I often hear of steam locomotives being "winterized" following the summer tourist season. I am curious as to what exactly is involved in the winterization process. Is it simply draining the boiler or is there more involved. Also, assuming the locomotive is in excellent condition at the end of the season, what work is done over the winter. Is it simply put to bed to wait until next spring or are there some parts that are usually replaced/serviced to ensure the engine's reliability the following year? I know the answers to these questions very greatly from locomotive to locomotive, but I would just like a general idea of what attention an excursion locomotive recieves during it's "off" months.

One of the other items aside from draining the boiler is removal of all coal and dust from the bunker. Coal and coal dust make wonderful corrosive agents when water is added. Generally we do most of the heavier repairs in the winter season, so we end up doing more than what is necessary for the typical storage prep.

awalker2002@comcast.net

Things to consider besides draining and drying the boiler. The superheater units need to be dried or blown out. This is almost impossible so some type of anti corrosive liquid could be pumped in. If this is in the east or midwest then freezing has to be considered. All the steam and air lines need to be drained, dried and blown out. Air compressors blown out and some type of moisture displacing solution sprayed through. All steam and air valves opened off the seats. Injectors opened as well. Water pumps have the same treatment as the compressors. Power reverse should be opened, cleaned and wiped down with brake cylinder grease. Sand should be swept from the smoke box as well as any accumulation of soot. Front end throttle has to be opened and all the condensation blown out. The throttle valves are open off the seats. A small space heater could be put into both the firebox and smoke box. This keeps moisture out which could combine with the sulpher in the soot causing corrosion. Complete lube of all running gear. This will drive out, displace any moisture. Lubricators should be drained.

Probably the most efficient way to dry the superheater units is to remove the piston valves, charge the boiler with air and open the throttle all the way. This was Santa Fe practice for storing locomotives. The piston valves were also left out during storage. Santa Fe would fill the boiler with water then add a few gallons of kerosene. Then the boiler would be drained down. This would coat all the boiler surfaces with kerosene. All the top washout plugs would be put back in and the corner firebox plugs left out.

I am sure that some of the coal guys have something to say about cleaning and prepping the firebox for winter layup.

> Things to consider besides draining and
> drying the boiler. The superheater units
> need to be dried or blown out. This is
> almost impossible so some type of anti
> corrosive liquid could be pumped in. If this
> is in the east or midwest then freezing has
> to be considered. All the steam and air
> lines need to be drained, dried and blown
> out. Air compressors blown out and some type
> of moisture displacing solution sprayed
> through. All steam and air valves opened off
> the seats. Injectors opened as well. Water
> pumps have the same treatment as the
> compressors. Power reverse should be opened,
> cleaned and wiped down with brake cylinder
> grease. Sand should be swept from the smoke
> box as well as any accumulation of soot.
> Front end throttle has to be opened and all
> the condensation blown out. The throttle
> valves are open off the seats. A small space
> heater could be put into both the firebox
> and smoke box. This keeps moisture out which
> could combine with the sulpher in the soot
> causing corrosion. Complete lube of all
> running gear. This will drive out, displace
> any moisture. Lubricators should be drained.

> Probably the most efficient way to dry the
> superheater units is to remove the piston
> valves, charge the boiler with air and open
> the throttle all the way. This was Santa Fe
> practice for storing locomotives. The piston
> valves were also left out during storage.
> Santa Fe would fill the boiler with water
> then add a few gallons of kerosene. Then the
> boiler would be drained down. This would
> coat all the boiler surfaces with kerosene.
> All the top washout plugs would be put back
> in and the corner firebox plugs left out.

> I am sure that some of the coal guys have
> something to say about cleaning and prepping
> the firebox for winter layup.
I always filled boiler with compressed air and oppened throttle ond closed fast with reverse on center and all drains open. After you blow out supperheater blowout all lines ie compressor power reverse sight feed lub. remove valves at bottom and blow all lines. I have not had frezze up doing this for 40 years. bb

Feeze up isn't the problem and true just blowing the units will remove most of the water. Problem is it doesn't remove all the water. The water left in the units then sets and starts its magical corrosion process shortening the life of the units.

My comment on freezing problems though if you read back was directed at filling the units with an anti corrosive. If your in an area where it will freeze then this can not be done.

I do know of engines that have the units filled with oxy savenger/anti corrosive and an engine in a state where it will freeze that has the units filled with diesel oil. In these days of longer out of service and fewer steam days these operators have found that there is a problem with just blowing the units and have taken extra steps to insure against rust through.

