Having fired and driven 3ft6inch steam on the Pichi Richi Railway in South Australia for around 40 years, I can sympathise swith the ash disposal process. However, I think you missed reinforcing an absolute essential task before lighting the fire (we use a match and kero rag on the shovel). That absolute essential is making sure there is adequate water in the boiler. Best done before messing with the grate. Problems like the one you encountered run the risk of overlooking of water if time is creeping on, and there is a timed schedule to meet or other distractions come along. Bryan
I definitely glossed over it for sure. We usually get them set a day or two before, so that we can come in and not worry about a slow pump or any junk like that and just get the fire rolling. Always check beforehand, but it was the first thing I really filmed so I didn't even think to film checking the gauge - but absolutely, 100% - always, always, always know the water level. :)
@@Hyce777 Thanks for the reply, and that bit aside, it is good to see someone putting together the reality of steam. As one of our fitters once said " the romance of steam is in the eye of the beholder!" In regard to water, in our early days, while we were coming to grips with water treatment , and the horrible bore water we had to contend with etc, we had a lot of trouble with leaking steam valves, and there were times when an adequately filled boiler the night before would sometimes not be so adequate the next morning. I guess we all have our own circumstances to deal with. regards Bryan
@@bryanhomann7837 Too real, Bryan. We're fortunate with our boilers - KNOCK ON WOOD - they are tight enough that they lose maybe a 1/4 glass, or, in the case of 20 - sometimes *gain some* as they cool as they suck water in...
Great Point Same process with Nuclear Reactors that have anywhere from 13" to 3' thick steal reactor cores where the water is in some reactors turned to steam and others boiling water reactors stay under higher pressure to keep the core always full of water as water is in the west the moderator that makes the reaction work. But like you folks are doing you have to bring the temperature up slow or you can cause serious damage if one part expands faster than others. Same principal. Personaly I suggest if not already done you have a pre flight check list and check lists for every stage plus some what to do If X or Y happens. Very cool info on the shovels. Never gave shovels the respect they clearly deserve. Cool Stuff Guys. The granola heads wont like it IF they understood coal was involved. Take care.
@@jimbronson687 Agree with the pre-flight check. We have done that for many years now, and our Australian Govt rail safety regulator expects such things these days anyway. In regard to heating slowly - very much so. Our boilers grow over an inch or more, and prior to moving the loco, we can have 200psi on the gauge, and the foundation ring is cool enough to put the palm of your hand on it. The circulation doesn't really get started until steam is being used.
I should like to protest, you've neglected the extremely important parts of firing up a locomotive such as other people standing around drinking coffee and eating donuts while someone else works, given that I have never seen a locomotive fired up without such an entourage so it must be an absolutely necessary requirement
What you've described is also a MAJOR component of road construction and resurfacing in the US... Come to think of it, there's another significant component that goes into road work thats important to mention. It's having lots of trucks and heavy equipment just sitting around unused for days or weeks at a time, with no workers on scene. In the meantime, half or more of the lanes are shut off to traffic. It's probably because the workers are on a different site, standing around eating donuts, drinking coffee and smoking. They don't need heavy equipment or trucks to do that!
I’ve been a locomotive engineer going on 12 years and I’ve had to start several different versions of engines but never had to toss wood in a firebox! My biggest frustration is not having the fuel system prime completely or find out the batteries are dead. I can’t imagine spending days building a fire to get the engine ready. I watch these videos in awe because of the amount of work went into getting these metal monsters running. Hats off to you and your brothers to keeping the old days alive.
After watching this I had some old coal shovels in the basement so I took a closer look at them and low and behold there was the number 4 stamped in them. You learn something everyday.
It is just amazing how beautiful and crude the technology was in the day. This should be shown ( if not already) in the waiting room for passengers. your passion and experience is addicting for any rail fan. I have always wanted to see the process. The dedication it takes to do this on a daily schedule is amazing. the paying guests have NO idea what it takes. Really Thank You.
@@Ruiluth Yeah the metallurgy in the pistons is such that when steam locomotives went out of use, foundries stopped making these pistons, so the guys that keep them alive had to make their own foundries (literally re-inventing the wheel).
I can totally see why the railroads went to Diesel and Dieselization in the 1940s after watching that other guy cold start an SD 382 , so much quicker 😁
UA-cam insisted so long that I had to click this video. Glad I did. Learned some stuff here. You and people like you have my respect, taking care of these old machines, treating them with love and putting in elbow grease when it is needed. Thank you. Best wishes, Erik.
I completely agree with you. The love and passion for the work that's required to run a steam locomotive is a tribute to the men who helped build America. Without the steam locomotive and railroads, the country wouldn't be what it is today. Most people don't even know it was the railroads that created the US time zones. Before the railroads, it didn't matter if you knew what time it was in different parts of the country. The height of the railroads was one of the most romantic periods in American history.
those first minutes of the video make it abundantly clear just how tough the old time steam men were. no matter if you look at rail, road or ship board steam
I never realized just how massive the chunks of coal were that went into a steam loco, I've just assumed it was smaller chunks like you see on coal trains headed for power plants. Love this video, its so cool to see how ti was done back in the day.
@@Hyce777at what point do begin to shovel coal on the fire? Separate question, are you certified to fire oil? Without the atomizer how do you fire it? The same way with wood until you can light up the atomizer?
For steam trains in the 1800s it never occurred to me how much training the train engineers had to have before being able to correctly operate one of these super complicated mechanical wonders. I'm sure much of it was OJT but surely the manufacturers had to have some sort of organized in-house training for all new locomotives.
It's basically a more finicky and complicated espresso machine, and we all know that you basically have to be a modern day shaman to operate one of those.
These videos are amazing. Most of the other people doing videos on these topics, never actually voice over / explain what they are doing. It's really hard for me to sit through a one hour video without commentary. This is just way more pleasant to watch. Thank you so much!
I was trying to go for a balance of, "show how long this process really takes, how much it takes, get fun camera angles, but also have a narrative / story along the way in between the shots".
It's so fantastic that you're documenting all of this, both for folks like me who are fascinated by it and want to see how it's done, and also for future generations that may not get the chance to experience it at all. Please keep it up!
This video is a total GEM dude. For real i don't know the first thing about steam locomotives, but this video was so informative and cool to watch. I'm not sure how you came about getting that job but it looks like its very rewarding. Thanks for making it and ill definitely be looking forward to more! Thanks for preserving history!
