_GETTING READY FOR THE ROAD._
RAISING STEAM.
It used to be the universal custom, that, when an engine arrived from
a trip, the fire was drawn, and the engine put into the round-house
for ten or twelve hours before another run was undertaken. During this
period of inaction, the boiler partly cooled down. When the engine was
wanted again, a new fire was started in time to raise steam. The system
of long runs, introduced on many roads, has changed this; and engines
are now generally kept hot, unless they have to be cooled down for
washing out, or repairs. When an engine comes in off a trip, the fire
is cleaned from clinker and dead cinders, and the clean fire banked.
It is found that this plan keeps the temperature of the boiler more
uniform than is possible with the cooling-down practice, and that the
fire-box sheets are not so liable to crack, or the tubes to become
leaky.
Where it is still the habit to draw the fire at the end of each trip, a
supply of good wood is kept on hand for raising steam. To raise steam
from a cold boiler, some theorists recommend the starting of a fire
mild enough to raise the temperature about twenty degrees an hour. The
exigencies of railroad service prevent this slow method from being
practicable, and the ordinary practice is to raise steam as promptly as
possible when it is wanted.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SCORCHING BOILERS.
The first consideration before starting a fire in a locomotive, is
to ascertain that the boiler contains the proper quantity of water.
The men who attend to the starting of fires should be instructed not
to depend upon the water-glass for the level of the water, but to
see that it runs out of the gauge-cocks. I have known several cases
where boilers were burned through those firing up being deceived by
a false show of water in the glass, and starting the fire when the
boiler was empty. If the boiler has been filled with water through the
feed-pipes by the round-house hose, care should be taken to see that
the check-valves are not stuck up. Where there is sand in the water, it
frequently happens, that, in filling up with a hose, all the valves get
sanded, and do not close properly. When there is steam on the boiler,
this source of danger will generally be indicated at once by the steam
and water blowing back into the tank; but, where the boiler is cold,
the water flows back so silently and slowly, that the crown-sheet may
be dry before the peril is discovered.
STARTING THE FIRE.
The water being found or made right, the next consideration is the
grates. Before throwing in the wood, all loose clinkers left upon the
grates should be cleaned off: care should be taken, to see that the
grates are in good condition, and connected with the shaker levers.
This is also the time to see that no accumulation of cinders is left on
the brick arch, the water-table, or in the combustion chamber, should
the engine be provided with either of these appliances. In starting the
fire, it is considered the best plan to put enough wood in the fire-box
to raise sufficient steam to operate the blower before the fire needs
replenishing. To do the job in a clean, workman-like manner, the fire
should be started from below: otherwise every part of the cab will be
veneered with soot and dust, and the bright work tarnished.
FIREMAN’S FIRST DUTIES.
On most roads, the engineer and fireman are required to be at their
engine from fifteen minutes to half an hour before train-time. A good
fireman will reach the engine in time to perform his preliminary duties
deliberately and well. He will have the dust brushed off from the
cab-furnishing, and from the conspicuous parts of the engine, the deck
swept clean, the coal watered, and the oil-cans ready for the engineer.
His fire is attended to, and its make-up regulated,--the kind of coal
used, the train to be pulled, and the character of the road on the
start. With an easy or down grade, for a mile or two on the start, the
fire does not need to be so well made up as when the start is made on
a heavy pull. But every intelligent fireman gets to understand in a
few weeks just what kind of a fire is needed. It is the capability of
perceiving this and other matters promptly, that distinguishes a good
from an indifferent fireman. When a young fireman possesses these “true
workman” perceptions, and is of an industrious, aspiring disposition,
anxious to become master of his calling, he will prove a reliable help
to the engineer; and his careful attention to the work will insure
comfort and success on every trip. There must be a certain amount of
work done on the engine, to get a train along; and, if the fireman can
not do his part efficiently, it will fall upon the engineer, who must
get it done somehow.
SAVING THE GRATES.
An important duty, which is never neglected by first-class firemen,
before taking the engine away from the round-house, is that of looking
to the grates, and seeing that the ash-pan is clean. When grates get
burned, in nine cases out of ten it happens through neglecting the
ash-pan. Some varieties of bituminous coal have an inveterate tendency
to burn the grates. Such coal usually contains an excess of sulphur,
which has a strong affinity for iron, and at certain temperatures
unites with the surface of the grates, forming a sulphuret of iron.
Neglecting the ash-pan, and letting hot ashes accumulate, prepares the
way for bad coal to act on the grates. Keeping the ash-pan clear of hot
ashes is the best thing that can be done to save grates, since that
prevents the iron from becoming hot enough to combine with sulphur.
SUPPLIES.
Before starting out, the fireman ought to ascertain that all the
supplies necessary for the trip are in the boxes; that the requisite
flags, lanterns, and other signals are on hand, and that all the
lamps are trimmed. He should also know to a certainty that all his
fire-irons are on the tender, that the latter is full of water, and
that the sand-box is full of sand.
These look like numerous duties as preliminary to starting, but they
are all necessary; and the fireman who attends to them all with the
greatest regularity, will be valued accordingly. Nearly all firemen are
ambitious to become engineers. The best method they can pursue, to show
that they are deserving of promotion, is to perform their own duties
regularly and well. A first-class fireman will save his wages each trip
over the expenditure made by the mediocre fireman: a persistently bad
fireman should be sent to another calling without delay. Few railroad
companies can afford the extravagance of a set of bad firemen.
