Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the
individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the
Guest Apocrypha Index).
[Moved from page 5 on 11 Oct 04]
The Pennsy had a terrible time with their S2 steam
turbine #6200, a really bad design, and neither the N&W's
#2300 Jawn Henry nor the C&O's M-1s #501, 502, and 503
were that much better.
However, Ira Ersatz had a brainstorm while watching
tests of the Jawn Henry and, after a quick confab with
brother George, they approached the Pennsy's Motive
Power Department with a proposal that was quickly
accepted. The Berlinerwerke staff worked extra
hard on this project, in conjunction with Baldwin and
Altoona.
Basically, Pennsy enginemen balked at the incredible
length of loco they'd have to look along if the PRR
went along with the other designs and the Pennsy wanted
an oil burner, anyway, so the cab didn't have to be
back by the firebox which had to be near the tender.
Instead, they went with the N&W concept but put the
firebox and cab up front, put a huge fuel tank in the
space where the ash hopper had been, and raised the
tender to accomodate an enormous tankage of water
(necessitating four-axle trucks). The oil and
water tankage allowed the locomotive to run the full
length of PRR trackage without pit stops and the huge
cab, with bunks, a kitchenette, and a john in the nose,
accomodated two crews working in shifts so no crew
changes were required en route. The PRR wanted a
high-speed, dual-service unit with a full cowl for
passenger service. Raymond Loewy got into the act
and he and Baldwin specified, and the PRR readily
approved, grafting a standard shark cab (raised to fit
the huge turbine body and split so the pilot stayed
with the lead span bolster).
George adopted the idea from the PRR Multiplex
2-4-6-8-10-12 of shifting water into the locomotive's
fuel tank (by means of internal bladders to avoid
cross-contamination) to make up for the loss of weight,
and therefore tractive effort, as fuel was consumed.
The tremendous extra weight of liquid gave the
locomotive far more tractive effort than the Jawn Henry,
well over 200,000 pounds!
George's most significant contribution, though, was to
add a small Garrett APU turbine as a sort of
exciter-starter. Whenever it was necessary to
idle, the main turbine was motored by the APU instead
of gulping vast amounts of fuel, the bugaboo that
caused the downfall of all other RR turbine engines,
even the UP's. Throttle response from idle was
thus fast and fuel economy was fantastic.
George's concept was so obvious that it caused a lot of
flattened foreheads in the trade and the loco, named
the "Joe Magarac" [the famed Allegheny steel worker -
(pronounced "Mah-gah-ratz'") - for obvious
competitive reasons] was wildly successful; however,
the rapid onset of dieselization and depletion of oil
wells in the state of Pennsylvania left it an orphan.
Its disposition is unknown.
Here then (based on the Jawn Henry and RF-16 Shark
drawings on Joshua Moldover's
The Railroad Paint Shop) is the BW/Baldwin PRR
Oil-Fired Turbine-Electric Class CCCC, the
"Turbine II" (nicknamed the "Joe Magarac"):
(RR Paint Shop images reworked 30 Sep 04 by S. Berliner, III
- all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed - click on the picture for a larger image;
the full image will require significant horizontal
scrolling!]
Just for comparison, here's a simplifed copy of Josh's Jawn Henry drawing:
(RR Paint Shop image reworked 29 Sep 04 by S. Berliner, III
- all rights reserved to The Paint Shop)
[Thumbnailed - click on the picture for a larger image;
the full image will require significant horizontal
scrolling!]
{I had erroneously reported the Turbine II as being
nicknamed "Paul Bunyan".}
[Something is decidely odd here; these thumbnails don't
show on my PC clone with Windows 98 Second Edition
(with Vector Graphics Rendering loaded) using MS IE
Ver. 6, Netscape 7.02, or Mozilla Firefox, although
they do in Netscape 4.8, as they do on a new IBM
Thinkpad with Windows XP in both IE Ver. 6 and Mozilla
Firefox, and the full images take forever to load in
IE! The line work is only one pixel thick, but so
is it in several of the above images (GBBG1,
GM6c/4b/2a, which were created and processed in the
same manner), and they show just fine.]
Well, it seems, according to Russ Hass, that Baldwin preferred to use Commonwealth
driving trucks, only using the Tri-mounts shown above when" they were unable to
obtain Westinghouse traction motors and GE's wouldn't fit in a Commonwealth truck".
So, I had to search diligently through the Berlinerwerke files and, sure enough (note
how it never seems to fail), there was a drawing of the Joe Magarac "Turbine II" with
the original Commonwealths:
(RR Paint Shop images reworked 30 Sep 04 by S. Berliner, III
- all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed - click on the picture for a larger image;
the full image will require significant horizontal
scrolling!]