When I was in high school (50 years ago), I belonged to the model railroad club. Our teacher/sponsor was a BIG fan and collector of railroad stuff, especially from the steam locomotive era. He went out to the 'boneyard' of rolling stock in Mojave, CA [some 50 miles from campus] got a disused boxcar donated to the club to house our layout [which occupied about 1/3 of the sponsor's classroom], all we had to do was move it. He arranged for the crane and low-boy semi-trailer and tractor rig and the approval of ALL government entities necessary to move it [each set of trucks separately and then the box as the roads were rated for a maximum 10,000 lbs.] with appropriate pilot vehicles and sheriff escorts and put it on a concrete pad with a section of track--EVERYTHING donated--all we needed was approval from the high school board. No, we couldn't have that. The reason? The other schools didn't have one. We were very much the red-headed step-child high school. Needless to say, it didn't happen. Years later, I had the opportunity to tour the Henry Ford Museum in Deerfield, MI, and saw the Chesapeake & Ohio locomotive 'Allegheny,' which was simply mind-blowing! Great video. I'm going to look for and watch more.
My grandfather was an engineer on the D&RGW in Alamosa, Co. narrow gauge, He traveled from Alamosa over Cumbres Pass into Chama, New Mexico, and over LaVeta Pass to Walensenburg hauling coal. He worked for D&RGW for nearly 50 years.
My grandfather was a fireman on these type of engines until he was replaced by an automatic stoker sometime in the early 1920's. He couldn't understand my love of these black beasts. He'd tell me they were hot, dirty machines and that the passenger cars were stuffy because they had to keep the widows closed or flaming embers would fly in and land on people's hair or clothing and burn them. I still loved them nonetheless.
Cool! As I’ve mentioned before, my experience is on a much smaller scale, a 15” gauge Crown, but the principles are the same. No grate shakers, just reach into the fire box, getting soot up to your shoulders, and remove each of the five 4”x8” grates by hand, clean off the rails they sit on, then put them back. Next, open the smoke box and use a 12 ga. shotgun brush to swab each of the 22 flue tubes. Button it up, check the water level, connect shop air to the blower line, then lay your fire. Light it up, tending carefully until it’s burning well on acorn-sized coal. No air compressor or dynamo to fool with, so grab the grease gun and oil can and lube around while the steam builds. 140 psi? Time to ease over to the coaling tower and take on a day’s supply (200 lbs) of coal. By now, it’s been two hours since you unlocked the engine house. So dust yourself off the best you can and head for the depot to load up the first round of passengers for our 10:00 am departure. For the next 8 hours, enjoy the happy symphony of steam whistles and children’s laughter.
I know nothing of trains and it’s not a hobby of mine, but this video randomly popped up on my feed and it’s so awesome! It’s captivating to watch AND I felt well served as a viewer with no prior knowledge! Keep it up!!
Always thought coal fire burns so beautifully. Had a coal stove that I burned anthracite "nut" coal in and after starting off with a wood fire with quick dancing flames, when it was on pure coal, it burned with a light blue slow motion flame. It's unique compared to other things, not to mention the unique smell of coal
I’ll always find it utterly wild that the minds of men fashioned a machine of iron and wood that can harness nothing more than water, wood, oil, and coal to create such tremendous power - and they did all of it with brains, skill, and sweat. The steam locomotive is such an archetype of humanity - nature meets human ingenuity to legendary consequence.
Even more amazing is that these early steam engines used animal grease to lubricate the moving parts such as the actuators, the arms, and wheel axles. That was an extremely crude method of lubrication that required frequent application on these surfaces, but it did do the job.
@@jebbroham1776 "The boys in the shop said the number three driver box was running hot, so we need to stop in town to grab a hog from the butcher's before we can set out."
Excellent video! I worked at Roots of Motive Power as a trainee Brakeman, one day hands on class. We assisted shuffling cars with a diesel an a Heisler. I did “okay” with the shuffling, but the point of this is I had a chance to front end brakeman in the Heisler. The summer temp was 100+ and inside that Heisler felt like another 100+!!! Long story short, I babied out and crawled my sorry butt into the diesel…I know, I suck!! Hyce deserves an applause for his hard work shoveling, videoing and surviving that hot temperatures!
I would definitely NOT want to be inside a steam engine on a hot day like this -- although it would be nice to fire one of them big P-36 steamies on the Trans-Siberian in the winter!
@@artemis-arrow-3579 I think at this point we can just keep alive what hasn't been scrapped. I visited the Lackawana machine shop at the Steamtown Museum and they had a handful of dedicated people restoring old engines where probably a 1,000 people had worked before.
As a barbecue guy the ash clean out and fire building in your "pit" is a lot of fun to watch and somewhat similar to the same rituals we go through before a long cook (minus all the other technical plumbing stuff you're doing simultaneously of course). I'd only need a couple of those oak logs every ~30 minutes though lol
Good point, Bryan. A Yard Fireman always checks the water level before lighting the firebox. My old supervisor's older brother was a Yard Fireman back in 1937. Sometimes he had to fire three engines at once. He had a big hose to fill the boiler and the water in the tender. Getting up steam in a cold engine would take six to eight hours. The Engineer and Fireman had to be able to take the engine to the Shop or out on the line when they got there.
My dad was an engineer for Union Pacific. He worked from them for 42 years, rising through the ranks from a switchman, to a brakeman, to conductor, and finally engineer. It took him 25 years to get to engineer, but once he got there he loved it. There was something about being at the controls of a train that made the long commute and even longer hours worth it for him, and one time I even got drive the train myself as an 11 year old kid. It was an awesome experience. Then again, cold starting a diesel-electric engine is MUCH easier than a strictly steam one powered only by a literal bonfire in a boiler.
My father started out as a fireman on the Southern and Illinois Central. As a small boy, I got to ride in the cab on some of his runs and watch as she shoveled coal. I never realized the job a Fireman did, or the many ways he had to have knowledge of coal placement and valves. Your video educated me. He later moved up to an Engineer position. All those railroad guys I got to know..it was truly in their blood. Even on their days off they hung around the depot. Before I went into the Army, I made my last ride with Dad and his crew. By now the railroads were diesel. It was my last time to have a ride with him, when I returned from overseas my Dad was no more and the men I had know were either passed away or retired. Thank you for this video
Cheers Richard, and thanks for the stories. Those must be powerful memories. Those guys who did it in the steam era were a different breed for sure. The railroad has certainly changed.
