Engine Watch

Vol. 1
No. 10

August
1925

Watching That Engine

By V. A. Taylor
FOREMAN, SILVER CITY, UTAH

WHEN the fuel department was organized, August, 1918, fuel meetings were almost unknown. It was known, however, that next to wages, fuel was the greatest single item of expense in operating a railroad. The fuel question has been discussed and written upon from almost every angle, but it seems that there is an unlimited field for this ever-important subject. Every time an article is read or the matter is discussed in meetings, something new is brought to light. This is due, of course, to the fact that there are very few things about railroading that have nothing to do with wasting or saving of fuel.

That an enormous saving has been made by the fuel department, in their campaign for fuel conservation is unquestioned, a vast amount of educational literature has been distributed on the subject. Traveling engineers, traveling firemen and other field forces have made it their personal business to see that nothing was left undone to eliminate waste of fuel. Yet with all this effort and education, there is, I am sorry to say, an enormous waste of fuel still going on that is actually preventable.

Prior to my service as foreman, I was in service as a fireman or approximately ten years. In that time I was in branch line service a part of the time, at outlying points, where only one or two engines tied up, and was closely associated with the engine watchman and had an opportunity to observe him in the performance of his duties, hence, my subject, "Watching That Engine."

ON this particular railroad, it is the practice to hold fuel meetings at regular intervals, if I recall correctly, once each month, every department being represented. At one meeting I made the statement that in my opinion the most fuel could be saved by beginning at the roundhouse, as engine watchmen were more wasteful of fuel than any other class of employes. This was instantly challenged by the roundhouse representative and nearly broke up the meeting, but in a subsequent meeting, the matter of watching engines was thoroughly threshed out and many remedies suggested, and a few applied.

The education of engine watchmen is a very important factor in fuel economy. Through lack of experience, or unfamiliarity with conditions that affect fuel consumption on idle engines under their care, they may unknowingly contribute in no small way to fuel waste. They can also damage grates, cause leaky flues and other things that are costly, if they are not entirely familiar with the proper methods of watching engines. Roundhouse foremen should give the engine watchmen that are under their supervision the benefit of their experience in watching engines, and do everything possible to familiarize new men with the "tricks" of the job.

My observation of the methods used by green men has convinced me that too much attention cannot be given to their education. Let me cite an instance of how an inexperienced man may go about the job: The engine crew gets off the engine, watchman looks at the fire, puts in a big slug, pop goes up, injector is put on, boiler is filled up, and the engine gets hot again. I have seen watchmen that had been on the job for months use an entire tank of water watching an engine. There is no way telling how much coal is wasted in that manner to say nothing of the damage they do to the firebox and flues, which is another expensive item. After such watching of an engine look in the ashpit and see the waste of unburned coal that is in the pile of ashes and clinkers. All this waste that is absolutely avoidable, and yet I have seen this happen day after day. At such points where engines tie up for a period of eight hours or more it is possible to handle fires so that same can be cleaned without the loss of any coal whatever, when the engine arrives at ashpit and the watchman takes charge, the fire should be given attention to see that it does not die down too rapidly, thus injuring firebox and flues. If the firebox and flues show no leaks, the blower should be put on lightly to get the fire to burning brightly, then injector can be put on and cut down fine so as to fill boiler gradually and without cooling it off. This can be done by keeping fire burning brightly until boiler is full.

BANKING fires is another art that requires a lot of practice. Lumps should be used next to flues, and slack next to the door. Fires in no case should be cleaned until an hour or two before engine is ordered for service. When fires are banked a stack cover should be put on immediately and adjusted to the kind of coal used, as well as the direction the wind is blowing, as these conditions make a lot of difference in the successful use of the stack cover. The successful use of the stack cover means that at the expiration of eight to twelve hours, heat retained in the firebox by the use of the cover has protected the firebox and flues, eliminating any possibility of damage by cooling off too rapidly. You have also retained a sufficient pressure of steam to fire up the engine, and the banks of coal coked and the balance of the grate area burned down to ashes or clinkers. By shaking grates you will get ashes and small clinkers out and this will leave large clinkers in the box. With a little practice these can be separated from the banks of coked coal without loss of any coal whatever.

Of course the above plan takes more time and attention, but the results more than justify the extra time and trouble, after being tried out at this point for almost eight years where as many as 1,500 engines were handled in one year and the trouble from leaky firebox and flues, as records will show, was negligible, convinces me, as foreman having direct supervision over engine watchmen, that their education along the lines of fuel economy is very essential, in fact, just as essential as that of the fireman and engineman.