BW/Baldwin/PRR Class T3 Oil-Fired Cab-Forward
The Pennsy briefly considered buying the
Pennsylvania Turnpike from the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania at a time when tolls could
not keep up with Commission expenses and
neighboring communities were complaining
bitterly about noise and exhaust fumes.
While nothing came of this venture, Motive
Power was planning on the possibility, which
would have entailed reopening the old
South Penn RR right-of-way and utilizing
its old Allegheny tunnels. To this end,
they decided to bounce their need for better
high-speed locomotion off good ol' George
Ersatz. Among their desires were to
provide a cab-forward design for the tunnels
and to use oil instead of coal (as in the
Turbine II "Joe Magarac", above) and to use
proven designs to the greatest degree
possible. With his deep understanding
of PRR equipment and practices, George hit on
the idea of converting a Baldwin T1 Duplex to
oil-firing, greatly improving the anti-slip
characteristics, and providing a comfortable,
roomy cab for the crew on the specific
understanding that any engineer who wanted to
qualify on the new loco would have to take
special training in Duplex running.
Turning detailing over to Ira, he specified a
Shark cab and a semi-streamlined cowl but
with open (unskirted) running gear to ease
maintenance. To keep the T1's balance,
Motive Power wanted the firebox to the rear,
so George devised a color video camera with a
quartz lens shield to monitor firing in the
firebox on a color TV screen at the fireman's
station in the forward cab, thus avoiding
splitting the crew, which had aways been the
problem with camelbacks. As an oil
burner, the T3's firing controls could all be
operated remotely from the cab and no ashpans
were required. Ira even came up with a
novel remote sanding device so the flues
could be cleaned without someone having to be
at the backhead with a shovel. The
result, the T3 (T2 was reserved), named the
"Altoona", was simply magnificent, a great
steamer and runner, and immensely popular
with the test and shakedown crews:
(15 Oct 04 BW photo by and © S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
Unfortunately, as we all well know, the
Pennsylvania Turnpike continued as a motor
road and nothing came of all this, but the
locomotive was certainly one of the finest
examples of the close three-way cooperation
between the PRR, Baldwin, and the
Berlinerwerke.
BW/Baldwin/PRR Class T4 Oil-Fired Cab-Forward Double Duplex
The Pennsy liked the modified T3 so much and found the changes
improved steaming so greatly that, on George Ersatz's urging, they
authorized the BW to take a scrapped T1 and graft it into the T3,
keeping the road number but reclassifying the loco as a T4:
(26 Feb 08)
(26 Feb 06 BW photo by and © S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed image for larger picture.]
Utilizing the tender body above the second pair of engines to keep
weight on the drivers and, with a set of steam-driven pumps at the
rear (accessed through side doors), and applying the Ersatz System of
Multiplex tenders, the regular tender supplied fuel and water to
maintain weight, and thus traction, on the second pair of drivers.
As with so many clever Ersatz steam creations, rapid dieselization
doomed the "Altoona II".
BW/Baldwin/Virginian 2-4-6-8-10-12 Multiplex
This is perhaps one of Ira Ersatz's earliest
big engines and the obvious predecessor of
the Pennsy
Multiplex Wopsononock Class
YNOT 2-4-6-8-10-12. It
never ceases to amaze me, the wealth of
forgotten material in the BW files. As
far as arduous all-night research can uncover,
Goerge met with Baldwin and VGN personnel to
come up with a steam alternative to the
strings of E-33s which would handle anything
the VGN had on-line in case of a massive
power outage. Based on the incredible
#802 2-10-10-2, with it's massive 118½"
boiler and fitted with dual high-speed
stokers, the #805 proved the equal of every
train on which it was assigned, EXCEPT that
it, of course, could exceed the drawbar
strength of any coupler or draft gear made at
the time. Ira really went all-out on
this one:
(18 Oct 04 BW photo by and © 2004
S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed - click on the picture for a
much larger (~388Kb) image!]
When the #805 was finally scrapped (as
eventually it was bound to be), it's running
gear made for a LOT of smaller units!
The BW staff worked long and hard to get all the drivers aligned just right for this
classic builder's photo, jockeying that monster around, slipping driver sets with each
engine until it was just right. Notice the happy little guy (actually a full-grown
man) leaning against the cylinder of the third engine with an oil can; he was looking
so pleased with himself because he'd just finished oiling the rails under the last
engine (the front one, of course) and he was going off shift and someone else would
have to clean up the mess.
[Of all the many BW locos, this one may well be one of my all-time favorites - SB,III]
Improved BW/Baldwin/Virginian 2-4-6-8-10-12 Multiplex
(31 Jan 08)
Aha! In a search through the BW's voluminous files for an
unrelated loco, this photo of an improved BW/Baldwin/Virginian
2-4-6-8-10-12 Multiplex #805 turned up:
(31 Jan 2008 BW photo by and © 2008
S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed - click on the picture for a
much larger (~557Kb) image!]
