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Dear Old Timer, As Elliot pointed out, without a floor there would be an uncontrolled and massive amount of air coming in, and at high speeds the oil would quite easily be blown out. The locomotive I volunteer on has a flat floor of steel which I assure you is quite thick. Other locomotives sometimes have a V-shaped floor with a flat bottom (SP 1795, for example). Since it was brought up, here are some fineries of firing oil burners (random points): 1.) The fireman must increase the firing valve as the Amount Of Steam Used is increased (it's not just the throttle--it's the reverser). If the fireman doesn't, the fire could be blown out because of a large draft (gives you a new appreciation of the exhaust nozzle that it could put out a locomotive's fire). But, open it too much and you will be "forcing the fire," which can cause leaky tubes and flues, and waste fuel. The engineer will tell the fireman when he plans to change the amount of steam used (like leaving the station). The firing quadrant (on which the firing lever is mounted) usually has a spot for an adjustable marker/stop for the "drifting fire"--the lowest amount of oil which can maintain full steam pressure when drifting. (The one I work on was converted to oil on the cheap in 1941, and doesn't have a nice quadrant like that.) 2.) To keep the fireman entertained, he also has two other controls which require his constant attention--the atomizer and the damper. The atomizer valve controls how much steam is used at the burner. Too little atomizer and the oil won't atomize (what a surprise), too much and you're wasting steam, and worse, making the fire burn cooler, and wasting oil. Either way leads to black smoke. Too little damper and the oil won't burn all the way--black smoke, wasted oil, colder fire. Too much damper and the fire can get too cold--black smoke, wasted oil (burning more to keep the same temperature); worst, too much damper and the flues will contract and leak. 3.) The blower control can be turned on to increase draft. Have fun. 4.) Whenever possible, only use the injector when running. If necessary to use it while stopped, increase the firing valve above the drifting stop to prevent losing steam pressure. Alternate which injector is used to minimize wear on the nozzles. 5.) Sand the flues regularly. 6.) Oil can burn with up to 50% more heat/time than coal. You might not have to shovel oil, but it does require constant vigilance, and balancing the firing valve, damper, and atomizer is definitely an art. Sincerely, Daniel Parks
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