Re: Oil fired locos.

Krel (krel4203@netconnect.com.au)
Tue, 07 Apr 1998 13:06:55 GMT

>> >Do oil fired locos have a blast. Do they need to draw the fire.
>
>snip snip
>
>>
>>
>> Smoke of course, has little to do with the air method, mainly the
>> adequacy of the amount supplied. There shouldn't be any at all, of
>> course, if the fuel is being burned efficiently. Although the
>> potential for burning liquid fuels at 100% efficiency would seem to be
>> higher than the potential for coal, oil-fuelled locos were often
>> smokier than coal-fired ones- you could nearly always tell from a
>> distance whether it was an oil-fired or coal-fired VR J class that was
>> chuffing up the track towards you.
>>
>
If you want to see an oil fired J in action the Castlemaine and Maldon
Railway aka The Victorian Goldfields Railway has one in service most
Wednesdays and Sundays.

Cheers

Krel

>It is true that oil fired locomotives have a reputation for being smokier than
>coal fired ones but this need not be the case. Having fired both coal and oil
>I know that oil firing can be much more precise and the most efficient
>combustion is produced when there is a faint grey haze from the chimney
>(stack). Many railfans like smoke and I found the trick was to know where they
>were waiting for you and overfire slightly so that they could get their
>pictures.
>
>It is particularly important to know the road with oil firing. If the driver
>starts to attack a steep grade and the fireman is nt anticipating this the
>driver can take 25 lbs off the clock leaving the hapless fireman to struggle
>for steam all the way up the grade.
>
>One thing that has not been mentioned is that oil firing requires a supply of
>steam to atomize the oil flowing into the burner. This has to be adjusted so
>that the burner burns brightly - too much steam can put the flame off the
>burner.
>
>--
>Colin J. Churcher
>Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
>churcher@magi.com
>Please visit my railway pages at: http://infoweb.magi.com/~churcher/
>
>

When I die I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather; not screaming and scared shitless like his passengers.