keywords = Berlinerwerke Ruhnia Ruhnian State Railways RSR Kroplihne RK railroad stories tall tales apocrypha S. Berliner, III's Berlinerwerke RSR Apocrypha Page 2
Updated: 28 Dec 2008, 22:00 ET
(Created 08 Dec 2008)
[Ref: This is bwarsr02.html (URL http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/bwarsr02.html )]

S. Berliner, III's

(Berlinerwerke)

RSR Apocrypha Page 2

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THE BERLINERWERKE APOCRYPHA

This page sponsored jointly (lots of 'em) by the
National Railway Hysterical Society
and the
National Muddle Railroad Association.

(Lighten up - they're spoofs!)

[See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga
and Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha (for taller tales?):

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR FREIGHT ENGINES.

LEWELLEN NORTHERN GARRATTS.

CSXT AC100CBW and NSC CB100W-10 10,000 horsepower locos!
Also, see the fabled BW DDP45 and other EMD engines EMD may never have dreamed of!]

Insanity doesn't run in my family, it just sort of dawdles along.

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).

INDEX

The main Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Page.

Earlier occurrences of joint RSR-BW efforts:

Ruhnian State Railways's 665A-001.
Ruhnian State Railways - con't'd.
Rhunian State Rwys 465B Push-Pull.
Rhunian State Rwys 465C V8.
Rhunian State Rwys 465W Wankel.
RSR 465H Heisler Beyer-Garratt.
RSR 46.5 Heisler.
RSR 164B 6-Cyl. Compound Beyer-Garratt Express Passenger Loco.
RSR 815A 10-Cyl. Compound Beyer-Garratt Express Passenger Loco.
RSR and PRR Meyer 0-4-4-0Ts.
RSR T900-10r Super Tanker.
RSR DD2 Banker
RSR Dual-Service DD3 Banker (29 Sep 08)
RSR ABCDEF Super-Banker

On the Ruhnian State Railways Apocrypha Page 1:
RSR 863 Boosted-Tender Series.
RSR RU94-15 Articulated 2-Unit Diner-Lounge.
RSR/BW 323-2I Inspection Car.
RSR/BW 523E2 2-10-6-10-2.
RSR/BW 533F 4-10-6T.
RSR/BW 675A 4-6-6-4.
1st RSR Loco Found! E24A 4-2-0 #1.
RSR/BW 756A Garratt.
RSR/BW 865A 4-8-8-8.
RSR/BW C9x 1-1-1.
RSR/BW Cat D8.
RSR/BW 464A 6-cyl. 2-4-2+2-4-2 Garratt.
RSR/BW 323-2B.

On this Ruhnian State Railways Apocrypha Page 2: (08 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 460B Fireless Cooker. (08 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 460C Fireless Cooker. (08 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 460D Ersatz-Garratt Fireless Cooker. (08 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 1280 Ersatz-Garratt Fireless Cooker. (11 Dec 08)
RSR/BW E48D 4-2-2T. (14 Dec 08)
RSR/BW E24B 4-2-0 and E44B 4-4-0. (15 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 165A/B/C 4-2-2 and 4-2-4T. (18 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 161 4-2-2 Single. (23 Dec 08) and (28 Dec 08)
RSR 6-2-0 Crampton. (23 Dec 08) and (28 Dec 08)
RSR 6-2-0 Izaak Drippski. (28 Dec 08)
[Duplex coverage moved from this RSR page 2 to page 3 on 28 Dec 2008]
RSR/BW 4-14-4+4-14-4 Garratt. (28 Dec 08)

On the Ruhnian State Railways Apocrypha Page 3: (28 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 4-4-4-4 Class 464 Duplex. (28 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 4-6-6-4 Class 664 Duplex. (28 Dec 08)
RSR/BW 4-8-8-4 Class 864 Duplex. (28 Dec 08)
[Duplex coverage moved from this RSR page 2 to page 3 on 28 Dec 2008]

Before I start, I should note that all this (the BW Apocrypha) started with a secret project that is still unfinished and the next major development of the Berlinerwerke was their fabled DDP45:

For more about her and her family, see my EMD page.

RUHNIAN STATE RAILWAYS
APOCRYPHA

Continued from Ruhnian State Railways Apocrypha Page 1

Because the Ruhnian State Railways (RSR) had so much interaction with the Berlinerwerke, and especially with the BW's George and Ira Ersatz and their sons, George, Jr., and Ira, Jr., I decided to place any new BW-Apocrypha coverage of RSR loks on separate pages.