ENGINEER’S FIRST DUTIES.
Try the water. That is the most important call upon the engineer when
he first enters the cab. If the engine has a glass water-gauge, he
should ascertain by the gauge-cocks if the water-level shown in the
glass be correct. A water-glass is a great convenience on the road, but
it should only be relied on as an auxiliary to the gauge-cocks. Many
engineers have come to grief through reposing too implicit confidence
in the water-glass. Engineer Williams was considered one of the most
reliable men on the A. & B. road. With an express train he started out
on time one morning; and he had run only two miles when the boiler
went up in the air, with fatal results to both occupants of the cab.
An examination of the wreck showed unmistakable evidence of overheated
sheets. Circumstantial evidence indicated that the glass had deceived
the engineer by a false water-level. When he pulled out, the fire-box
sheets, which were of copper, became weakened by the heat, so that the
crown-sheet gave way; the re-action of the released steam tearing the
boiler to pieces. Numerous less serious accidents originating from the
same cause might be cited.
REACHING HIS ENGINE IN GOOD SEASON.
An engineer who has a proper interest in his work, and thoroughly
appreciates the importance of it, will reach his engine in time to
perform the duties of getting her ready for the road leisurely, without
rush or hurry. Although a good fireman may relieve the engineer of many
preliminary duties, the engineer himself should be certain that the
necessary supplies and tools are on the engine, and that water is in
the tank, and the sand-box filled.
OILING THE MACHINERY.
Oiling the machinery is such an important part of an engineer’s work,
and the success of a fast run is so dependent upon this being properly
done, that it should never be performed hurriedly. Although practice
with short stoppages at stations may have got an engineer into the
way of rushing round an engine, and oiling at express-speed, it is no
reason why the first oiling of the trip should not be carefully and
deliberately attended to when there is an opportunity. In addition to
filling oil-cups, lubricators, and oil-boxes, this is a good time to
complete the inspection, which assures the engineer that every thing
about the engine is in proper running-order. When any thing in the
way of repairs has been done to the engine since she came off the
last trip, special attention has generally to be given to the parts
worked at. New wheels require close care with the packing of the boxes;
rod-brasses reduced entail an additional supply of oil to the pins for
the first few miles; guides closed should insure a free supply of oil
till it is found that the cross-heads run cool.
QUANTITY OF OIL THAT DIFFERENT BEARINGS NEED.
While oiling, the engineer should bear in mind that it is of paramount
importance that the rubbing-surfaces receive lubrication sufficient to
keep them from heating; but, while making sure that no bearings shall
run dry, lavish pouring of oil should be avoided. There are still too
many cases to be noticed, of men pouring oil on the machinery without
seeming to comprehend the exact wants. We are constantly seeing cases
where oil-cups waste their measure of oil through neglect in adjusting
the feeders. A steady supply, equal to the requirements, is what a
well-regulated cup provides. With the ordinary quality of mineral oil,
six drops will lubricate the back end of a main rod for one mile when
the engine is pulling a load. This applies to eight-wheel engines on
passenger service. Heavier small-wheeled engines will require a quarter
more oil. Guides can be kept moist with five drops of oil to the
mile. A dry, sandy road will require a more liberal supply. With good
feeders, properly attended to, the supply can equal the demand with
close accuracy. An oil-cup which runs out the oil faster than it is
needed, wastes stores, besmears every thing with a coating of grease,
and is likely to leave the rubbing-surfaces to suffer by running dry
before it can be replenished. A cup in that condition also advertises
the engineer to be incompetent.
LEAVING THE ENGINE-HOUSE.
Before moving the engine out of the house, the cylinder-cocks should
be opened so that water, or the steam condensed in warming the pipes
and steam-chest, may escape. After ringing the bell, and giving
workmen employed about the engine time to get out of the way, the
throttle should be opened a little, and the engine moved out slowly
and carefully. If there is a sufficient pressure of steam in the
boiler, and the engine refuses to move, something is wrong. Never force
an engine. Any work which may have been performed upon it while in
the house will probably indicate the nature of the defect. The most
common cause of stalling engines in the house is a miscalculation of
the piston-travel, permitting it to push against the cylinder-head.
Sometimes, however, the setting of the valves is at fault. I knew a
case where the machinist connected the backing-up eccentric-strap with
the top of the link, and the mistake was not discovered till they
attempted to move the engine out of the house. Another blunder, the
result of gross carelessness, was where a cold chisel was left in the
steam-chest. But a more representative case was that which happened to
Engineer Amos, on the B. & C. road. His engine had the piston-packing
set up; and the following morning, when he tried to take it out of the
house, it would not pass a certain point. Thinking that the packing was
set up rather tight, he backed for a start, determined to make it go
over on the run. He succeeded, too, but a hammer which had been left in
the cylinder went out through the cover.
While running from the round-house to the train, is a good time to
carefully watch the working of the various parts of the engine. Should
any defects exist, they are better to be detected now than after the
engine is out with a train. The brakes can be tested conveniently
at this time, and the working of the water-pumps tried. All these
matters are regularly attended to by the successful engineer: they are
habitually neglected by the unlucky man, and misfortune never loses
sight of him.