How little did I appreciate that it was a passing of an age when as a boy I watched them working on steam locomotives. The locomotives seemed living beings.
As somebody who’s done many re-tubing of boilers, and worked on many industrial sized boilers, and had a helping hand on re-tubing of one of the last steam locomotives in BC, this was nostalgic to watch. Don’t miss it, but nostalgic. Thanks for the video
We have a guy who is a close friend who owns a 25 miles long private railway on his property and owns like 30 steam engines that he drives around all the time. He loves the Eucalyptus wood we have here in california cause it burns hot and he uses that in his trains.
Reminds me alot of firing up my coal forge- but a whole lot bigger! I have a life long dream of being a fireman on a steam engine...this was so cool to watch. I've never seen a video on exactly how that happens- this was really great! Can't wait to binge watch more of your vids😁
@@danielhoyt7274 I care about cleaning the grate -- if you don't, you can't get a good draft on the fire! And when do you clean out the smokebox and check the flues?
I didn’t know it would be so hard to fire up a steam engine, thanks for making this video not just because it is great to learn but because this seems like a pain in the behind for you to complete.
Wow, its interesting to see how coal fired locomotives work in different countries. At one of the volunteer railroads (more of a yard in this case, we also do mainline running all over the country) in the country I live in, to clean out the fire box we open 2 grates in the firebox. Right in the middle at the front and back. Then rake everything into that, which leads into a chute into the ash pit or where ever we are dropping the ash to. As for the ash pan, you go outside to the side, but instead of compressed air, we yet again use a rake to push everything into the 2 chutes. That firebox grates drop into the same chutes for the ash pan. When we are not going to be using the locomotive for more then a week or do, we do get inside the firebox with a small shovel, brush, couple of crowbars and a hammer. To pull up all the grates, brush out the ash pan completely brush ash out of the chutes. Then we climb up and behind the fire brick arch and vacuum all the fine ash dust out of there. We use an air compressor attachment which we stick in the funnel to create a draft, which was meant to be used just for firing up but is a good double use to blow out some of the air born ash dust and as a way to make the firebox cleaning process a couple of degrees cooler. When you have to spend 5 or more hours in there, which is nice as summer here is around 20-30 Celsius
I really admire all the hard work that goes into the initial stages. I have issues with my wrists so I could probably never do it. I'd love to drive and engine one day, but something kinda feels missing doing it without this part.
While it can be annoying with an oil burner that to start from cold you need an air compressor It’s also kind of nice since we don’t have to worry about grates that get warped from the fire and no ash that has to be cleaned out of the fire box before starting
@@Hyce777 by the way what does it take to become the steam locomotive driver and the reason why none of the locomotive models for railroads online are not ready because they all have to be programmed and animated right ?
I grew up with a coal furnace. This is bringing back memories of my childhood... Being sent down to the cellar to put a scoop on the fire. It's an art!
As a mechanical engineer I am constentlly baffled by the way steam engines work. They are the purest from of mechanical engineering without any involvement of modern electronics, and the raw power the engine is able to produce is incredible. If it was up to me I would still travel in a seam engine ❤
Wow! You did an excellent job with this video. Your passion for it came through loud and clear. I love trains especially steam locomotives. I love the sounds they make, most of all the whistle. It goes right through me. After watching this I have a much greater appreciation for the engineers of these fantastically complicated machines. They really work hard to make these engines run with the power they have. I really enjoyed the video and look forward to watching more of them. Thanks for the detailed information. I now have a much better understanding of how the steam locomotive works.
I may be a little late to the party, but I figure this is the right place to do it I wanted to give thanks for getting me into trains, I saw this video almost a year and a half ago and i have been hyper-fixated on trains since. I've come a LONG way in my knowledge of trains, to the point of designing my own valve gears. It has been a basis of much joy from me and I am grateful for it. Thank you, Hyce - Someone who really, really likes trains
What an insane amount of effort :) A technology of it's time for sure! I'm so glad these beautiful machines still exist. To think what you are doing for fun was someone's daily job ;)
I'm more of a diesel train lover, but I had an understanding that it was a lot of manual work running these steam trains, but it really is a labour of love! Well done to you and the others who helped. Really fascinating video!
Great video! I worked as a young man on a steam locomotive, first as fireman, then as engineer. Ours was diesel-fired instead of wood or coal, so cleanup was way easier and cold starts involved cracking open the fuel and tossing in a safety flare, with the help of compressed air to atomize. Tough job still, but still my favorite after all these years. Thanks for posting this!
@@williamdodd8660 Yes, it wasn't a diesel locomotive. It was a steam locomotive fired by a spray of diesel fuel versus burning wood or coal. Otherwise the same as any steam engine. Just easier work for the fireman!
Seems fitting that those that worked on train engines like this were called "engineers." While it fits with running an engine, you also had to be well-versed in engineering to run the thing. People think, "Oh, well, it's a steam engine. It's simple." Deceptively simple. Maybe in theory/principal it's simple, but in operation and use? Anything but. It's a complex machine. One that demands respect, knowledge and dedication in order to work properly. These machines were basically the airliners of their day, after all.
Thanks for this detailed video. I never realized how much work it was for my grandfather, C.Arthur Kent and his father who both worked logging trains in Michigan in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Your warning of the necessity to slowly bring the fire up to pressure struck a nerve. In the late 1800’s you said they didn’t usually take that precaution. I wondered if it was a factor in an accident that almost killed my grandfather as related in this article in the Pellston Journal April 29, 1909. “A CLOSE CALL. Crown Sheet on Tindle & Jackson Locomotive Blew Out and Engineer Kent Narrowly Escapes Death. By the blowing out of the crown sheet on Tindle & Jackson's engine No. 1 last Friday, Engineer Arthur Kent was terribly burned about the head, arms and feet, before being able to jump from the cab, and the fireman, Herbert Hewitt, was blown from the cab window so suddenly, that he escaped the steam and water and was only slightly injured. The accident occurred about eight o'clock- at night, shortly after the crew had left the round house and only about a mile and a half from town. The explosion came without warning and it is almost a miracle that the engineer and fireman escaped, with their lives. As soon as the accident occurred Engineer Kent, in his terrible condition, started on a run for home before the rest of the crew could stop him and in fact the brakeman, Ben Langenhorf, who started to follow him, was unable to overtake him and Kent reached home completely exhausted. While his condition is very serious he has shown improvement since the accident and everything seems favorable for his recovery. Mr. Kent is one of the best known young men in the village and hosts of friends are sympathizing with him and his family in their misfortune.” The crown sheet blew grandpa back and covered his torso limiting major injury to his exposed head, arms and legs.
