The Fireless Steam Locomotives of Java - Semboro Sugar Mill

The Fireless Steam Locomotives of Java - Semboro Sugar Mill
Semboro (700mm) still uses two 0-6-0F fireless locomotives. These were purpose built by O&K (No: 2, 11739 / 1928; No: 3, 11927 / 1929), unlike the converted Luttermollers at Pagottan ( • The Fireless Steam Loc... ).
This footage was taken in 2015, but they were still working in 2016. A photo of the former conventional steam engines at Semboro rusting in the shed ends the video.

[@crestfallensunbro6001]

Adorable little engines, they are in a bit of a state though...

[@kishascape]

Testament to the durability how they manage to keep going even being poorly cared for. If fuel runs out and the apocalypse hits steam will be king.

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

Very cool video interesting to see that fireless engine in the background getting fed with more steam that’s pretty cool

[@hush6149]

The state of these tracks could give the Uintah Railway a run for its money, freaky

[@twistedmindsteam1449]

Those poor old locos look beat to absolute hell, hope they still work okay enough to be preserved one day. It would be a shame if these helpful little guys one day just up and got scratched because of how dinged up they are

[@GoldHeart_TheOne]

i belive the railway they run are closed now so i dont know if they did make it.

[@Jupiter-rs4zl]

They looked like that since they were made nothing changed

[@robkunkel8833]

So what happens? Is there a master location creating steam and a hose comes down and fills the boiler, like filling air in a car tire? Did I miss seeing the “refueling”. Would that term be wrong? Call it “resteaming”? Thanks for the video.

[@yeright4625]

Sometimes when soil build up between the track, empty wagons would derail...

[@kevinstaddon8517]

Saw some in Cuba 2009 at Brazil mill.

[@MarcoRoepers]

This weekend I saw another fireless steam locomotive, built by O&K It is this one and it is in working condition: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5bKgqKIgrGImq8 . It is built in 1913 and it had it pistons at the rear side, below the cab. Most of steam locomotives built in Germany have that set up.

[@EvenFurtherRail]

Interesting. Thanks.

[@Yellowstone216]

I’ve seen this railway and it’s amazing

[@DuEHobbyfilmer]

Interesting video.

[@jessalinryan6134]

K

[@matthewpastrikos7383]

I never heard of fireless locomotives until i watched Train of Thought's video about it, my goodness i was surprised that it's actually possible to use a steam locomotive without a need of a firebox. Could it be that this was how the future of steam locomotives was going to be before diesel and electric came along? What if we build a fireless steam locomotive for express trains? The possibilities are endless!

[@paulhorn2665]

Yes you can save energy in a steam boiler for some time and use it for shunting engines. But for express trains, you can not save enough steam in a boiler. The range would be too low... Similary to most electric cars nowadays...

[@matthewpastrikos7383]

@@paulhorn2665 So i suppose fireless steam locomotives are exclusively used for shunting duties? Also not every electric car is the same, some have longer ranges, some do not.

[@paulhorn2665]

@@matthewpastrikos7383 Yes these where only for shunting duties...And with a external boiler or excess steam available. Here in germany I know one fireless loco from a paper factory, its just used for shunting from main station into the factory. its a new steam loco built in 1985 and its using process steam from paper factory, which is already there because needed for paper production, so there are no extra fuel costs for this locomotive!

[@matthewpastrikos7383]

@@paulhorn2665 Wow, i had no idea this fireless locomotive was a newly build.

[@jensschroder8214]

All a fireless locomotive needs is hot steam. If hot steam is needed in the factory anyway, this is a good solution. The tank is half filled with water and then hot steam is introduced. Then new steam is created again and again until the boiler is completely cold. However, fireless lock motives are not suitable for driving long distances, they are ideal for shunting and short distances. Because there is no fire, these are also built more simply. They don't need a tender or a supply of coal either.

[@thomashambly3718]

A bit battered aren't they

[@наваливалюме-с3з]

Awesome

[@eliasgarcia2684]

Donde es ese lugar disculpe la pregunta

[@markeholbrook]

Fireless steam, how does this work? Electric would seem very inneficient.

[@EvenFurtherRail]

A fireless steam locomotive has a reservoir (steam accumulator) instead of a boiler. This reservoir is charged with superheated water under pressure from a stationary boiler. You can see No: 2 being recharged at the beginning of the video. The engine works like a normal steam engine using the high pressure steam above the water in the accumulator. As the steam is used and pressure drops, the superheated water boils, replacing the used steam. The locomotive can work like this until the pressure has dropped to a minimum useful level or the water runs out, after which it must be recharged. These engines were very popular with industries that produced high pressure water or steam, eg, sugar mills, and in chemical and armament factories were a spark could cause an explosion.

[@markeholbrook]

Very interesting! I thought the steam would condense too quickly to be practical. I guess it's like a pressure cooker, a reservoir of super heated water keeps producing more steam for a while.

[@jessalinryan6134]

@@markeholbrook K K

[@mchagnon7]

You need electrical infastructure to run electrical locomotives. Third world countries struggle with that. Also, overhead power lines can arc and start fires. Fireless loco's are the ultimate low fire risk, as all they emit is steam.

[@kishascape]

@@mchagnon7 plus more reliable efficient and not as much of an eye-sore or radio interference issue as overhead lines are.

[@richardsledgecock2110]

Pollution free

[@hexazalea]

well they're pretty clean but stationary boiler they're fueled from might not be.

[@larry92adventure65]

Sort of different to Australia’s trains