The #805 was so free-steaming that the Virginian and Ira Ersatz
decided that it could benefit from some further refinements; you can
readily note the elongated firebox and smokebox with a third stack.
[Note also that the happy little man returned for this shot as well.]
The BW files of George and Ira Ersatz's work are seemingly inexhaustible!
The ELEGARNT (Elegant Energy-Efficient Elephant-Garratt)
Now, THIS one has nothing whatsoever to do with the BW or the Ersatzs (other than
the photo having come out of the amazing files of the BW archives). It seems
there was an energy shortage in India back in the early days after WWI and the
Beyer-Peacock Super-Garratt concept (Patent #230,888, see the
BW Apocrypha page 2) was pressed into service as a stop-gap expedient.
The idea was to use cheap and abundant local silage as fodder for an Indian elephant
and to catch the resultant biomass and convert it to fuel for the Garratt firebox.
The biomass was run by conveyor under the boiler and firebox, where it was dried,
then ground in a processor behind the cab, and finally fed to a tender over the rear
engine, from whence it was drawn as needed by a screw conveyor back into the
firebox. The forward tender held the fodder, fed towards a rear hopper by a
pneumatic press, and a copious amount of water, fed by the gravity of the situation
into an open tank conveniently located under the elephant's trunk.
(23 Jan 05 BW photo by and © 2005 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
Steam running to the forward engine under the drop-center elephant carrier kept the
beast's feet warm on chill nights and a pipe railing alongside the beast carried water
between tenders and served as a safety restraint. A nicely-appointed third
seat was provided in the cab for the mahout.
Ira Ersatz was actually observed gnashing his teeth (quite a sight) when he first saw
this gem (I have been given to understand that the great Rube Goldberg is reputed
to have done likewise). Elephant exchange stations, known as EEEEGEE
(Elegant Energy-Efficient Elephant-Garratt Exchange Establishments), were located at
each watering hole along the line, providing employment for hundreds of destitute
locals.
12,000HP SD90MAC2! Yes, Virginia, the BW HAS out-done
Josh Moldover's CSXT AC100CBW and NSC
CB100W-10 10,000HP locos. Working with EMD (now
Electro-Motive Diesel), the BW has announced these incredible brutes, the
SD90MAC2:
16 Jun 05 image by and © 2005 S. Berliner, III, after Kyle McKerrow's
and David Thompson's drawings, and Wayne Beaver's modification of David
Thompson's drawing, of the SD90MAC-H on Joshua Moldover's
Railroad Paint Shop (and with Josh's AC100/CB100 diaphragm detail, modified) -
all rights reserved
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image]
ALCo-GE-BW FPA-1 Working with ALCo and GE and utilizing proven
components from the FA and the PA, the Berlinerwerke created an FPA-1 to compete
with the F-M CPA20-5/CPA24-5 C--liners and EMD FL-9 (with their unique B-C wheel
arrangement to carry big steam generators at the rear), for the Long Island Rail Road:
(10 Nov 05 image by and © 2005 S. Berliner, III, after J. Moldover
and J. Bélanger
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[After Joshua Moldover's and Jacques Bélanger's drawings
on Joshua Moldover's Railroad Paint
Shop;
[You can expect to see a model of this soon; I no sooner finshed the drawing than
I took apart an HO FA-1 (on an Athearn drive - wonder who made it) and an Athearn
PA-1 and it looks like a fairly easy project (with some frame machining and body
finagling) to kit-botch the two.]
[See also FPA-1 vs. PFA-1.]
BW-BLW-GE-WEC-PRR GG2 {supposedly lost and recreated here but
found and revised on BW Apocrypha page 0}
See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z
(1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga
and Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha
(for taller tales?).
Also, see the fabled BW DDP45 and
other EMD engines EMD may never have dreamed of!
Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the
individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the
Guest Apocrypha Index).
Have I ever told you that there are many Web sites and fora and chats and such that
have very serious discussions about the relative merits of DDP-45, the Z6s, and
these other loco locos vis-à-vis the Big Boy, etc.! Doncha just love it!
If you like this sort of nonsense, take a gander at Jim Wells' incredible
and at the AW NUTS Magazine site, "A Publication of the A.W. N.U.T.S. Garden Railway Society".
If you are air-minded (take that as you choose), you must see the Lion Air site! I'd be Lion if I didn't warn you to keep your tongue in your cheek on this one!
Take your tongue out of your cheek and visit D. Dickens' The Patiala State Monorail Tramway site; whooie (and it's for real)!
THUMBS UP!
THUMBS UP! - Support your local police, fire, and emergency personnel!
S. Berliner, III
To contact S. Berliner, III, please click here.
of this series of Berlinerwerke Apocrypha pages.
of the Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha pages.
© Copyright S. Berliner, III -
2004, 2005, 2006,
2008
- All rights reserved.
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