Excellent video, love your laid back approach and comprehensive explanation. I'm in the UK, I had to laugh when you started throwing in 'kindling', we would be building a house out of wood of that size and quality. Wood costs a fortune here!
My dad was a fireman on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge in the ‘30s. They lived in Vancouver and he went to Boise. I never understood what he did, so thanks. I also understand why he moved on to spud farming.
44:40 The discussion on having to manage the fire properly, and how much thought and skill goes into shoveling, makes me wonder about the auger fed fireboxes in some locomotives. How did they avoid just having a big clump of coal in the center? Or did they just run inefficiently?
Steam table with jets to scatter the coal across the box. That's what the "V" or triangle of valves seen is doing. The auger brings coal to the elevator screw, the elevator screw brings it to the table, and then the steam jets fling the coal where it needs to go.
I did Coal fires in Schools in NYC ( fireman ) for 5 years back in the 80s, it was just about the same as what you dealt with, but 1 difference is I had to shovel all the coal out... into red cans and then haul them into the street, we used a much smaller coal size, called Nut Coal... often used in Blacksmithing too - I would burn thru over 2000 pounds on a cold day... ( 4 buckets ) often shoveling as much as 12 buckets a day to skip a few at a time, and at 550 pounds a bucket, it was hard work... but when you are young, it was not hard
Great video! Like so many of these, these are so complicated, but when you think back and looking at them from the angle of history, you don’t get the sense that people were had to be trained in how to do all of these jobs! Kudos for you and your company to keeping these mammoth steam machines going-especially in cooler areas like Colorado. I live in California and have been to the train museum in Sacramento and that in and of itself was a very special treat! I love everything about trains, and try to get around on the engine, for me, will never happen-between using a wheelchair and or a walker it just ain’t gonna happen! Lol
Algorithm got me here and boy what fun that was to watch. Shovel cam rocks. Never seen such an in depth explanation of this process. Very impressive. Great video.
Having recently (within last year) added Derail Valley Overhauled to my HTC Vive I'm glad I found your channel, Hyce! I wanted to just drive the 6 axle diesels. Then I tried the steam locos and have been hooked on them! The information you provide is highly interesting and fascinating to me, you know, how all things steam work and all the nuances of said steam. Big thanks to the museum too!
I never fired a locomotive before . I worked for a utility company for around 35 years . Coal, natural gas and fuel oil . My first unit was very old unit . It was a lot like that unit as far as rivets ect . Saturated steam unit . Yea over firing a unit is a very bad idea . Coal has a lot more btu than wood . I worked at a unit that had pulverized Coal and it would make a extremely hot fire . . I repaired a lot of boilers over the years . Enjoyed your video brought back a lot of memories lol . Seems like I heard of a story about boiler chemistry where some one left some potatoes in the boiler and that resulted in less corrosion or whatever a long time ago . I remember watching the video and there was a box of 7018 I assume In the fire room or what ever it's called . I fixed a lot of boiler tube leaks with 7018 or what ever depending on the material I was working on . I remember seeing a steam locomotive in Colorado years ago and it was some thing else . Thanks for the video
Having never started or driven a steam locomotive I have decided to just enjoy your video without feeling the need to offer endless commentary as to how many things I would do differently.
I don’t think most people fully understand how much work it is for these machines to operate property. It must have been some really tough guys who did this job in the old days. Such beautiful machines that must be preserved.
Great video thank you. I knew steam locomotives were a lot of hard work, but so much goes into firing them up, it's amazing. So much respect for you and your dedication and effort. Also loved the runby at the end 👍
This is a nice video to show how hard the work really is to get a steam engine going when it has sat cold. My great grandfather as well as my great great grandfather were both steam railroad engineers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Quebec. Watching you work here has really increased my appreciation of their back breaking hard days. I’m an aerospace engineer so I am carrying a tradition, it’s still two phase flows, plumbing leaks and heat sources but it is much different as well. What is not different is thermodynamics.
I grew up down the street from the colorado railroad museum! I used to go every summer! We went recently too and its awesome to see the place getting some recognition!
Before fire up I learned to check 7 things: Firebox leakage, Smokebox leakage, handbrake on, regulator shut, reverser neutral, draincoqs open, enough water
Very interesting. I’ve been to Steamtown and was lucky to get a tour of the old Lackawanna shop were hundreds had worked back in the day. Now there are about 12 working there rebuilding the old engines and recertifying the boilers.
That goal annalogy is hilarious to me. I remember one time I was firing a wood burning Russell Steamer and the firebox door on that tractor is SO SMALL and the wood was pretty big and I "hit the goal" a lot and missed the bright spots more than I'd like to admit...
I rode a light weight, wood burning, narrow gauge, locomotive that had been completely restored and ran on the track between Durango and Silverton for a short time. It was not pulling very much load, but the rate of ascent and the misty wet weather kept the driver wheels breaking away from the rails and spinning up. Fortunately the engine was beautifully appointed and maintained, the engine was equipped with sand tubes, which were opened enough to provide traction for up the uphill pull... But wood contains a fraction of the energy of high quality coal, and the starting delays and traction problems meant we had to stop in the forest near a wood pile and load the tender with fuel... All of the able bodied passengers got off the train and formed a bucket chain between the woodpile and the tender. But we got up to Silverton.
Im not protesting anything. Im just glad he put this video together. I am blown away at how much wood it takes to fire up one engine. Imagine the 1940s when everyday there thousands of these to fire evey day! Im surprised that there are any trees around. 🌳
When the steam engines were working every day they never let the fire go out my old bother in-law was a fire man back in the day as a junior he would start 2am and fire up 4 engines and have them ready by 6am for the drivers and fire men .
The shovel technique stuff was very informative! And you're dead right, media depictions of steam engines being shovelled just makes you think that you just chuck coal in where ever and it's dead simple, but from what you've shown it's really not!
Even knowing the measurements of the firebox, seeing that looong rake fit entirely in there surprised me, and drives home how far the coal has to go to get to the back corners... and then there's a small hole in the way when throwing as well! What is the "circulator pump" doing, just agitating the water in the boiler to reduce temperature gradients? Also with the heating up over several days, I assume that implies the boiler will stay hot overnight, how long does it take to fully cool down from operating?
