this animation of the smaller 14 cylinder Hercules.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vrvep_YOio

[ncmired]

This rail rider is serious - both in bike construction and the rails ridden:

[73Eldo]

I saw that one. It folds up reasonably well and can handle some off roading when the rails are overgrown.