Israelite House of David - First 4-4-0 Miniature Locomotives
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The little 4-4-0 engines were the first locomotives made at the House of David. Just in front on the cab was a large protuberance on the top of the boiler called a steam dome. The steam dome was the highest point in the boiler. Steam collected here and was channeled to the steam cylinders to power the train and to the whistle to announce the train's arrival at crossings and depots. The next round dome forward of the steam dome was the sand dome. Sand was fed by gravity from this container onto the tracks just in front of the drive wheels to provide traction. In front of the sand dome is the locomotive's bell used for entering and exiting the stations. Forward of the bell is the smokestack mounted over the smoke box. The smoke box drew smoke from the fire box at the back of the engine through tubes in the boiler and out the stack. At the very front was a carbide lantern used at night. Carbide for the lamp was placed in a sealed box with a water drip. A tube was used to transport the gas formed by the combination of the carbide and water up to the lamp. Details of the engine in this photo indicate it is probably engine #5, the American Standard class locomotive built at the colony from parts of the original Cagney engine.
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