The circulator pump is taking water from the hottest part (bottom by the firebox) and putting it as far away as it can - that way the boiler heats evenly. As you're starting up, all the heat is at the back - nothing heats the front, so this helps. Takes about a week to truly get cold. You'll still have some steam 2-3 days later.
This was absolutely awesome to watch. Much like boats/ships for me, the “romanticism” that’s tied to running or working on a behemoth machine like that almost begins to evaporate in front of your eyes once you in the mix of actually doing the thing. Stoking up a fire inside of a machine like you do is still so intriguing to watch though.
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Having fired and driven 3ft6inch steam on the Pichi Richi Railway in South Australia for around 40 years, I can sympathise swith the ash disposal process. However, I think you missed reinforcing an absolute essential task before lighting the fire (we use a match and kero rag on the shovel). That absolute essential is making sure there is adequate water in the boiler. Best done before messing with the grate. Problems like the one you encountered run the risk of overlooking of water if time is creeping on, and there is a timed schedule to meet or other distractions come along.
Bryan
I definitely glossed over it for sure. We usually get them set a day or two before, so that we can come in and not worry about a slow pump or any junk like that and just get the fire rolling. Always check beforehand, but it was the first thing I really filmed so I didn't even think to film checking the gauge - but absolutely, 100% - always, always, always know the water level. :)
@@Hyce777 Thanks for the reply, and that bit aside, it is good to see someone putting together the reality of steam. As one of our fitters once said " the romance of steam is in the eye of the beholder!" In regard to water, in our early days, while we were coming to grips with water treatment , and the horrible bore water we had to contend with etc, we had a lot of trouble with leaking steam valves, and there were times when an adequately filled boiler the night before would sometimes not be so adequate the next morning. I guess we all have our own circumstances to deal with. regards Bryan
@@bryanhomann7837 Too real, Bryan. We're fortunate with our boilers - KNOCK ON WOOD - they are tight enough that they lose maybe a 1/4 glass, or, in the case of 20 - sometimes *gain some* as they cool as they suck water in...
Great Point Same process with Nuclear Reactors that have anywhere from 13" to 3' thick steal reactor cores where the water is in some reactors turned to steam and others boiling water reactors stay under higher pressure to keep the core always full of water as water is in the west the moderator that makes the reaction work. But like you folks are doing you have to bring the temperature up slow or you can cause serious damage if one part expands faster than others. Same principal. Personaly I suggest if not already done you have a pre flight check list and check lists for every stage plus some what to do If X or Y happens. Very cool info on the shovels. Never gave shovels the respect they clearly deserve. Cool Stuff Guys. The granola heads wont like it IF they understood coal was involved. Take care.
@@jimbronson687 Agree with the pre-flight check. We have done that for many years now, and our Australian Govt rail safety regulator expects such things these days anyway.
In regard to heating slowly - very much so.
Our boilers grow over an inch or more, and prior to moving the loco, we can have 200psi on the gauge, and the foundation ring is cool enough to put the palm of your hand on it.
The circulation doesn't really get started until steam is being used.
I should like to protest, you've neglected the extremely important parts of firing up a locomotive such as other people standing around drinking coffee and eating donuts while someone else works, given that I have never seen a locomotive fired up without such an entourage so it must be an absolutely necessary requirement
Lmao, too real. The standing around drinking coffee has been omitted.
Tea is always the first thing after the fire is lit and the ash pit emptied!
@@Hyce777 sounds like the whole video needs to be thrown out and redone, lol.
What you've described is also a MAJOR component of road construction and resurfacing in the US... Come to think of it, there's another significant component that goes into road work thats important to mention. It's having lots of trucks and heavy equipment just sitting around unused for days or weeks at a time, with no workers on scene. In the meantime, half or more of the lanes are shut off to traffic. It's probably because the workers are on a different site, standing around eating donuts, drinking coffee and smoking. They don't need heavy equipment or trucks to do that!
Safest place when a new guy is lighting up is near the coffee pot.
This looks like the type of museum that would take dozens of trips to truly get to see all of the stuff there.
I visited a good 3-4 times before volunteering and didn't see it all, so you're probably right.
As someone who goes once a year, I still haven't seen it all, and I've been at least 4 times
I’ve been a locomotive engineer going on 12 years and I’ve had to start several different versions of engines but never had to toss wood in a firebox! My biggest frustration is not having the fuel system prime completely or find out the batteries are dead. I can’t imagine spending days building a fire to get the engine ready. I watch these videos in awe because of the amount of work went into getting these metal monsters running. Hats off to you and your brothers to keeping the old days alive.
After watching this I had some old coal shovels in the basement so I took a closer look at them and low and behold there was the number 4 stamped in them. You learn something everyday.
Thank you for all of the hard work you put into these videos. I hope you keep it up for years to come!!!
May I have a dollar..😁
@@morgannolen8954 e spell 3 idk
@@jasper2185 three
$100? Are you rich or something?
@@YourRegularFilipino 100 isnt THAT much...
It is just amazing how beautiful and crude the technology was in the day. This should be shown ( if not already) in the waiting room for passengers. your passion and experience is addicting for any rail fan. I have always wanted to see the process. The dedication it takes to do this on a daily schedule is amazing. the paying guests have NO idea what it takes. Really Thank You.
cheers :)
I wouldn't call it crude, the engineering needed to construct one of these is extremely complex.
@@Ruiluth Yeah the metallurgy in the pistons is such that when steam locomotives went out of use, foundries stopped making these pistons, so the guys that keep them alive had to make their own foundries (literally re-inventing the wheel).
@@ToreDL87 the guys who are rebuilding the PRR duplex had to rediscover how to cast a hollow wheel from a totally forgotten type of steel
I can totally see why the railroads went to Diesel and Dieselization in the 1940s after watching that other guy cold start an SD 382 , so much quicker 😁
UA-cam insisted so long that I had to click this video. Glad I did. Learned some stuff here. You and people like you have my respect, taking care of these old machines, treating them with love and putting in elbow grease when it is needed. Thank you. Best wishes, Erik.