The RSR, and its cooperative competitor, the Kroplihne Railway (RK), under the successive directorship of Chief Engineers Giorg Maznicek (1839-57), Marek Luršimonš (1857-91), Karel Belčamin (1891-1919), Bela Šahlmeti (1919-29), Frihdrik Tešlov (1929-50 - in exile 39-45), Mikhail Rodnivacek (1950-62), Jochann Ketterik (1962-85), and Artur Gorote (1985-present), has presented to the astonished world some incredible examples of unique and pioneering locomotive design.

Thanks to the generosity of Norman Clubb, proprietor, we are able to show here some of the additional unbelievable adaptations of RSR lok types as developed jointly with the Berlinerwerke.

The RSR's Class 640A 4-Cylinder Fireless Shunting Locomotive of 1998 was intended as a replacement for the ageing class 520A shunters; the synchronised opposed-piston arrangement was inspired by the work of the American engineer Bill Withuhn for the ill-fated ACE3000 Project of 1980.&nbs; Although it never got off the ground, the Berlinerwerke's George Ersatz, Jr., spotted the drawing in the RSR Design Department, shot a copy off to cousin Ira, Jr., at the BW and the result was this super-power cooker, the Class 640B, capable of operation from either end: (08 Dec 08)

Concern by top RSR management that the loco looked loco led Ira to add a skyline casing to hide the steam dome, which was far more acceptable:

While NOT a boxcab, it sure LOOKED like one! These two 640 variants show just how closely the Junior Ersatzes followed in their fathers's footsteps.

The extension of the RSR's hump-marshalling yards at Martihpe and Daemenova to accommodate the giant classes 523E2 2-10-6-10-2, 533F 4-10-6T, 756A, 865A 4-8-8-8, and 464A 6-cyl. 2-4-2+2-4-2 resulted in the 640b and 640c shunters running out of steam whil(e)(st) shuffling cars the length of these giant yards, so the RSR called on George Ersatz, Jr. for help; he, in turn, had Ira, Jr. create the Ersatz-Garratt Class 640D: (08 Dec 08)

The articulated 640D Thermos-bottle-loks had no trouble at all working a full shift on one charge of steam and the added traction from the weight of the main tank allowed them to handle ever-longer cuts of cars.

A certain esteemčd dra(f)(augh)tsperson, who SHOULD remain forever nameless, suggested that, "while the new design looked good on paper, there was a problem when they loaded it up with hot water and steam to try it out"; "not to be deterred, they went back into the workshop and a few days later had the problem solved": (08 Dec 08)

(08 Dec 2008 images by K. Parker, after S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved
but to whom and who'd WANT credit?)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]

Cute drawings but it just ain't so! You don't PUT water in a fireless cooker, only steam! Ersatz rules! Not so fast, though. I have been advised that you DO put hot water in a fireless cooker, after all; about a third of the volume and it effectively absorbs the steam as the pressure rises. When the pressure drops, the steam comes out and is utili(z)(s)ed in the cylinders [see - I'm NOT too old to learn!].

So, Ira, Jr.'s design, with weight transfer built into the vertical steam delivery pipes at each end of the main tank, carries the weight of the water and adds traction, as noted, counter-balancing the weight of the cylinders. Thus, Ersatz still rules! (09 Dec 08)

As for those who complained that the load-carrying provision is not truly on the Garratt principle, I can only remind them that it is, after all, an Ersatz Garratt!

Well, as it happens, George, Jr., had the same idea as Karen later came up with; the RSR quickly found that even the Class 640D couldn't handle the gigantic trains the 464A, 523E2, 533F, 756A, and 865A hauled in and out of the enlarged Martihpe and Daemenova yards and turned to the BW for assistance. This got Ira, Jr., going on the true Garratt idea and he quickly came up with the Class 1280: (11 Dec 08)

(10/11 Dec 2008 image by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]

That monster, with its heavily beefed-up frames, solved the problem rather neatly, handily assembling any train required without having to recharge during normal shifts [deliberate pun!]. With valve gear outboard on the frames and small-diameter outer main tank sections, there was just enough clearance to handle any curvature the big 464A, 523E2, 533F, 756A, and 865A class loks could negotiate.

