Steam & Excursion > Dollywood - Converting to Oil

Dollywood amusement park has announced that their two ex-WP&Y mikados are being converted from coal to oil firing for the 2026 season. I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner after the big Gatlinburg fire and constant issue of cinders in the eye. What I find interesting is the comments on social media. Understandably mixed reactions, but a little surprised by the number of ordinary park guests saying they love the smell of the coal smoke and the cinders are part of the experience. And then there is a large contingent who equates coal firing with steam and assume this means they are buying a diesel locomotive. One news outlet even made the claim that the historic engies were being replaced by a new oil powered version. The park has tried to be clear that these engines burned oil in their regular service lives and were converted to coal when entering park train duty, but doesn't seem like a lot of the general public can grasp that not all steam locomotives burned coal.

It will be an interesting case study to follow. Unlike tourist railroad situations where your guests have at least some railroad interest, here you have 3+ million park attendees annually exposed to steam locomotive operations 99.9% of whom aren't there for the train.

As far as I am personally concerned, coal is the essetntial fuel for steam locomotives.
I have scant interest in oil-fired engines, for the reasons others have stated. The coal smoke and the smell are essential elements, to me, of the experience.

Art House



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/26 08:36 by aehouse.

aehouse Wrote:
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> As far as I am personally concerned, coal is the
> essetntial fuel for steam locomotives.
> I have scant interest in oil-fired engines, for
> the reasons other have stated. The coal smoke and
> the smell are essential elements, to me, of the
> experience.
>
> Art House

And if you had lived on the West Coast or in the Southwest where oil burners were very common you probably would have a different opinion.

If you want to smell burnt oil chase a diesel engine or for that matter a truck!
When my kids were little and we would go places I would often not tell them where because thay would get overly excited with hours of driving before getting there. On a surprise visit to Steamtown's grand opening in Scranton, PA, as we approached the town I saw the black smoke of a steam loco in the distance when the 6 or 7 year old said, "I smell coal smoke"!
Yup, coal and steam engines...
Gonut

Gonut1 Wrote:
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> If you want to smell burnt oil chase a diesel
> engine or for that matter a truck!

And we in the west don't want to smell a burned up landscape that will take a century to recover. 

I believe Dollywood is in the east.
Go

The smell of coal smoke is something I associate with a cool morning in Durango CO, Mount Washington NH, etc.

I suspect the "cinders in eyes" problem could be an issue for the family park

I love the smell of coal smoke and it takes me back to my early years.

Having said that and being involved with an oil burning mainline locomotive for years, the comparison in logistics is night and day.


#1, We didn't burn diesel fuel except to light the engine off. We burned #6 or #5 blended oil.
#2. We arranged ahead of time where the fueling stops would be and when and a tanker would show up with hot oil.
#3. At the end of the day, we would shut the engine down, cap the stack and be good to relight up to a couple days with at least 25PSI steam pressure.
#4 No cinders. No ashes. No clinkers. No fire to dump or environmental stuff to clean up.
#5 You would be surprised how much #6 smoke can smell like coal.

I know the purists will argue for coal but not knowing the cost and  extra work involved make oil a good choice. I think Dollywood is doing the right thing.

1522 Was built in 1926 as a coalburner and shortly afterwards she was converted to oil and stayed that way.

"And then there is a large contingent who equates coal firing with steam and assume this means they are buying a diesel locomotive."

There is no breadth of stupididity unreached by the ignorant public guided by an even more ignorant media.

The report here on trainorders was well done..the news report wasn't

Mr Hall's comment is dead on, us West Coasters looked upon coal fired as archaic museum pieces.
And when I got to the point of actually working on them the thought of standing there and hand
bombing to keep moving was sorta beneath me! Damn I wish that Wes was still around. 

Out 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/26 17:12 by callum_out.

I know we all miss Wes.  While walking back to the Jim Thorpe PA train station on the recent winter R&N Iron Horse Ramble.  I heard a woman exclaim "what the heck is that thing" as 2102 backed her consist through the station and did her Vesuvius like best, belching plumes of black coal smoke.

bmoore765 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unlike tourist railroad situations where your
> guests have at least some railroad interest, here
> you have 3+ million park attendees annually
> exposed to steam locomotive operations 99.9% of
> whom aren't there for the train.

What is your source of the 99.9% statistic?

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bmoore765 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Unlike tourist railroad situations where your
> > guests have at least some railroad interest,
> here
> > you have 3+ million park attendees annually
> > exposed to steam locomotive operations 99.9% of
> > whom aren't there for the train.
>
> What is your source of the 99.9% statistic?

Just simple logic, in my opinion.

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bmoore765 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Unlike tourist railroad situations where your
> > guests have at least some railroad interest,
> here
> > you have 3+ million park attendees annually
> > exposed to steam locomotive operations 99.9% of
> > whom aren't there for the train.
>
> What is your source of the 99.9% statistic?

Ok, maybe 99.8%. Seriously, I’m just using some common sense. It is an amusement park. The train ride is just another amusement ride. They really do have 3-4 million guests annually. Pretty sure they aren’t paying $90 for the 20minute train ride.

Posted from iPhone

aehouse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As far as I am personally concerned, coal is the
> essetntial fuel for steam locomotives.
> I have scant interest in oil-fired engines, for
> the reasons other have stated. The coal smoke and
> the smell are essential elements, to me, of the
> experience.
>
> Art House

Lol... I'll take the 4449 and her oil anyday

Posted from Android

I love the smell of napalm in the morning. ;^)

JG

I can remember a couple mornings when our fuel oil looked about the same consistency as
napalm, does that count?

Out 

Black Hills Scenic employs used motor oil to fire their engines..

ATSF1129 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And we
Speak for yourself.

callum_out Wrote:
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> I can remember a couple mornings when our fuel oil
> looked about the same consistency as
> napalm, does that count?
>
> Out 
We got a load of oil one time that looked like green sewer water. We didn't have to heat it hardly at all and it burned hotter than anything we had before or since.  Good stuff!