Cheers Erik :)
I completely agree with you. The love and passion for the work that's required to run a steam locomotive is a tribute to the men who helped build America. Without the steam locomotive and railroads, the country wouldn't be what it is today. Most people don't even know it was the railroads that created the US time zones. Before the railroads, it didn't matter if you knew what time it was in different parts of the country. The height of the railroads was one of the most romantic periods in American history.
those first minutes of the video make it abundantly clear just how tough the old time steam men were.
no matter if you look at rail, road or ship board steam
I never realized just how massive the chunks of coal were that went into a steam loco, I've just assumed it was smaller chunks like you see on coal trains headed for power plants. Love this video, its so cool to see how ti was done back in the day.
Cheers mate :) yeah the hand fired stuff can have some big lumps. Stoker fired engines are more like the power plant consistency.
@@Hyce777does the stoker break up some of the bigger lumps? Is coal hard enough to break a stoker screw?
@@Hyce777by the way I subbed you, thanks!
@@Hyce777at what point do begin to shovel coal on the fire? Separate question, are you certified to fire oil? Without the atomizer how do you fire it? The same way with wood until you can light up the atomizer?
@@Hyce777are you an engineer also?
For steam trains in the 1800s it never occurred to me how much training the train engineers had to have before being able to correctly operate one of these super complicated mechanical wonders. I'm sure much of it was OJT but surely the manufacturers had to have some sort of organized in-house training for all new locomotives.
I suddenly want to read the owner's manual.
It's basically a more finicky and complicated espresso machine, and we all know that you basically have to be a modern day shaman to operate one of those.
thats why theyre called engineers and not operators
I would say they were the Airline pilots of the time and where probably paid accordingly.🤷♂
These videos are amazing. Most of the other people doing videos on these topics, never actually voice over / explain what they are doing. It's really hard for me to sit through a one hour video without commentary. This is just way more pleasant to watch. Thank you so much!
I was trying to go for a balance of, "show how long this process really takes, how much it takes, get fun camera angles, but also have a narrative / story along the way in between the shots".
It's so fantastic that you're documenting all of this, both for folks like me who are fascinated by it and want to see how it's done, and also for future generations that may not get the chance to experience it at all. Please keep it up!
I’m here because I couldn’t sleep at 2am and this was suggested 🤥
URAID8
Same ,that the truth,a deeper sense of future history...God bless
Awesome video Hyce!
This video is a total GEM dude. For real i don't know the first thing about steam locomotives, but this video was so informative and cool to watch. I'm not sure how you came about getting that job but it looks like its very rewarding. Thanks for making it and ill definitely be looking forward to more! Thanks for preserving history!
Dude you read my mind. Great video, informative, comprehensive, and fun!
When I was in high school (50 years ago), I belonged to the model railroad club. Our teacher/sponsor was a BIG fan and collector of railroad stuff, especially from the steam locomotive era. He went out to the 'boneyard' of rolling stock in Mojave, CA [some 50 miles from campus] got a disused boxcar donated to the club to house our layout [which occupied about 1/3 of the sponsor's classroom], all we had to do was move it. He arranged for the crane and low-boy semi-trailer and tractor rig and the approval of ALL government entities necessary to move it [each set of trucks separately and then the box as the roads were rated for a maximum 10,000 lbs.] with appropriate pilot vehicles and sheriff escorts and put it on a concrete pad with a section of track--EVERYTHING donated--all we needed was approval from the high school board. No, we couldn't have that. The reason? The other schools didn't have one. We were very much the red-headed step-child high school. Needless to say, it didn't happen. Years later, I had the opportunity to tour the Henry Ford Museum in Deerfield, MI, and saw the Chesapeake & Ohio locomotive 'Allegheny,' which was simply mind-blowing! Great video. I'm going to look for and watch more.
My grandfather was an engineer on the D&RGW in Alamosa, Co. narrow gauge, He traveled from Alamosa over Cumbres Pass into Chama, New Mexico, and over LaVeta Pass to Walensenburg hauling coal. He worked for D&RGW for nearly 50 years.
My grandfather was a fireman on these type of engines until he was replaced by an automatic stoker sometime in the early 1920's.
He couldn't understand my love of these black beasts. He'd tell me they were hot, dirty machines and that the passenger cars were stuffy because they had to keep the widows closed or flaming embers would fly in and land on people's hair or clothing and burn them.
I still loved them nonetheless.
I've been on the Cumbres Pass before! It's a beautiful route!
Cool! As I’ve mentioned before, my experience is on a much smaller scale, a 15” gauge Crown, but the principles are the same. No grate shakers, just reach into the fire box, getting soot up to your shoulders, and remove each of the five 4”x8” grates by hand, clean off the rails they sit on, then put them back. Next, open the smoke box and use a 12 ga. shotgun brush to swab each of the 22 flue tubes. Button it up, check the water level, connect shop air to the blower line, then lay your fire. Light it up, tending carefully until it’s burning well on acorn-sized coal. No air compressor or dynamo to fool with, so grab the grease gun and oil can and lube around while the steam builds. 140 psi? Time to ease over to the coaling tower and take on a day’s supply (200 lbs) of coal. By now, it’s been two hours since you unlocked the engine house. So dust yourself off the best you can and head for the depot to load up the first round of passengers for our 10:00 am departure. For the next 8 hours, enjoy the happy symphony of steam whistles and children’s laughter.
I know nothing of trains and it’s not a hobby of mine, but this video randomly popped up on my feed and it’s so awesome! It’s captivating to watch AND I felt well served as a viewer with no prior knowledge! Keep it up!!
Cheers Alex, thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed a peek into our railroad world :)
Always thought coal fire burns so beautifully. Had a coal stove that I burned anthracite "nut" coal in and after starting off with a wood fire with quick dancing flames, when it was on pure coal, it burned with a light blue slow motion flame. It's unique compared to other things, not to mention the unique smell of coal
Love the camera work. I've never seen a clearer display of how this is done. Keep up the excellent work
I’ll always find it utterly wild that the minds of men fashioned a machine of iron and wood that can harness nothing more than water, wood, oil, and coal to create such tremendous power - and they did all of it with brains, skill, and sweat. The steam locomotive is such an archetype of humanity - nature meets human ingenuity to legendary consequence.
Even more amazing is that these early steam engines used animal grease to lubricate the moving parts such as the actuators, the arms, and wheel axles. That was an extremely crude method of lubrication that required frequent application on these surfaces, but it did do the job.
Well said.
@@jebbroham1776 "The boys in the shop said the number three driver box was running hot, so we need to stop in town to grab a hog from the butcher's before we can set out."
