What was the average time required to service a steam locomotive? My impression from everything I've read is that it took 6 to 8 hours to turn a steam locomotive, assuming that no time-consuming repairs were required.
While we're at it, what about the average time required to service a Diesel locomotive? My impression here is 2 to 4 hours, again assuming no time-consuming repairs are needed.
And finally, what about heavy electrics? I would think their service times would be similar to Diesel but that's a wild guess.
ChuckAllen, TX
I can't tell you the average time to turn a steamer, but I can say Norfolk and Western could do it in under two hours. In their Y, A and J classes they had modern power designed to be easy to maintain. They also had an assembly line-like "lubritorium" which was most efficient. A freight locomotive would be cut off its train at a terminal, have its fire cleaned and the engine washed. Then it went to the lubritorium for inspection, lubrication and light repairs. Within two hours it would be outbound from the terminal with its train in tow.
My source for this information is Col. Lewis Jeffries' book "N&W Giant of Steam." I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in modern steam power.
If any of you folks would care to see N&W's "lubritorium" in action check for a Barnes and Noble bookstore in your area. In the DVD/CD department they're selling a two disc DVD set called "Railroads- Tracks Across America". Price is about $6.95. It's a collection of railroad promotional films from the '30s through the '50s, and there's a N&W film on it called "The Modern Coal Burning Steam Locomotive". Film to video transfer is pretty good, considering the films themselves really weren't meant to last all that long. 36 films in all on the two disc set, you won't be disappointed. Borders and Books-A-Million were stocking it as well.
A post-script to my last post concerning "Railroads-Tracks Across America". Target sells it too.
cefinkjr What was the average time required to service a steam locomotive? My impression from everything I've read is that it took 6 to 8 hours to turn a steam locomotive, assuming that no time-consuming repairs were required. While we're at it, what about the average time required to service a Diesel locomotive? My impression here is 2 to 4 hours, again assuming no time-consuming repairs are needed. And finally, what about heavy electrics? I would think their service times would be similar to Diesel but that's a wild guess.
Servicing a steam locomotive would normally average around two hours....
Coal and water-30 minutes
Fill sand boxes(if needed)-15 minutes
Lube main rods/refill oil canisters for moving parts-40 minutes
Inspect brakes/check gauges/headlight/whistle/and other inspection-20 minutes
Sweep cab/clean headlight number board and gauges-15 minutes
If a locomotive needed a good cleaning and power washing that could take another 2 hours
Diesel locomotives
Refueling-10-15 minutes is typical
Add sand to sandboxes-15 minutes
Clean cab/windows/re-supply fridge with water,etc-15 minutes
Inspection and testing of brakes/sand/horn/headlight/etc-10 minutes
Adding water or adding engine oil-5 minutes
If the sand is full,the cab is clean with a stocked fridge,and the fuel tank is half full, you can service a locomotive in as little as 15 minutes.
Never worked with electric locomotives but they are probably similar to the same time it takes to service a diesel locomotive.
I was thinking it would take less time to service an electric than a diesel since they would not have to load fuel, but then I remembered that a generation ago (loco hauled) passenger cars were heated with steam. At that time electrics would need fuel and water for the steam heating boiler. Passenger diesels also would need heating water. I don't know if the had separate fuel tanks for the steam heating boiler since diesel fuel is like #2 heating oil.
MidlandMike I was thinking it would take less time to service an electric than a diesel since they would not have to load fuel, but then I remembered that a generation ago (loco hauled) passenger cars were heated with steam. At that time electrics would need fuel and water for the steam heating boiler. Passenger diesels also would need heating water. I don't know if the had separate fuel tanks for the steam heating boiler since diesel fuel is like #2 heating oil.
That was my thinking too except that refueling an electric for its steam heating boiler shouldn't take nearly as long as refueling a Diesel, simply because it wouldn't take as much fuel oil. Of course, we're assuming that electrics had fuel-oil fired boilers for steam heating, but they could have had electrically heated boilers but I've never read anything on it either way.
cefinkjr MidlandMike: I was thinking it would take less time to service an electric than a diesel since they would not have to load fuel, but then I remembered that a generation ago (loco hauled) passenger cars were heated with steam. At that time electrics would need fuel and water for the steam heating boiler. Passenger diesels also would need heating water. I don't know if the had separate fuel tanks for the steam heating boiler since diesel fuel is like #2 heating oil. That was my thinking too except that refueling an electric for its steam heating boiler shouldn't take nearly as long as refueling a Diesel, simply because it wouldn't take as much fuel oil. Of course, we're assuming that electrics had fuel-oil fired boilers for steam heating, but they could have had electrically heated boilers but I've never read anything on it either way.
MidlandMike: I was thinking it would take less time to service an electric than a diesel since they would not have to load fuel, but then I remembered that a generation ago (loco hauled) passenger cars were heated with steam. At that time electrics would need fuel and water for the steam heating boiler. Passenger diesels also would need heating water. I don't know if the had separate fuel tanks for the steam heating boiler since diesel fuel is like #2 heating oil.
According to Middleton in When the Steam Railroads Electrified p.427, "Oil fired boilers normally are installed in passenger (electric) locomotives to supply steam for train heating." Although the book shows some exceptions. Early BAP passenger cars had wires on the roof for heating and lighting. Later on when the passenger accommodation was a combine at the end of a long ore train, pictures show instead a stove pipe at each end of the car. Of course MU cars on commuter lines had electric heat.
Electric heat was not always the norm on MU cars. I regularly rode on South Shore's MU cars from the Insull era and they depended on a stove at one end of the car for heat.
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