Steam & Excursion > The Business Of Making Steam....

Recently I've begun to capture 'behind the scene' moments of the machinery and people that make Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and birthplace of the Sierra Railroad, the place it is today. Part of the charm of Railtown 1897 is that not much has changed (ok, some things have), but stepping into the roundhouse while the engines are simmering is like stepping back into time.

Just thought I would share some of those moments....

SV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/10 12:36 by SandingValve.

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Engine #28 gauge cluster

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Engine #28 simmering nicely

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Business end of engine #28

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Early morning blowdown with George Swift

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Engine #28 in the roundhouse at Jamestown

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Engine #28 hydrostatic lubricator

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Does the Sierra 28 burn diesel oil or Bunker C fuel? How much does this fuel cost at the present time, in light of the present very high oil prices? Can this continue, or will steam locomotive operations become a thing of the past?

You can always convert to coal, and put a spark arrestor on top.

S.V., where on the locomotive is that mechanical lubricator located? Engineer (not RR type) wants to know.

All of the steam locomotives at Railtown were designed to burn a heavy fuel oil such as Bunker C. except the #3 spot (1891 Rogers 4-6-0) which was originally a coal burner that was later converted to oil. The #2 (1922 102 ton Lima 3-truck Shay) and the #28 (1922 Baldwin 2-8-0) both burn recycled heating oil which is considerably thinner in viscosity than Bunker C. The last time the #3 operated I believe it also burned the recycled heating oil. The #34 (1925 Baldwin 2-8-2) last operated in the '70s burned a heavy fuel oil.

To my knowlege we have never burned diesel fuel in the steam locomotives during operations. We do have several diesels which of course burn diesel

While there has been a slight increase in fuel oil prices it doesn't appear to be a issue at Railtown. Engine crews and their operating practices are reviewed from time to time to check fuel consumption vs. operation time. Wasteful operating practices do not go unnoticed.

Yes, there is such a thing as "the company notch" and crews are encouraged to use it.

SV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/10 12:36 by SandingValve.

nycman Wrote:
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> S.V., where on the locomotive is that mechanical
> lubricator located? Engineer (not RR type) wants
> to know.

It's a 'hydrostatic lubricator' not a mechanical one. A hydrostatic lubricator introduces valve oil via steam into the valve chests and cylinders for lubrication. A mechanical lubricator does the same thing except it is operated via some kind of mechanical movement (reciprocating or rotary).

The hydrostatic lubricator pictured above faces the engineer and is mounted to the top of the boiler backhead.

SV



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/10 12:38 by SandingValve.

SandingValve Wrote:
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> > While there has been a slight increase in fuel oil
> prices ...

I have to think the cost of fuel pales in comparison to other costs -- notably insurance.

Doug Wrote:

> I have to think the cost of fuel pales in
> comparison to other costs -- notably insurance.

Since Railtown 1897 is a state park it is self-insured by the state. Major overhaul costs, track maintenance and maintenance of the historic structures located within the park eat away most of the Railtown budget and that is sometimes frustrating. Railtown 1897 is a state park that has good people that have a genuine appreciation for the Sierra RR and who enjoy educating the public about early California history. Over 90% of the people that make Railtown 1897 what it is today are volunteers....

Like myself...

Somebody needs to be in the business of making steam, I'm glad to be part of it.

SV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/10 12:38 by SandingValve.

Bunker C is practically impossible to obtain in California, due to its pollution characteristics. Other steam engines I've been around use rerefined motor oil, which, among other things, doesn't have to be heated to flow, at least not much.

Rerefined oil itself can be quite interesting. Yes it is much thinner than a premium grade heating oil but it does contain various "other" ingredients (contaminates). Our oil supply typically sits inside a tank car for a period of time. This causes the oil to "stratify" or separate into layers. Those of us who fire are constantly watching the light show take place inside the firebox. Flame color varies from blues/greens to various shades of yellows and oranges/reds sometimes in combination of all the colors simultaneously. If it was just 'oil' it wouldn't do that. Most likely the colors come from trace amounts of metals left over from the refining process burning off.

Also because the oil quality varies greatly, a fireman can have a beautiful spot fire (including the colors mentioned above) going for a period of time and all of a sudden the fire either goes out or causes the stack to emit smoke in great quantities. This usually causes the fireman to frantically readjust the controls only to have it happen again shortly thereafter and the fireman repeats the process to get control of the fire. Originally when this first happened we inspected all the firing controls, the oil bunker on the tender, the burner, the atomizer, etc. Everything was in order, so it had nothing to do with the locomotive. It has happened to all of the fireman at various times under the same circumstances, so the fireman on duty is not to blame either. Nearest we can firgure is that it is the oil and how it has layered in the tank car.

We do get our oil supply from the same dealer, but who knows where they get theirs or what it may be 'blended' with. We did get a load of premium heating oil a few years ago from a hospital's fuel tank that was being worked on. That load of oil burned very well and had a high BTU value. It was observed that we also consumed less of the premium oil versus the lower grade heating oil (rerefined motor oil) we normally use.

SV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/10 12:37 by SandingValve.

SandingValve Wrote:
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> Rerefined oil itself can be quite interesting. Yes
> it is much thinner than a premium grade heating
> oil but it does contain various "other"
> ingredients (contaminates).
<SNIP>

I have an article by Bill Wilkerson, who fired on the Milwaukee's TransMissouri Div., telling how he caught a freight from Melstone (MT) to Harlowton (IIRC, with 'Little Orphan Annie', an oil burning 4-8-4).

The oil tank had been topped off at Miles City. The roundhouse had gotten a "deal" on some road tar. The fireman who turned the engine over to Wilkerson at Melstone reported some problems firing. On the road to Harlowton, Wilkerson had more and more and more trouble, after the "good" oil had been burned off. Opening the firedoor, he found that the entire interior lining of the firebox was coated with red-hot glowing glass burned out of the residues in the tar!

He limped into Harlowton, and the roundhouse crews had to jackhammer the entire firebox to clean that stuff out!

Maybe there is some way you can keep the tank car from stagnating like occasionally running a pump circulating it from bottom to top.