Hey everyone, this is a question that has been pecking at my mind for some time. In the day to day operation of a steam loco, (of any size generally)...

What sort of toolkit/list would be necessary for running a steam engine?

For context, I've recently been involved in a Formula SAE Racing organization at my university. At every event where the car was let out on a circuit, the team would prep with a "pre-flight" checklist so to speak of all tools, parts, and consumables beforehand. (And usually with your garden variety disorganized-student club mishaps).

So hypothetically if I was to find myself working on a functional steam locomotive tomorrow, what sort of "check list" would I need for tools, parts, lubrication, etc? I see info all the time of the type of maintenance steam requires, but not a lot on what tools you need to do so.

Now I want to emphasize, As much as I love steam, I have not yet had the opportunity to work on any functional engine. Hence my curiosity.

-M. K.

According to my training at BN, the basics for diesels are: Hammer, chisel, and wrench.

For steam, let's go with:
pipe wrench
monkey wrench
cold chisel
pry bar
sledge hammer
set of hammer wrenches to fit most bolts on your engine
regular and phillips screwdrivers
pliers
vise grips
baling wire
shop rags
graphite packing
journal oil
valve oil
mineral oil
penetrating oil
grease gun
rod dope

No matter how much in the way of tools and supplies you carry, YOU WILL ALWAYS NEED SOMETHING YOU LEFT BACK AT THE ROUNDHOUSE.

We built a new tender for the J&L 58 which includes a rather large onboard tool locker. I have been thinking about what tools and supplies that I would want to carry aboard the tender, and thus far this is my list:

Two shovels
Fire rake
Set of two "Uwantawrench" Monkey Wrenches
18" Crescent wrench
8" Crescent wrench
small and medium sized union wrenches
medium pipe wrench
DeWalt cordless grease gun
Can of steam cylinder oil
Can of PB&J oil
Boilersaver water treatment
Oxygen Scavenger
3 lb. cross peen hammer
extra hot mill gloves
rags

And we also will have provisions for a Coleman cooler filled with cold drinks.

Tools onboard the locomotive are limited to what you need to lubricate, adjust and water the locomotive. You need certain wrenches for adjusting bolts on bearings, opening lubrication points with hex heads, changing consumeables like gauge glasses and packing, and adjust linkages like brakes. On many engines you need a hammer to open the smoke box door, or to remove screens inside the smoke box. You need a hammer to loosen things that become jammed with dirt, burned oil, and coal, like fire doors.

Anything else is a repair, and if you plan on doing repairs on the road, you need a tool car or tool truck with a portable workshop. We do not have this. We are never more than 2 hours drive from our workshop, and if an emergency happened, we would have a member drive their car/trailer to the workshop to get the required items. In seven years of membership, I don't recall this happening.

Bailing wire. Always.

You guys raise some good points, primarily that each locomotive and each different operation is unique, and will have unique requirements. For instance, an amusement park engine doesn't need to carry much, because you are usually within hollering distance of the shop. At Texas State RR, we carried the stuff I mentioned on the engine, and had a shop at both ends of the line (25 miles), but we also had a guy in a pickup who was better equipped following the train on the paralleling highway. In Guatemala (212 mile mainline), we had to survive somehow. There was NO PLAN B.

I didn't mention a shovel or fire rake, because oil burners don't need them, but everybody needs a jug of drinking water and ice, and proper water treatment. Everybody should also have a LARGE, WELL STOCKED FIRST AID KIT. This includes a snake bite kit, and bee sting treatment such as an epi pen (don't laugh, I was attacked by Killer Bees twice while working in Guatemala, and they have made significant inroads into the southern USA.) Everybody also needs a radio or cell phone, or more than one. And the longer your operation is, the more likely you are to need some rerailing frogs, wood blocks, jacks, and towchains. A jug of diesel comes in handy, too.

Repairs on the road ?? Well, it is of course better to fix everything before you sell tickets and load up the train with tourists. However, it's amazing what you can patch up when you have to (don't forget to bring some DUCT TAPE). I especially remember when the air pump quit on the first trip of our Guatemalan tourist operation, when we were 27 miles from the big city, with all the media on board. I had to ride back to town standing on the running board with a ball peen hammer, tapping the reversing valve housing EVERY STROKE of the compressor "tink ka-chunk ka-chunk, tink ka-chunk ka-chunk, tink ka-chunk ka-chunk" whenever the engineer made a reduction, used his straight air, or rang the bell. I was a bit irritated, but I got over it the next morning when I saw our picture on the front page of La Prensa every time I passed a news stand on my walk to work. It was a nice color shot of our train in a deep cut, lots of sunshine and black smoke, and the only person who could be seen was yours truly. Sometimes there IS justice in the world...

Flashlights (more then one!) and batteries, rotated to stay fresh. Extra bulbs if you insist on going old school with incandesant.
Extra lamps for the headlight and cab lights
Ratchet straps (can be used to temp repair things about to fall off, or makes a good come-along)
spare gauge glass, extra pipe plugs and caps

All true. Not only that, but I carry a couple odd pieces of pipe to use as cheaters...

Chainsaw.

Admittedly not locomotive-specific, but it's saved the day more than once.

- Alan Maples

I think many shortlines that run through wooded areas have chainsaws on their locomotives. I know I carry one in my hi-rail truck at all times!

BTW as a result of this thread, I have added a burn/first aid kit to my list of required tools. Thanks!

Thinking back to a line in PA that I used to volunteer at, add a few assorted C-clamps to the list. We had a pipe plug work out of a lubrication line, blowing oil all over the place. We clamped a pad of cardboard over the opening with a C-clamp, got home that way.

I forget the exact details, but we also had a problem with a leaking water glass on a diesel's expansion tank, and somehow a C-clamp figured into a field expedient repair.

A couple of vise-grips are good for pinching off copper or braided hydraulic lines if needed.
An extra waterglass is handy to have.
A 10 or 12-foot 1/2" or 5/8" chain with grab hooks can be useful.

Howard P.

If you don't have it, you'll probably end up wishing you brought it with you. I'd say a good flashlight should be kept on the engine. They're good at getting some light into that dark area a mysterious and concerning leak is dripping from, or at night as well.

Spare headlight and cab light bulbs, electrical fuses too, and a spare sight glass and associated gaskets if you'll be that far from home base. There's a reason so many mainline engines run with a dedicated tool car full of spare parts and every tool they (hopefully) never have to use.

-Sam

When dealing with hot driving axle bearings etc, "Timesaver" yellow label dissolveable lapping compounds https://www.newmantools.com/lapping/time.htm#pro can save the day.

The grains eventually completely dissolve in oil, leaving no abrasive after polishing the rough spots. See attached PDF for details.

Available from McMaster-Carr https://www.mcmaster.com/abrasives/lapping/timesaving-lapping-grains-for-aluminum-and-soft-metals/

- Doug Debs

Slik-50 works, too.