3713 tee-shirt

At long last I have my 3713 tee-shirt (pictured).
I ordered it almost three months ago.
3713, “The Constitution,” is the last of Boston & Maine Railroad’s Pacific (4-6-2) steam locomotives, and the only one not scrapped.
It was kind of a hot-rod Pacific, built by Lima Locomotive Works. It had all the features of Lima “SuperPower” locomotives, including an oversize firebox and thermic syphons.
It was built in 1934, one of five. Others were built later, and they were all named in a contest.
F. Nelson Blount acquired the locomotive about 1960 for his Steamtown collection, and displayed it in various locations, finally his Steamtown in Bellows Falls, Vermont.
Blount died, and his Steamtown collection was moved to the old Delaware, Lackawanna & Western roundhouse in Scranton, PA.
Steamtown is now a location administered by the National Park Service.
3713 is owned by Steamtown, and is being rebuilt for eventual use on their steam-locomotive railroad excursions.
When finally in operation, it will replace #2317 and #3254; both Canadian locomotives that were operating the Steamtown excursions.
When 3713 is returned to service it will be a return to use of American locomotives on Steamtown excursions. #2317 is a Canadian Pacific Railroad 4-6-2 Pacific steam-engine, and #3254 is a Canadian National 2-8-2 Mikado.
I’ve ridden behind both.
The rebuild of #3713 is funded by the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society.
#3713 was in pretty good shape — not as bad as Pennsy K4 #1361.
Both locomotives were being rebuilt at Steamtown in Scranton, and #1361 was a mess.
Whole parts of the locomotive had to be refabricated.
3713 wasn’t like that, but overhauling a steam-locomotive is a slow process.
A steam-locomotive is a pressure vessel on driving wheels.
You have to be overly careful.
Steam is generated within the boiler, and contained therein at high pressure — probably around 250 pounds per square inch in 3713.
If the boiler fails, a massive explosion occurs — steam escaping.
A failed boiler could toss the boiler far from the driving-wheels — often the length of a football field.
You have to keep water atop the top sheet of the firebox. If ya don’t, that top sheet can melt, and blow the boiler. Water cascades into the firebox and vaporizes.
Aware of the dangers inherant, various gumint authorities are involved, to avoid boiler explosions.
Boiler work has advanced far beyond what it was in steam-locomotive days; particularly inspection.
It’s now possible to determine the actual thickness of boiler-plate, instead of just banging on it with a hammer and listening to the ring.
Steamtown holds workshop tours, and I’ve seen both 3713 and 1361 being worked on.
Both are all apart, and 3713 is stripped, and boiler-plate thickness marked all over it. (So is 1361.)
Years ago, boiler-plate was riveted; now it’s welded.
A replacement boiler would be welded, but 3713 wasn’t anywhere near that bad.
And rebuilding a steam-locomotive is costly.
The funding for doing that comes slowly, often only small private donations (me, for example; $100 per year of a total cost of $500,000 or more).
A railroad could rebuild a steam-locomotive in weeks, but railfans ain’t a railroad.
3713 has been being rebuilt for years.
The last time I saw it was about five years ago, completely disassembled.
I bet if I went back today, it wouldn’t look much different.
And, of course, once a steam-locomotive is put to work, it starts tearing itself apart.
Hot exhaust-gases from the fire are routed through the boiler toward the front smokebox through flues and tubes. That tubing is installed as a rounded fit on the firebox front — once the locomotive starts slamming down the track, those fits can work and become unable to hold steam-pressure.
The running-gear also starts wearing itself apart.
Pace an operating steam-locomotive, hear all that thrashing, and ya wonder how it all stays together.
#3713 has a Geisel Ejector, one of the few installations on an American locomotive.
The spent steam exhausts out the cylinders into an “ejector” into the front smokebox, but aimed at a smokestack funnel.
The “ejector” was a limiting factor on steam-locomotive performance — it caused back-pressure in the cylinders.
The “Geisel Ejector” has multiple nozzles aimed at an oblong smokestack, and supposedly reduced back-pressure.
The outside indicator of a Geisel Ejector is the oblong smokestack, what 3713 has.
I haven’t seen “Geisel Ejectors” on anything else, just 3713. Usually the exhaust-steam was blasted through a single nozzle aimed at the smokestack funnel. The exiting steam also promoted a draft on the fire; making a steam-engine work better at speed.
Recent steam-locomotive technology has a draft-fan to promote a draft through the firebox. It’s engaged when the locomotive is stopped, or working slowly.