The Traveling Engineers' Association to Improve the Locomotive Engine Service of American Railroads Part 11

A. He should make a complete inspection of the locomotive, observing all important nuts and bolts, look for any signs of hot bearings on previous trip, see that the engine is equipped with necessary tools and supplies, test both of the injectors and the air brake equipment to be sure they are in good working order, see that headlight and signal lamps are in place and ready for service, observe water conditions in boiler, inspect the interior of the fire-box and see that the locomotive is properly lubricated.

2. Q. What tools should there be on the locomotive?

A. Such as are necessary to properly operate the locomotive, care for the machinery, disconnect and block up in case of breakdown and the necessary firing tools.

3. Q. What examination should be made after any repair work has been done on valve, bra.s.ses, etc.?

A. See that bra.s.ses are properly fitted, keys fastened and nuts made tight. If any repairs have been made on valves or valve gear, would see that the reverse lever could be moved freely and that all movable parts had been properly replaced; would also give especial attention with reference to lubrication of these parts.

4. Q. What attention should be given to boiler attachments, such as gauge c.o.c.ks, water gla.s.ses, etc.?

A. Would see that the gauge c.o.c.ks can be opened to try the water and closed, so steam and water would not come out into cab. Observe the water gla.s.s and note if water is moving up and down in the gla.s.s, see that the steam valve at the top and water valve at bottom of gla.s.s could be opened and closed, and allow water and steam to circulate freely through the gla.s.s.

5. Q. What do you consider necessary to report on locomotive boilers?

A. Should report all defects on boiler and its attachments while engine is in engineer's charge.

6. Q. Trace the steam from the boiler through the cylinders to the atmosphere and explain how it transmits power.

A. Steam enters the throttle valve located in the highest part of the dome in order to get the driest steam, then pa.s.ses through the standpipe and dry pipe out of the boiler to the steam pipe tee or n.i.g.g.e.r-head located in the front end, then through steam pipes to the steam chest. A steam valve in each steam chest distributes the steam so that it enters the cylinders at or just before the beginning of the stroke; pus.h.i.+ng the piston to the end of its stroke; just before the piston reaches the end of the cylinder, the steam valve opens communication to the exhaust port through a cavity in its exhaust side, then through the exhaust pipes and tips up through the draft or petticoat pipe and stack to the atmosphere.

When steam pushes the piston through the cylinder, its power is transmitted by the main rod to the main crank pin which causes the wheels to revolve, thus moving the engine and its train.

7. Q. Why is it important that there be no holes through the smoke-box door or front end and none in smoke-box seams or joints?

A. So as to maintain as good a vacuum as possible in the smoke-box and prevent small amounts of air coming in through leaks which tend to heat and warp the smoke-box and its door.

8. Q. How should the locomotive be started to avoid jerks, and what train and other signals should be looked out for at the time of starting?

A. Place the reverse lever in full gear, open the throttle valve gradually so as to start the train one car at a time and easily. Look for signals ahead to show that the track is clear and switch is in correct position, then look for signals from the rear end that the train is all coming.

9. Q. Will an engine equipped with superheat units move as quickly as a saturated steam locomotive when throttle valve is first opened?

A. No.

10. Q. Why?

A. Because steam must first pa.s.s through superheat units before it enters the steam pipes leading to steam chest.

11. Q. In placing engine on the turntable, at water or stand pipes, or at other similar places, what must be done?

A. Close throttle valve sooner so that the steam confined in superheat units, pipes and steam chests, will have pa.s.sed out to the atmosphere.

12. Q. After a locomotive has been started, how can it be run most economically?

A. By regulating the supply of steam to the steam chest with the throttle and the point of cut-off with the reverse lever; so that no more steam be used than necessary to maintain the proper speed, whenever possible working the engine at short cut-off so as to use steam expansively.

13. Q. What is meant by working steam expansively?

A. Hooking the reverse lever up toward the center gives the valve a shorter travel and closes the live steam port when the piston has made only a part of its stroke. This cuts off the supply of live steam coming from the steam chest. The expansion of the steam already in the cylinder pushes the piston to the end of its stroke without the use of a full cylinder of live steam.

14. Q. How rapidly should water be supplied to the boiler?

A. No faster than it is evaporated into steam, unless just before a hard pull; or when shutting off with a heavy bright fire in the fire-box to prevent waste of steam at the pops.

