STEAM OPERATIONS
OF THE
CHESAPEAKE &OHIO RAILWAY
AT
by
William E. Simonton, III
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NOTES
Updated: 12/23/2007
| 1. | Section Tool House 122 is a standard C & O tool house built to C & O Standard S-5 & S-5A except for the doors which were an oblivious later addition. Razed 1985. . |
| 2. |
The Linemen's Tool House is apparently a
standard C & O tool house built to C & O standard S-5 & S-5A and
modified for use by the linemen by adding two windows (one at the side and one
at the rear) and a coal stove. This was
at least a standard on the C & O New River and Alleghany Subdivisions, as
the author has observed identical structures at Thurmond, West Virginia, and
Alleghany, Virginia. Razed 1985. |
| 3. | The Propane Gas Storage House (108) is the second built at Hinton. The first was located between the old wood yard office and the Mallet Engine House. It was removed (relocated R.R. east) when the present brick Yard Office was built in the location shown. |
| 4. | This structure was incorrectly identified as “Rabbit’s Shanty” in the Model Railroader article of September 1991. Razed 1985. The author recently observed (4/22/04) a photograph taken at Clifton Forge showing an almost identical structure used there. |
| 5. | The sand bunker is a standard Fairbanks Morse & Co. design. The same design was also used at Fulton Yard, Richmond, Virginia and Stevens, Kentucky. In 1946, the sand bunker was modified by moving the sand conveyor from the inside of the structure to the enclosed structure on its R.R. north face, demolishing the original pit underneath the concrete shelter attached to the sand bunker, and building a new sand pit on a separate spur track elevated above and to the rear of the sand bunker. In addition to increasing the capacity of the sand bunker, the change would have alleviated the problems sure to have been encountered with the coal pit and sand pit on the same spur so close together. The structure to the rear of the concrete sand bunker was constructed of ¼” steel which was salvaged from old or scrapped rail cars, as peeling paint revealed the old white lettering on my last visit to Hinton. In addition to providing shelter to the chute from the elevated sand pit, the structure also contained an additional sand drying stove. At some date, the C & O began delivering dry sand in covered hoppers to Hinton, and the sand was piped directly from the bottom of the pit underneath the covered hopper cars to the coal dock sand bunkers. All operations ceased circa 1986. |
| 6. | Drawings of the Depot prepared by the Historical American Engineering Record (HAER) may be found at the following website. |
| HABS/HAER | |
| 7. |
The drawings of the Mallet Engine House are based upon C & O Drawing Nos. 3000, 3000A, 15223, and 14549-8. Although the original drawings circa 1911 are complete (Nos. 3000 & 3000A) they do require significant study to understand as they are half-framing drawings typical of the era. Drawing No. 15223 provided information on the expansion of the Mallet Engine House required by the arrival of the C & O H-8 2-6-6-6 locomotives in 1942, but I have nothing on the removal of the monitor and the installation of the asbestos smoke jacks except drawings of those installed in the roundhouse in 1942, and a letter in one of the Chief Engineer's files which approved the purchase of six smoke jacks of which four were used on the roundhouse. The board and batten were rough sawn as a note on the original drawings specifies undressed 1" x 12" boards and 1" x 3" batten. Dressed (run through a planer to smooth the exposed surface) would have reduced the boards to 7/8ths inch thickness. A note on Dwg. No. 15223 indicates that doors from the roundhouse were installed on the extension to the Mallet Engine House erected in 1942 - that would have been from stalls 14, 15, 16 or 17. Whether roundhouse doors were also installed at the east end of the Mallet Engine House is unknown. Based upon photographs of the interior of the Roundhouse, the interior would have been white washed and the white washing would have included the trusses and framing. |
| 8. |
The Wash Rack drawings are essentially complete except for the D & M Washing Machines which occupied the 4' x 4' pads on each side of the wash rack. Connections were placed along the sides and center of the wash rack. A tank for D & M oil was located a short distance from the wash rack. The machines used hot water and added a mixture of D & M oil . The oil may have been used to oil parts after they were cleaned, but is more likely that the D & M oil was used as a surfactant (as de-greasing agent) with the patina of oil remaining to protect the parts. The recent Archives work session at Clifton Forge turned up a complete set of plans for the "Arrangement" for D&M wash machines with all connections. The only thing missing is the machine itself - a cylinder about 36" high by 22" in diameter. I will post a complete set of drawings derived from those in the future. In addition, a wood frame board & batten ancillary structure for the Wash Rack (the "D&M Cleaning House) was erected on the railroad north side of the wash rack in 1945. The size, appearance and use of this structure is not now known, but was probably used to store extra hoses and may - may have been used as a shelter for the wash rack workers. |
| 9. | For modelers of the C & O, please note that
Diamond Scale Products
http://www.diamond-scale.com/ makes O and HO scale Bethlehem Twin Span
turntables with the correct center arch (available as on option). The
HO 120' turntable is a very good match for the 115' turntables the C & O used
as the extra 5' virtually disappears when a H-7 or H-8 with the extra length
typical of a model articulated is on the turntable.
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Copyright 2004 - 2007 William E. Simonton, III