Steam & Excursion > Reading T-1 being lubricated

This photo was sent to me back in 1972 by the late Henry C. Brock who was then a retired Reading Railroad Engineer.  I can see that the workman, not sure if he is the fireman or not) was pouring something into the locomotive, one of the big 4-8-4 T-1's. When I received the photo, I should have asled Mr. Brock to explain what was being done, but unfortunately, I put the photo away in my files and never got the chance to ask him again, my stupidity.  Wes Camp, can you explain what is being done from this photo or can Ross Rowland help me out.  Thanks, I do appreciate.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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He is filling the mechanical lubricator.

Yes, it's being refilled with tallow-based, high temperature, superheat valve oil.
There are two mechanical lubricators on Reading T-1s

Each mechanical lubricator has a series of cam-operated oil pumps.
There is a ratchet-wheel moved a few notches at a time by a lever 
connected to a cyclical moving point of the valve gear.  
The ratchet wheel moves the cam shaft driving the individual pumps, a few
notches at a time... so it takes 5 or 6 strokes to rotate the cam shaft through
one complete revolution.  The pumping duration-length of each individual 
pump is adjustable --- in order to feed tye necessary amount of lubricant.

The 'valve-oil' lubricator feeds parts that are exposed to the hottest of
live-steam,  like the spool valves and the two driving-pistons.  When the loco 
gets up to 'operating temperature ( 15 to 20 minutes of hauling a heavy train),
the superheated steam is near 700F, and the valve oil turns into a greasy,
blue smoke, when fed directly into the path of the steam, at the vlaves and pistons.

There its a lubricator on tte fireman's side of the loco that feeds an array of spring rigging
levers and pivots at wearing surfaces on the locos’ frame and chassis parts.  The oil
used in the 'mechanical' lubricator, is a medium viscosity, non detergent, machine-oil.

The mechanical lubricator feeds many pivot points on the loco frame.  
Not a lot of oil is needed at each pivot point, so 4-way 'distributors' are located
around the loco frame.  Since, the pumps only make one complete stroke
per revolution of the ratchet-shaft, the oil gets pumped in discrete squirts:
at the 4-way distributors,one squirt moves the distributor mechanism to the
next feed line, and also sends oil to the intended pivot point.  
It takes 4 strokes of an oil pump, to move the distributors back to the
original starting point.  So, you'll find many copper lines & pivot points on
the locos' frames.

In the photo, directly below the oil filling-bucket, you can see two spring loaded,
terminal checks.  These are used  in the lube-oil lines, to keep high-pressure
steam from flowing back to the lubricator.   They are spring-loaded, terminal-checks
that are held closed by coil springs, until the oil pressure from the lube pumps,
lifts the spring-checks, and squirts valve oil onto a lubricating 'spoon'  directly
in the path of live-steam, on the way to the power pistons.

​W.

( Note that below the fingers of his left hand, is a label that has: " VALVE OIL").


 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/24 21:52 by wcamp1472.

Would that be you, Wes?

I don't think that's me.
He's bugger around his midriff, than me.
I don't wear worn-out work pants.  
His pants are fairly shoddy, torn cuffs, etc.*

I'm not a fastidious dresser, but I don't wear loose, torn and baggy 
clothing.  I don't remember wearing pants that ratty.

Also, that's too large a container to be useful as a refilling source.  
Note that he can't go any higher with the back end of his filling-can..
A smaller container would allow a better tilt-angle.

Also, I don't remember ever using a wooden ladder when working
on steamers. 

Soon after taking over mechanical responsibility for 2102, I added 
additional-capacity auxiliary oil tanks, feeding the oil to the lubricators.
I fitted the auxiliary reservoirs with 45-degree fill-necks ( with plugs).
The auxiliary tanks moved their fill-spout out from under the overhead
walkway --- to a more convenient filling point, but inside the clearance diagram.

It allows refilling the oil levels, for running greater distances, and makes re-filling 
much easirer than the cramped space he's working with.

​W.
(* If he was a RR worker, under my supervision,  I 
   would have sent him home for better condition work-wear.
    He presents an FELA work risk, and no union officer would 
    want to defend such hazardous behavior, and there typically 
    are Safety Rules and applicable Agreement conditions that apply 
     to hazardous apparel, inappropriate work shoes, etc.)

 



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/24 02:42 by wcamp1472.

Thank you so much, Wes, for the detailed explanation of the oil being used.  I'm not sure which of the T-1's that is in the picture nor did Mr. Brock ever say anything about who the man was that worked on the locomotive.  Thanks again Wes, I truly appreciate.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

It's a great example of an awkward position to mount a lubricator,
when you KNOW it's going to have to be refilled frequently.
This guy is implementing as best he can.
( You know that he was aware that his 5-gallon container would not fit,
   even before he went up the ladder )

He's got the top of the lubricator wide open for a bucket too large to
fit up under the running board .  So he's risking getting dirt and soot directly
into the open guts of the precision pumps and sending dirt & grit to vital systems.

Later, when Benson hired me, a skilled local machinist in Ronceverte, WVa.
and I added extra-capacity, supplementary oil resrevoirs to each of the two lubricators.  
We added two, upward-facing, 45-degree, 2" pipe elbows + plugs as fill ports
for each added tank.  The 45-deg. elbows reached beyond the edge of the walkway,
making adding oil much easier, AND we could keep the tops, of the lubricators
securely closed, all of the time, protecting the precise & delicate pumping systems.

The added oil reservoirs are mounted at the same level as the lubticator’s body,
the sight-glass for the oil level shows the combined volumes..

My instructions were that maintenance crews adding oil, leave a visible space
at the top of the prismatic sight glass.  The inside surface of the sight glass is
made with vertical prism-like grooves that show liquid levels by reflected ambient light.

The liquid level that covers the lower ‘Prisms’ is dark; however, above the liquid-level,
ambient light is brightly reflected, and the liquid shows-up as a distinctly-dark area
revealing its true level.

My instructions were to only add enough new oil to bring the level 3/4 full
in the sight glass… any higher, and the whole prism is dark, and impossible
To determine the level of the liquid.

Don’t want an over-filled lubricator…
The oil inside gets heated and expands,  When over-filling the sight glass,
it makes it hard to see where the oil level is, and possibly too full....
When the oil expands —- out and over the lubricator body … making a mess!
And a positive affirmation of amateur-level of mistakes!
That’s why —— only partially “fill” your lubricators.

Extra capacity meant refilling maybe once a month, about 350 miles.  
And we could do an easier refill with more reasonable-sized containers. 
Neatness takes a concerted effort.

2102 still retains those extra-capacity oil reservoirs. 😀

​W.

( The vertical, oblong frame holding the sight-glass is under his 
   left fore-arm and hand, holding top of the oil container).

 



Edited 11 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/24 18:33 by wcamp1472.