15. Q. What is the difference between priming and foaming of a locomotive boiler?

A. Priming is caused by carrying the water too high in the boiler so that when the throttle valve is opened some of it pa.s.ses over with the steam in the form of a spray. Foaming is caused by the water becoming dirty from animal or alkaline matter, so that heat makes it foam like soap suds. Muddy water or certain vegetable matters will also make a boiler foam.

16. Q. What should you do in a case of foaming? What in a case of priming?

A. In a case of foaming, if possible, allow the boiler to cool off a little, increase the supply of feed water to prevent water getting too low, and whenever possible blow some of the dirty water out of the boiler, replacing it with clean water. In case of priming, shut off the supply of feed water until the water level drops to the proper height in the boiler.

17. Q. What danger is there when the water foams badly? When it primes badly?

A. There is danger of knocking out cylinder heads, cutting the valves, stalling on some grade or getting on some train's time because the engine cannot be worked to its proper power. When shutting off steam, the water is liable to drop below the crown sheet and thus risk burning the fire-box. When water primes badly, it is liable to break cylinder packing rings, knock out cylinder heads, break bolts in the steam chest and cut the valves. In such a case additional oil should be fed to the steam chest until the valves are properly lubricated.

18. Q. Suppose that with the water gla.s.s in good working order, immediately after closing the throttle the water disappeared from the water gla.s.s, what should be done?

A. Would open the throttle and endeavor to raise water until both injectors would put enough water into the boiler to make it entirely safe to close the throttle. If unable to raise the water level to the lower gauge c.o.c.k would smother the fire or put it out entirely, if necessary, keeping both injectors working.

19. Q. What work about a locomotive should be done by the engineman?

A. Inspection of the engine both before and after the trip. The engineer should do any necessary work on the engine after starting out on the trip to avoid breakdowns and insure getting over the road promptly. This means tightening up any important bolts that work loose on the trip and keeping parts from working out of position, adjusting wedges and rod keys.

20. Q. How should the work of setting up the wedges be done?

A. Place the engine on the upper quarter on the side with the loose wedge. Do not set the brake if brake shoe will push the driving box against the defective wedge, but block engine truck wheels so the engine cannot move, push the boxes against the shoe or dead wedge with a little steam, set the wedge up until it is a snug fit, then pull it down about one-sixteenth of an inch and fasten. Provision should be made for expansion of the box when it gets warm.

21. Q. How should rod bra.s.ses be keyed?

A. If properly fitted they should be keyed bra.s.s to bra.s.s; if not so fitted, they should be keyed on the large part of the pin so they will be free enough to run without heating and snug enough to run without pounding. Do not key them so tight at either end as to prevent the lateral motion of the bra.s.s on the pins.

22. Q. How should an engine be placed for the purpose of keying the rod bra.s.ses?

A. For the main rod, place the engine on the quarter or the top forward eighth, whichever place gives the largest diameter of the pin to key the bra.s.s against. After keying up, test by moving the wheel to another position and see if bra.s.ses are free on the pin. For the side or parallel rods, always place the engine on the center for the side that is to be keyed.

23. Q. How should the side rods on a mogul or consolidation locomotive be keyed?

A. Place the engine on the center on that side, key up the bra.s.s on the main pin first, work each way toward the ends of the rods, being careful to keep them the proper length so they do not bind when pa.s.sing either center. Be sure that wedges are properly set up before keying the side rods.

24. Q. What is the necessity for keeping the bra.s.ses keyed up properly?

A. If too tight, they will surely run hot; if too loose, they will pound and injure the bra.s.ses as well as endanger the safety of the straps and rod bolts. Very loose bra.s.ses can pound enough to get hot.

25. Q. What is meant by an engine out of tram? Out of quarter?

A. When corresponding wheels on opposite sides of the engine on different axes are not s.p.a.ced equally apart; where the axle of any wheel is not at a right angle to the center line from front to rear of engine, so they do not run square on the rails, or where the s.p.a.ce between the axle centers on opposite sides is not equal. This is sometimes indicated by unequal f.l.a.n.g.e wear and should be reported at once. Wheels are out of quarter when the crank pin in one wheel is not exactly 90 degrees or one quarter of a turn from the pin in the wheels on the other end of the same axle. This is usually caused by slipping the engine with sand on one rail only and the condition of engine should be reported at once.