Pre-Trip Steam Locomotive Inspection, Taking Slack, Cylinder Cocks, Sanding

'Lost' steam age rituals and technologies were mentioned in my posts about the Southern Pacific 1941 Santa Susana Tunnel accident. I thought it would be appropriate to provide some 'textbook' elaboration on the best practices for their use during those years.

These sections come from widely-used self-study texts for railway workers who wanted to improve their knowledge or to qualify for advancement. This book came from Rolly and may have been purchased by the engineer who previously owned Rolly's house. The text below was written by the CNR employee shown, and was copyrighted in 1928 and again (with updates) in 1937.

The 'value-added' reason for buying these textbooks ... was that they were thorough. 

If you were a roundhouse labourer who wanted to qualify to become a fireman, you could perhaps impress your fellow workers or bosses with what you knew and your demonstrated motivation to learn more. 

Or, if you worked for a smaller regional railway (not having the CNR or CPR's comprehensively-trained and supervised roundhouse staff) you could benefit from the knowledge and experience of someone who had worked for a large railway.

Today, these thorough textbooks help us understand all the forgotten details of the old technologies.

... However, we should bear in mind that what was done in practice on a daily basis might have been quite different.

East Oakland, 1955.
from: The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads; Lucius Beebe; 1963; Howell-North.

The Sunset Limited being greased en route, Lordsburg, New Mexico, undated.
from: The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads; Lucius Beebe; 1963; Howell-North.

'The Height of the Water in the Boiler'

CNR S-4-b Class, circa 1936. 
from: Constructed in Kingston; McQueen and Thomson; 2000; CRHA Kingston Division.

The 'water column' (older device = 'sight glass' or 'water glass', generically: a water gauge) is that tree of valves in the top right corner. Below the water column is the firebox (door) opening. The bottom of the coal-burning firebox assembly slopes down and away. 

The boiler backhead (the right 'end' of the boiler) will be contained in the cab. The water column is a sturdy device which serves as the window into the water level in the boiler. 

The fireman and engineer must keep the top of the firebox (the 'crown sheet') covered with water at all times. The water column registers the upper and lower limits of the flexibility they have with water levels in the boiler. The valves ('gauge cocks' in the text) are used to ensure that the water column is reading accurately. 

In a coal-fired firebox, the fire needs to be at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (~980 deg C) to completely burn the gases produced from the coal (a bright red fire). In a locomotive firebox, the fire can reach 2000-2500 degrees F (~1370 deg C) (creating a bright orange to a white fire). 

If the engine crew fails to keep the crown sheet covered with water, the fire will weaken the metal until it fails. The boiler will then explode: as the steam vents to atmosphere ... and as most or all the liquid water in the pressure vessel flashes instantly into steam. This is why several paragraphs are devoted to the subject of the water gauge.

Engineer posing while 'oiling around' with a flashlight in his left hand, no location given, 1957.
from: Canadian Pacific to the East; Omer Lavallee; 2007; Bytown.

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Coupler and draft gear, freight car.
from: Car Inspection Manual; CM Drennan; 1940; Brotherhood Railway Carmen America.

In addition to the necessary free-play between two coupler knuckles when they are closed, 

systems are in place to cushion the lading and the car structure from normal slack action.

Engineer checking his train and traction while leaving a siding. Train 920, Santa Margarita, California, undated. 
from: The Last of Steam; Joe G Collins; 1960; Howell-North.

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Sanding wet rail on a 1.75% grade.
Helmstetter's Curve, Cumberland, Maryland, undated.
from: The Last of Steam; Joe G Collins; 1960; Howell-North.

Working to correct a stuck sander valve, undated, no location. On the Great Northern.
from: Lines West; Charles L Wood; 1967; Superior.

Working as a fireman on a steam-powered eastbound freight climbing the ruling grade at Neys ... Rolly told me about working on an engine without any sand remaining. 

A practice not covered in the textbook: He ran along the ballast beside his slow-moving train, looking for any grit he could find ... to throw under the wheels to maintain traction so the train wouldn't stall. 

I was given the impression that this kind of thing had happened more than once on this section of track.