George Ersatz, Jr., ever the world traveler and superb salesman that he was (just like his father before him), was able to sell this exact design in Australia and New Zealand, the RSR-1250DU (Down Under):

Magne-traction, anyone?

That cute little E48C 2-2-2T was so rough riding that, towards the end of their useful lives, Karel Belčamin asked George Ersatz if his brother Ira could come up with a neat fix. Ira stretched the front frame and adapted a four-wheel front truck from the later CB-1: (14 Dec 08)

(14 Dec 2008 image by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]

That changed everything and those little speedsters became so popular with the crews that the RSR had a hard time scrapping them out when they were far out-dated.

A similar upgrade extended the life of the venerable E24A and E44A classes, as the E24B and E44B: (14 Dec 08)

(15 Dec 2008 images by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]

This tender loving care turned them into racehorses belovčd of their drivers!

Well, tempus fugits and generations roll on; it is finally time to introduce the newest Ersatz tribe. Both George, Jr. and Ira, Jr. married and had children who have now grown into mature, responsible people. George, Jr. begat George, III and Georgina while Ira, Jr. begat Ira, III and Iris; as children of cousins, they are "first cousins, once removed". (18 Dec 08)

George, III and Georgina (Gina) attended Georgetown U. (naturally) and graduated in Mechanical Engineering and Management, respectively. Ira, III went to Champlane Collage, as did Iris; they both got degrees in Mechanical Engineering Technology. George, Ira, and Iris followed their fathers and grandfathers; Gina is now the BW's Personnel Manager. Ira apprenticed under his Dad at the BW and Iris, after working summers for Artur Gorote in Akohniçe, was asked to stay on after graduation.

Geo., III (no, NOT the syphillitic mad king of England) saw a need for really small modern steam power for the far reaches of the RSR and had his cousin Ira, III reduce the immensely-successful Class 465A to a single-axle stub-tender unit still utilizing the flat 6-cylinder opposed piston engine by the ingenious expedient of sleeving down the cylinders, the 4-2-2 Class 165A. Iris preferred an even smaller Forney-style 4-2-4T with panniers and produced the Class 165B but, since horses are still in common use out in the countryside, was prevailed upon by Gorote to shroud the loco as a boxcab dummy (that's "boxcab dummy", NOT "boxcab, dummy"!), the Class 165C:

Class 165A 4-2-2 (left) || Class 165B 4-2-4T (center) || Class 165C 4-2-4T Boxcab (right)
(18 Dec 2008 images by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]

We look forward to the youngsters's newest ventures!

One of Iris's first śuvres came about as a result of her stumbling upon a huge tarp in the Akohniçe back-lot whil(e)(st) out jogging during her lunch break. Her insatiable curiosity got the better of her and she had to peek under the tarp; it was, amazingly, a surviving giant driver wheelset from Giorg Maznicek's first Crampton! Knowing that a Class 165A (see above) had broken its drive axle, she prevailed upon avuncular Artur Gorote to let her and her uncle, Ira, Jr., play with it; stretching the 165A boiler with components from other 165 and 465 hulks, splitting the steam delivery pipes to straddle a cross-shaft on which they fitted a jackshaft to raise the driveline to match the high driver axle, and greatly enlarging the elephant-ear smoke deflectors, they came up with this elegant high-speed interurban loco design: (23 Dec 08) and (28 Dec 08)

Huge brake shoes were fitted to the drivers but only for parking and full-emergency use, to spare the virtually-irreplaceable Crampton tires; locomotive braking was normally accomplished using the pilot and trailing truck and tender brakes. In order to accelerate quickly without slipping the drivers, Ira had Iris fit the patented Ersatz driver slip gear. Concern that the driver axle was hard up against the boiler was obviated by fitting a cryo-cooling sheet between the two. Seeing all that rodding flailing around at speed was really quite an experience! Experts who beheld this gem at work universally agreed that it was a true example of an Ersatz loco.

