Steam & Excursion > The Facilities To Service Steam Locomotives Could Be Rudimentary!

It is quite true that steam locomotives needed more constant servicing than did the diesels that ultimately replaced them. However,the servicing facilities for these engines could still be pretty simple and they would get the job done.

Here we see just such a servicing station. The date is the mid-1950's and the place is Camp 4 on the logging line of the Medford Corporation, more commonly known as MEDCO. This remote location is high up in the woods near Butte Falls on the MEDCO logging railroad that ran out of Medford, Oregon. It is here that a trio of 3-truck Willamette's are serviced daily for their logging duties.

We see in this outdoor facility the presence of a number of barrels filled with the various lubricants that these geared locomotives require each day. These would include journal oil, steam cylinder oil and the other lubricants steam lokies like these need to run.

Given the amount of oil spilled on the ground at this servicing spot, it would likely be easy to find this location today.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/17 04:06 by LoggerHogger.

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Note the Extended knuckle for rough track. And I have exchanged knuckles which is only done with the cutting lever fully pulled up. I have also seen Baldwin diesel builder photos with slotted knuckles. Thanks for these great photos to study. What happening to that headlight?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/17 05:25 by PlyWoody.

I LOVE the stone used as a chock to keep the barrels from rolling off the timbers..

That's such a 'classic' touch!
I'd have done a similar thing---- finding the right sized rock would have been quick search. My guess is that the rock was first employed years earlier...

W.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/17 05:44 by wcamp1472.

I noticed the headlight too. It does not appear to be broken. It is as if they have the fabric over it to act as a dimmer for other trains.

Martin

What's with the fancy top on the stack???

Unique, to me--- at least.

Is that a cinder/ glowing-wood spark catcher"??

W.

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wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> What's with the fancy top on the stack???
>
> Unique, to me--- at least.
>
> Is that a cinder/ glowing-wood spark catcher"??
>
> W.
>
>

Wes, This is a Gerlinger Spark arrestor. It was a patented design by the Gerlinger Iron Works of Salem, Oregon. These were quite popular on logging engines in the Pacific Northwest.

Martin

How do you empty the "spark bucket"?

What path does the smoke take to escape?

Does this device take the place of conventional (internal) smoke box netting??

Was the conventional MM FRONT END baffling ( using netting) arrangement workable on wood burners?

W.

Posted from iPhone

Wes,

The Gerlinger Spark Arrestors were primarily used on oil burning engines as you see here. Here is generally no smokebox netting used on oil burners.

Wood burning engines required larger arrstors of different shapes to catch the wood cinders and still allow decent drafting.

As you can see there is quite a variety of spark arrestors used in the woods on steam :Lokies".

Martin

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WOW, I just got a in-depth lecture on spark arrestors....what a site!! sure glad it has started to rain in parched Oregon........ Arlen

Thank you Martin!

Looks like the primary requirement for locating the facility was that it be relatively flat.

#5 looks to be brand new. Is that a 2-8-2?

#5 is not new in the photo. She is over 15 years old.
She is simply well maintained.
Martin

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