I spent a few hours today with my co-worker Ron Judd (R.J.),scrubbing and pressure washing our 0-6-0 #7470.With most of the grease and grime gone,our next move is to touch-up the paint and get the old girl ready to finish off the tourist season.Yes,it's that time already!
I remember reading in L&RP of a new employee, being told to take a bucket of graphite out to a locomotive,and dress up the smokebox for service.
How is graphite applied to a smokebox? I have used graphite(cut with diesel fuel) to lubricate turnouts.Is this the same stuff used to make the front end of a steamer shine?

Brian


Conway Scenic Railroad
bhebert@rypn.org

Although the 610 currently sports high temp gray on the smokebox, it and the other locos at TVRM had variations of the graphite and xylene mixture sold as switch plate lubricant. It is, however, odorific if you put it on while the engine is hot. I used to put it on after washing the engine or while firing it up, before the smokebox and firebox got hot. We usually added silver or aluminum paint to the mixture when doing the 4501. Be sure to use a throwaway brush, though.

Mike Brown

> I spent a few hours today with my co-worker
> Ron Judd (R.J.),scrubbing and pressure
> washing our 0-6-0 #7470.With most of the
> grease and grime gone,our next move is to
> touch-up the paint and get the old girl
> ready to finish off the tourist
> season.Yes,it's that time already!
> I remember reading in L&RP of a new
> employee, being told to take a bucket of
> graphite out to a locomotive,and dress up
> the smokebox for service.
> How is graphite applied to a smokebox? I
> have used graphite(cut with diesel fuel) to
> lubricate turnouts.Is this the same stuff
> used to make the front end of a steamer
> shine?

> Brian


Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
newriver400@cs.com

> It is, however, odorific if you
> put it on while the engine is hot.

I've seen at least one engine painted with graphite at the end of a day of service, even before they'd dropped the fire. It was cool and windy, though, so I didn't notice any smell (I was on the ground, also.)

Chaski Railfan WWWBoard
mrwowak@yahoo.com

I have seen graphite and steam oil used as well as graphite and linseed oil. Makes for a pretty locomotive.

Tom

Steam Railroading Message Board

Are you using the fine powdered graphite, or the powdered flake graphite?

I like the powdered graphite mixed with aluminum high temp paint recipe. By varying the quantity of graphite, you can make it a different shade.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

In his treatise Displayed Steam Locomotives - Their Care and Maintenance, J. David Conrad says to mix 1 part number 2 flake graphite with 5 parts boiled linseed oil for the front end treatment. I would have to think that adding paint to the mix would make it last longer though.
Roger

Displayed Steam Locomotives - Their Care and Maint
Belpaire@aol.com

> Are you using the fine powdered graphite, or
> the powdered flake graphite?

I wouldn't know, I was just a tourist there.


Chaski Railfan WWWBoard
mrwowak@yahoo.com

Be careful mixing paint types. Paint is a hardenable liquid binder (like linseed oil) mixed with a pigment (graphite, aluminum powder, white lead, zinc oxide, yellow chromate, etc.). If you mix linseed with modern binders (alkyd, acylic resins) or add the wrong reducer into the paint, you migh find yourself with a large can of gray jello.

Linseed "oil" isn't the same kind of "oil" as diesel or valve oil because it hardens by absorbing oxygen from the air; it's what's called a "drying oil". Petroleum oils don't harden, at least for several years if ever.

I have found that the grahite lubricant paste will "dry" quite nicely when thinned to brushing consistency with Dulux or Centari spraying reducers. Benzine, toluene and xylene (all related chemically) are air quality no-nos these days.

Try this: large portion switch plate lubricant, smaller portion of aluminum paint, and enough graphite powder to suit your taste. Warning: attempting to find the "proper" mix may become habit forming....and possibly frustrating!

TVRM Shop Update
sfreer@tvrail.com

I use a paint and graphite mixture and it works just fine. I use a high temp aluminum/silver and add graphite. The graphite I get free from a local company that machines graphite parts. They give the graphite powder away 5 gallons at a time.

Robert@trainorders.com