Iris is turning into a first-class RR detective-cum-historian! Puzzling over that odd Crampton wheelset led her to wheedle Artur Gorote into giving her free run of the RSR archives (in her free time, of course!); the results are only just beginning to show up. The very first thing she found was that the wheelset was NOT from a Class B after all; the crankpin just wasn't heavy enough. Digging away, she uncovered this variant on the Class B, a one-off modification of the Class BB, with a four-wheel tender (most unusual for early RSR work): (23 Dec 08)

What made the tender so remarkable was not so much the design but the bills attendant on its construction; there were consultation payments made to one Isaac Dripps, an Irish mechanician residing in Bordentown, New Jersey, in the United States! It seemed that he was the very same mechanic who had assembled the Stephenson "John Bull" for the Camden & Amboy and had been asked to come over to Ruhnia whil(e)(st) visiting his family in Ireland for the express purpose of discussing the C&A's incredible "John Stevens", an extremely fast, but slippery, 6-2-0 Crampton with huge drivers and a stubby four-wheel tender:

(28 Dec 08)

[Public domain - click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]

Based on Dripps's comments about the tender's tendency to oscillate wildly at speed, the RSR built a longer version of the standard Class B tender. It proved a bit too heavy for RSR locomotives and was not repeated.

However, there were additional payments noted AFTER the tender was completed which mystified Iris. Delving further into old records, she discovered the true source of the driver wheelset; Dripps had also been engaged to help Maznicek develop an RSR version of the "John Stevens", with a higher and heavier boiler, making firing easier, steaming better, and giving more adhesion to the single driver set. Although no class number seems to have been assigned to #111, the drawing finally turned up: (28 Dec 08)

THAT explained the lighter crankpin! It only had to hold the main rod; there is no siderod on a Single. Our Iris is not merely a bright young woman and a great design engineer, she's also a diligent researcher. This is gonna be fun!

The #111 was named the Jochann Stefanskye. (28 Dec 08)

Oops! Iris learned (thanks to Norman Clubb) that I [SB,III] had erroneously shown RSR #112 here, as a Crampton! Anyone familiar with early railroading would know that, by definition, a Crampton has a single-driving-wheelset set BEHIND the firebox! Her further delving into RSR and BW records reveals that that #112 was, of course, NOT a Crampton at all but the rebuild of Crampton #111 which Giorg Maznicek personally oversaw. In spite of Dripps's best efforts, #111 was still extremely hard to fire and, because of the flailing of those long main rods at high speed, very difficult to keep in dynamic balance; Maznicek moved the firebox FORWARD of the driving axle, resulting in the handsome and fleet #112 Single previously shown above: (28 Dec 08)

Immensely popular with its previously-disgruntled #111 crews, the #112, officially re-named the Izaak Drippski, was instantly nick-named the Drippski-Pipski.

To preserve Iris's professional hono(u)r, I have made the requisite changes.

RSR/BW 4-4-4-4 Class 464 Duplex moved to RSR Apocrypha Page 3 on 28 Dec 2008.

RSR/BW 4-6-6-4 Class 664 Duplex moved to RSR Apocrypha Page 3 on 28 Dec 2008.

RSR/BW 4-8-8-4 Class 864 Duplex moved to RSR Apocrypha Page 3 on 28 Dec 2008.
[Duplex coverage moved from this RSR page 2 to page 3 on 28 Dec 2008] (28 Dec 08)

Iris also convinced Gorote to go for an even-larger version of the 115A class, based on the successful boiler design and seven-coupled drive of the five-cylinder 4-14-4 Class 755A, the RSR/BW Class 14105 4-14-4+4-14-4(!) Garratt: (28 Dec 08)

If you thought the RSR/BW 865A 4-8-8-8 straightened rail and over-ran Europe, you should see the 14105 at work!

As always, you know you can count on the BW to find totally-unbelievable info.

- Any attempt to inject an element of reason into this series of pages will be forcibly rejected!

{Stay tuned!}

[See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga.]

I always wondered at the incredibly tight security at the Berlinerwerke during WWII; now it can be told! See, for starters, the wild site of Sig Case, Rails to the Stars - Steam in Space, files from the National Aeronautics and Steam Administration and the tie-in to the Berlinerwerke V1 on Apocrypha Page 2.

See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga
and Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha (for taller tales?):
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR FREIGHT ENGINES.
LEWELLEN NORTHERN GARRATTS.
CSXT AC100CBW and NSC CB100W-10 10,000 horsepower locos!
Also, see the fabled BW DDP45 and other EMD engines EMD may never have dreamed of!

Continued from Ruhnian State Railways Apocrypha Page 1

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)!