With the discussion of the COG Rwy converting to oil, and "strange fuels" string, I ask the following questions.

The engine I currently work on an oil burner (build to burn Bunker C, now living on #2 home heating oil), what are you burning for oil to make your steam? And, what are your results - both in operating (performance) and buildup on fire surfaces, and what type of burner do you use (internal or external mixing for atomizing)?

Thanks,
Ray

At least one oil-burning steamer I have worked around were burning a blend of what I was told at the time was a donated batch of accidentally-contaminated home heating oil (something in it that made it unsaleable or something, but didn't affect its burning) and semi-raw used motor oil, barely filtered. Dunno if you could get away with that today.

lner4472@bcpl.net

For 22 years we have been burning used motor oil (unprocessed but from a reputable collector who does not take sludge or water/antifreeze)in seven different locomotives all of which were set-up for Bunker C originally. We have also burned contaminated jet fuel (government surplus)and contaminated diesel fuel (sometimes is a little wet or dirty, unsuitable for diesel engines but fine for us). Our cost had been 25 cents, then 28 cents, and now 30 cents per gallon delivered either directly to the locomotive or a storage tank car.

This fuel burns fine with the externally atomizing Van Boden burners having a fuel slot about 1/4" tall by 2" to 2 1/2" wide, and a steam slot of the same length but the thickness of a hacksaw blade tall (hacksaw blades are used to clean-out the slot when required- not often). The oil is very controlable, burns cleanly, maintains adequate steam pressure, and requires no pre-heating except for in extremely cold weather. Our firemen are trained to limit the amount of primary and secondary air to only that which is required, avoiding heating up excess air and keeping the firebox temperature more even.

It is necessary to scrape "clinker" off the bricked firepan floor on occasion. The clinker tends to start forming when debris is allowed to accumulate on the floor within 2-3' of the burner. Banning the use of fusees to start the fire and placing the ignition material (oily rags, newspaper) toward the back of the firebox, below the flash wall can minimize this problem.
Honeycombing (the accumulation of ash on the tube sheet} can begin to obstruct the tube openings, but can be cleaned off with a wire brush or high pressure water hose.

When steaming up we maintain a fairly small fire which essentially burns back at the flash wall (below the firebox door). If the back tube sheet is visible through the tongues of fire, then we consider the fire not too heavy. When steaming from cold we also run a circulating water pump from a connection at the blowdown valve to a connection that enters the injector delivery pipe through to the boiler check valve. Ths helps pull the heated water down into the mudring area avoiding the usually cold areas of the firebox insulated by the firebrick. Staybolt breakage has been reduced by doing so.

Some locos require changes in the atomizer pressure for nearly every variation of the fuel supply, while others will operate over a wide range of fuel with a fairly steady atomizer pressure.

When rebuilding locomotives, we have added a drip pan located below the burner damper openning to catch excess (unburned) fuel if a fireman has difficulty lighting off or makes a mistake. The pan drains through a pipe to a 5-gallon bucket when it gets full.

Although excess smoke is highly discouraged, the fact that the locomotive is a "mobile" boiler exempts us from or reduces air pollution requirments.

steamrr@mashell.com

In our location we can legally burn our own waste oil or purchase waste oil from a licensed recycler as industrial fuel.

I have tried both internal and external atomization, and find external easier to keep clean and reliable.

A new generation of centrally mounted burners (US practice is burner under throat) is in use in Wales and other locations using small locomoive where the flame impingement on the bottom of the door sheet and limited "throw" makes US practice difficult. They burn lighter oil like diesel or #2.

The Swiss have developed an even cleaner system which combined with other modern technologies is also much more efficient.

Dave