The Santa Fe folio lay up procedure is to pull the valve spools and then blow the units. Next time you blow your units first do it with the valves in place then pull the valves and blow them again. You will be surprised at the amount of water that will still be inside.

> I often hear of steam locomotives being
> "winterized" following the summer
> tourist season. I am curious as to what
> exactly is involved in the winterization
> process. Is it simply draining the boiler or
> is there more involved. Also, assuming the
> locomotive is in excellent condition at the
> end of the season, what work is done over
> the winter. Is it simply put to bed to wait
> until next spring or are there some parts
> that are usually replaced/serviced to ensure
> the engine's reliability the following year?
> I know the answers to these questions very
> greatly from locomotive to locomotive, but I
> would just like a general idea of what
> attention an excursion locomotive recieves
> during it's "off" months.

What's a front end throttle?

jtjjtb@aol.com

Throttle placed at the front end of the locomotive in the smoke box. This is a multiple valve poppet instead of the single valve which is found in the steam dome. In a front end throttle the throttle chamber and superheater header are combined in one casting. The reason for a larger multi valve throttle was that the engines grew in size and the steam demand naturally went up. Multiple valves were needed to control the larger steam demand.

A front-end throttle also offers the minor but nice advantage that a performation in the dry pipe no longer admits steam to the cylinders--fewer locomotives inadvertently creeping away...

eledbetter@rypn.org

If corrosion is a concern, has anyone tried nitrogen to fill the boiler and piping during prolonged storage? It would have to be monitored periodically, but will provide a dry, non-oxidizing environment inside any pressurized system.

tr2manz@frontiernet.net

> If corrosion is a concern, has anyone tried
> nitrogen to fill the boiler and piping
> during prolonged storage?

A good number of discoveries have been made regarding nitrogens ability to find its way out of containers. Real small molecules able to leak past most things that we call seals. Case in point: Rolex actually had to design a special relief valve into their Sea Dweller watch so that saturation divers who spend long hours at high atmospheric pressures didnt have their watches burst when returning to the surface. Reason ? At high atmospheric pressures the nitrogen was able to seep past the same seals that successfully kept water out at 600 feet of sea water pressures. ( or so Ive been told)
I have friends who race cars who use nitrogen instead of air in the tires because the lack of moisture ( as opposed to "air") allows the tire pressures to remain more stable with heating and cooling - *if* they can keep the nitrogen from leaking out through the porous wheel castings, etc.
The biggest issue, besides cost of 1000s of cubic feet of nitrogen, would be to be able to keep the stuff in the locomotive for more than a few days, which despite being able to withstand oodles of steam pressure isnt designed to the tolerances to be able to hold nitrogen in....at least I don't think so. We're talking about lapped and ground metal seats and valves, throttles, etc. and not gas regulator valves.

Dunno- might be simpler to circulate good ol warm dry air through it from a heater/ dehumidifier.

staybolt@bellsouth.net

> Dunno- might be simpler to circulate good ol
> warm dry air through it from a heater/
> dehumidifier.

Not involved with steamers but ... wouldn't you have to keep the entire locomotive above the dew point to keep moisture from condensing. Our LIRR coaches drip condensation out between the side sill and the sheathing ... this is way over and above what leaks in from the window gaskets.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

With the 1522, after our last runs of the season, we would do a boiler wash, fire up one more time,kill the fire and completely blow her dry. Cap the stack, close the dampers and let her sit until the next weekend. She would hold the heat more than long enough to cook all the water out of the sleeves, etc.
Following weekend, charge the boiler on air (120 psi with our shop compressor), blow out all appliances and lines. We would put a pint or so of oil in the dynamo line and run the dynamo on air for a minute to coat the turbine, and make sure the air pump was run on air with oil to completely blow out all passages. The booster engine was also fed oil and idled on air for a minute or so. Next, actually move the engine under air back and forth several times until no signs of moisture came out of the stack or cylinder cocks. Disconnected cylinder cock lines and booster throttle lines and blew them completely out, drained all branch pipes, steam heat lines, etc. Tender, of course was completely drained and the water hatch propped open with a small board to circulate air. Water lines between engine and tender were dropped.
Firebox and smokebox cleaned out of sand and "trash".
We left two washout plugs in the cab and the two mud ring washout plugs and put special screens in the openings to allow circulation of air.
In the years of operating,we never had anything give us any problem from winterization.

frisco1522@sbcglobal.net