Firebox Flicker Effects

[richg]

This might produce an interesting discussion.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundtraxx/message/33117

Rich

[NarrowMinded]

Interesting... read, I wonder about wood burners? no mention of them.

NM-Jeff

[Doneldon]

rich-

Thanks for the useful and interesting information. I hadn't realized that coal-fired locos have little or no flicker. I've certainly seen some with a little glow but I suspect even that isn't noticeable unless the ashes have been recently dropped.


Narrow-

I would expect that wood would (sorry) be like coal: Little to no flicker unless the grate and ash pan are clean. I don't know if pockets of sap or resin would create some flicker (after all, the most abundant available wood was pine and it probably didn't get dried) but maybe not enough to stand out against the overall light from the firebox.

                                                                                                                   -- D

[NarrowMinded]

For fun and effect I like the flicker, makes the loco more interesting to look at, My G scale loco has a fireman holding a flickering orange lantern,

I say keep the flickering and chalk it up to artistic license, it's sort of like movie effects, anyone who has seen a real car crash knows the sound is nothing like on TV
and gas tanks don't explode like Dynamite.

Rivet counters should all be removing the flicker though!

NM-Jeff

[richg]

Interesting... read, I wonder about wood burners? no mention of them.

NM-Jeff

Read the link again.

Rich

[NarrowMinded]

Do they mention wood? I just read the main post didn't catch it but I'm half blind these days and a halfwit so I miss a whole lot ... or are you referring to the oil burners having a "flicker" which according to what I read seems to be more of a pulse then a flicker...

I'm not that concern with the Revelation of no real flicker it's just interesting to find out which is correct, I'll just have to start paying attention to the real ones when I have the chance.

NM-Jeff

[richg]

The way oil fired boilers work is quite different from coal or wood fired boilers. Coal or wood might have a burning ember drop some times but you do not have the air /fire velocity that a oil fired boiler has.

Rich

[richg]

Ever looked at an oil or gas fired home boiler sight tube? I have and I remember years ago looking at a coal fired home boiler and even someones home wood pellet home fired stoves. The flame action is quite different. The oil fired has quite a lot of velocity to inject the oil spray into the firebox. As the link says, the exhaust beat affected the flame also. Go look at the You Tube videos.

Rich

[Jim Banner]

Has anyone tried making a firebox flicker with a flicker LED (as found in electronic tea lights?)

Jim

[K487]

I didn't read the article (for some reason my computer couldn't download it,)  but the first thought that came to mind for firebox flicker was the relatively slow flicker we can sometimes see between loco and tender when a fireman is regularly stoking a coal fired loco with his shovel.  The pneumatic foot-pedal-operated firebox door creates this.  I've seen this in some of the C&TS videos when the trains go by at about 13mph (and of course would be more dramatic at night).  In the early 1970's I made my own flickers when I fired those locos up the 4% grade Chama to Cumbres Pass (about 40 years ago - wow).

DougC

[richg]

The below link will give you a good idea of what an oil burner is like. A lot different than a coal or wood fire laying on the bottom of the fire box. Yes, those can be  hot fire also.

http://www.sdrm.org/faqs/hostling.html