Jul 122009

inside227

This is the engine room from which the engineers operated Locomotive 227. In the center you can see the coal shut leading underneath the boiler.

Locomotive 227 is located at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Weighing in over 1 million pounds and capable of pulling a load of 36 million pounds, it has two separate ‘engines’, i.e. sets of powered wheels. Because of the locomotive’s length, the wheel sets are articulated, meaning they can ‘turn’ underneath the main body of the locomotive. This was necessary so the locomotive could handle the curves in the railroad tracks.

Looking at all the controls in the cab, one could almost imagine that the train engineers running this machine could probably have a go at running the space shuttle, aero issues excepted.

For other Monochrome Monday photos check here.

12 Responses to “Inside Locomotive 227”

  1. Daryl says:

    Now this is a fascinating shot .. even w/o knowing what I am looking at/into its got so much going on …

  2. James says:

    This is an outstanding picture. It really makes me want to study it for a while.
    Amazing.

  3. floreta says:

    looks almost sci-fi!

  4. Aileni says:

    This must be the peak of steam complexity. I don’t imagine the shuttle motors have this much piping.

  5. Rob says:

    The coal chute is nearly lost in all the tangle of pipes, dials, and valves.

  6. Hilda says:

    Whoa! This is one awesome piece of machinery! It looks almost like an alien spaceship!

  7. Regina says:

    Stunning. Great shot!

  8. Now that is a piece of engineering that is beautiful to look at, and your treatment of the subject is quite masterly. I can’t imagine what it must have felt to drive such an engine and feel the power generated. Amazing.

  9. Julia says:

    What a wonderful shot, would be perfect for a Science Fiction cover. Looks great full size to really see the detail and it wasn’t until I viewed it full size that I realized what it was.

  10. twincyphoto says:

    There’s so much texture there, it’s crazy!

  11. Russ says:

    That’s a very cool shot!

  12. Dan J. says:

    It’s the Borg !!!! (‘Star Trek – Next Generations’ reference)
    Very funky shot.

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