@@jebbroham1776 I had no clue that it used to be that way!! OR it started that way with Animal Fat!!! Learned something today.
Excellent video!
I worked at Roots of Motive Power as a trainee Brakeman, one day hands on class. We assisted shuffling cars with a diesel an a Heisler. I did “okay” with the shuffling, but the point of this is I had a chance to front end brakeman in the Heisler. The summer temp was 100+ and inside that Heisler felt like another 100+!!!
Long story short, I babied out and crawled my sorry butt into the diesel…I know, I suck!!
Hyce deserves an applause for his hard work shoveling, videoing and surviving that hot temperatures!
Cheers :) I've heard good things about roots of motive power. Very cool.
I would definitely NOT want to be inside a steam engine on a hot day like this -- although it would be nice to fire one of them big P-36 steamies on the Trans-Siberian in the winter!
I love the old steam engines - it’s amazing the technology and machining skills we had well over 100 years ago to build such giants.
honestly, I wish these beasts would make a return, they are just too iconic not to
@@artemis-arrow-3579 I think at this point we can just keep alive what hasn't been scrapped. I visited the Lackawana machine shop at the Steamtown Museum and they had a handful of dedicated people restoring old engines where probably a 1,000 people had worked before.
As a barbecue guy the ash clean out and fire building in your "pit" is a lot of fun to watch and somewhat similar to the same rituals we go through before a long cook (minus all the other technical plumbing stuff you're doing simultaneously of course). I'd only need a couple of those oak logs every ~30 minutes though lol
Good point, Bryan. A Yard Fireman always checks the water level before lighting the firebox. My old supervisor's older brother was a Yard Fireman back in 1937. Sometimes he had to fire three engines at once. He had a big hose to fill the boiler and the water in the tender. Getting up steam in a cold engine would take six to eight hours. The Engineer and Fireman had to be able to take the engine to the Shop or out on the line when they got there.
The cat analogy is now causing me to imagine during your battle with the rake, that you were chastising 491 like you would a cat 🤣
My dad was an engineer for Union Pacific. He worked from them for 42 years, rising through the ranks from a switchman, to a brakeman, to conductor, and finally engineer. It took him 25 years to get to engineer, but once he got there he loved it. There was something about being at the controls of a train that made the long commute and even longer hours worth it for him, and one time I even got drive the train myself as an 11 year old kid. It was an awesome experience. Then again, cold starting a diesel-electric engine is MUCH easier than a strictly steam one powered only by a literal bonfire in a boiler.
Cannot imagine why railroads switched to diesel electric. Look how convenient and quick this process is!
One word, Cost.
I can't even imagine trying to run a railroad by hand shoveling the coal. What a terrible job that must have been.
@@MrPLC999thats why most of them were converted into oil burners.
It was just what they had at the time.
My father started out as a fireman on the Southern and Illinois Central. As a small boy, I got to ride in the cab on some of his runs and watch as she shoveled coal. I never realized the job a Fireman did, or the many ways he had to have knowledge of coal placement and valves. Your video educated me. He later moved up to an Engineer position. All those railroad guys I got to know..it was truly in their blood. Even on their days off they hung around the depot. Before I went into the Army, I made my last ride with Dad and his crew. By now the railroads were diesel. It was my last time to have a ride with him, when I returned from overseas my Dad was no more and the men I had know were either passed away or retired. Thank you for this video
Cheers Richard, and thanks for the stories. Those must be powerful memories. Those guys who did it in the steam era were a different breed for sure. The railroad has certainly changed.
How little did I appreciate that it was a passing of an age when as a boy I watched them working on steam locomotives.
The locomotives seemed living beings.
As somebody who’s done many re-tubing of boilers, and worked on many industrial sized boilers, and had a helping hand on re-tubing of one of the last steam locomotives in BC, this was nostalgic to watch. Don’t miss it, but nostalgic. Thanks for the video
The Royal Hudson?
@@noscwoh1 Correct
@@Andrewlang90 Cool! I lived in Squamish briefly as a kid in the mid '80s. I loved watching the Royal Hudson steam through town. Beautiful engine.
@@Andrewlang90 Did you work on the 2006 refurb of 2860?
We have a guy who is a close friend who owns a 25 miles long private railway on his property and owns like 30 steam engines that he drives around all the time. He loves the Eucalyptus wood we have here in california cause it burns hot and he uses that in his trains.
Reminds me alot of firing up my coal forge- but a whole lot bigger! I have a life long dream of being a fireman on a steam engine...this was so cool to watch. I've never seen a video on exactly how that happens- this was really great! Can't wait to binge watch more of your vids😁
Cheers Jennifer :)
Who cares about cleaning grate get on with it
@@danielhoyt7274 I care about cleaning the grate -- if you don't, you can't get a good draft on the fire! And when do you clean out the smokebox and check the flues?
I didn’t know it would be so hard to fire up a steam engine, thanks for making this video not just because it is great to learn but because this seems like a pain in the behind for you to complete.
Its not that hard, it just takes a looooot of time
I am 42 and feel old. You guys are young but have the wisdom of an older person. Very impressive.
Wow, its interesting to see how coal fired locomotives work in different countries. At one of the volunteer railroads (more of a yard in this case, we also do mainline running all over the country) in the country I live in, to clean out the fire box we open 2 grates in the firebox. Right in the middle at the front and back. Then rake everything into that, which leads into a chute into the ash pit or where ever we are dropping the ash to. As for the ash pan, you go outside to the side, but instead of compressed air, we yet again use a rake to push everything into the 2 chutes. That firebox grates drop into the same chutes for the ash pan. When we are not going to be using the locomotive for more then a week or do, we do get inside the firebox with a small shovel, brush, couple of crowbars and a hammer. To pull up all the grates, brush out the ash pan completely brush ash out of the chutes. Then we climb up and behind the fire brick arch and vacuum all the fine ash dust out of there. We use an air compressor attachment which we stick in the funnel to create a draft, which was meant to be used just for firing up but is a good double use to blow out some of the air born ash dust and as a way to make the firebox cleaning process a couple of degrees cooler. When you have to spend 5 or more hours in there, which is nice as summer here is around 20-30 Celsius
Forgot to say this is in a country where the gauge for the whole country is 3ft 6inch.
Interesting, that is a different way to do it.
I really admire all the hard work that goes into the initial stages. I have issues with my wrists so I could probably never do it. I'd love to drive and engine one day, but something kinda feels missing doing it without this part.
It's definitely really physical work. Running is hard on the wrists as well.
While it can be annoying with an oil burner that to start from cold you need an air compressor
It’s also kind of nice since we don’t have to worry about grates that get warped from the fire and no ash that has to be cleaned out of the fire box before starting
Yeah, I wager there's ups and downs to oil cold start. I suppose you need air for the atomizer? Never gotten to fire up an oil burner.
@@Hyce777 Do you know of any steam locomotives where there is an electric compressor that runs off of the dynamo?
@@Hyce777 is this gonna be in railroads online for realism
@@williamsexton970 probably not
@@Hyce777 by the way what does it take to become the steam locomotive driver and the reason why none of the locomotive models for railroads online are not ready because they all have to be programmed and animated right ?
I grew up with a coal furnace. This is bringing back memories of my childhood... Being sent down to the cellar to put a scoop on the fire. It's an art!
As a mechanical engineer I am constentlly baffled by the way steam engines work. They are the purest from of mechanical engineering without any involvement of modern electronics, and the raw power the engine is able to produce is incredible. If it was up to me I would still travel in a seam engine ❤
Many steam engineers say that "the steam locomotive is the closest thing to being alive that humans have ever made."
Love the way the ashes get called "old fire" or "dead fire".
Seriously though, thanks for taking us through this process.
I'm amazed, I genuinely had no idea wood was still used to heat up coal burners. Very intriguing.
Wow! You did an excellent job with this video. Your passion for it came through loud and clear. I love trains especially steam locomotives. I love the sounds they make, most of all the whistle. It goes right through me. After watching this I have a much greater appreciation for the engineers of these fantastically complicated machines. They really work hard to make these engines run with the power they have. I really enjoyed the video and look forward to watching more of them. Thanks for the detailed information. I now have a much better understanding of how the steam locomotive works.
I love this video. Just two dudes doing something they’re passionate about and knowledgeable on, no BS. 10/10.
I may be a little late to the party, but I figure this is the right place to do it
I wanted to give thanks for getting me into trains, I saw this video almost a year and a half ago and i have been hyper-fixated on trains since.
I've come a LONG way in my knowledge of trains, to the point of designing my own valve gears. It has been a basis of much joy from me and I am grateful for it.
Thank you, Hyce
- Someone who really, really likes trains
Cheers my friend!
This is my first exposure to a steam engine and I went from mildly interested to thoroughly impressed, wow thank you for the video
I used to live in Monte Vista as a kid and absolutely loved riding the train! I went back a few years ago and it was just as magical!
What an insane amount of effort :) A technology of it's time for sure! I'm so glad these beautiful machines still exist. To think what you are doing for fun was someone's daily job ;)
I'm more of a diesel train lover, but I had an understanding that it was a lot of manual work running these steam trains, but it really is a labour of love!
Well done to you and the others who helped. Really fascinating video!
Great video! I worked as a young man on a steam locomotive, first as fireman, then as engineer. Ours was diesel-fired instead of wood or coal, so cleanup was way easier and cold starts involved cracking open the fuel and tossing in a safety flare, with the help of compressed air to atomize. Tough job still, but still my favorite after all these years. Thanks for posting this!
Isn’t that a little different from most diesel licomotives?
@@williamdodd8660 Yes, it wasn't a diesel locomotive. It was a steam locomotive fired by a spray of diesel fuel versus burning wood or coal. Otherwise the same as any steam engine. Just easier work for the fireman!
Love it!
This content it absolutely under represented, thanks for sharing!
That was REALLY interesting. A labor of love preserving an otherwise lost art.
Seems fitting that those that worked on train engines like this were called "engineers." While it fits with running an engine, you also had to be well-versed in engineering to run the thing. People think, "Oh, well, it's a steam engine. It's simple." Deceptively simple. Maybe in theory/principal it's simple, but in operation and use? Anything but. It's a complex machine. One that demands respect, knowledge and dedication in order to work properly. These machines were basically the airliners of their day, after all.
Real people were involved with this. Amazing to see. I helped grandma get clinkers from a coal furnace. This is wonderful. Thx for sharing!
Thanks for this detailed video. I never realized how much work it was for my grandfather, C.Arthur Kent and his father who both worked logging trains in Michigan in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Your warning of the necessity to slowly bring the fire up to pressure struck a nerve. In the late 1800’s you said they didn’t usually take that precaution. I wondered if it was a factor in an accident that almost killed my grandfather as related in this article in the Pellston Journal April 29, 1909. “A CLOSE CALL.
Crown Sheet on Tindle & Jackson Locomotive Blew Out and Engineer Kent Narrowly Escapes Death.
By the blowing out of the crown sheet on Tindle & Jackson's engine No. 1 last Friday, Engineer Arthur
Kent was terribly burned about the head, arms and feet, before being able to jump from the cab, and the fireman, Herbert Hewitt, was blown from the cab window so suddenly, that he escaped the steam and water and was only slightly injured. The accident occurred about eight o'clock- at night, shortly after the crew had left the round house and only about a mile and a half from town.
The explosion came without warning and it is almost a miracle
that the engineer and fireman escaped, with their lives.
As soon as the accident occurred Engineer Kent, in his terrible condition, started on a run for home before the rest of the crew could stop him and in fact the brakeman, Ben Langenhorf, who started to follow him, was unable to overtake him and Kent reached home completely exhausted.
While his condition is very serious he has shown improvement since the accident and everything seems favorable for his recovery. Mr. Kent is one of the best known young men in the village and hosts
of friends are sympathizing with him and his family in their misfortune.” The crown sheet blew grandpa back and covered his torso limiting major injury to his exposed head, arms and legs.
Holy crap, what a story. Amazing that he survived!
I am thoroughly impressed with your vast knowledge of this train......well done
Wow, there's so much to preparing these engines to run. So interesting to learn how they work. Keep up the great camera shots, shovel cam is a winner😀
Excellent video, love your laid back approach and comprehensive explanation. I'm in the UK, I had to laugh when you started throwing in 'kindling', we would be building a house out of wood of that size and quality. Wood costs a fortune here!
Costs a lot here too, though the drop from other cuts that can't be used for whatever reason gets turned into food. :)
25:02 I had no idea it too so long to fire up an engine. I did also think it was 2-4 hour process. That does make a lot of sense with steal expanding.
I don’t know who would REALLY NEED to watch this but it’s cool
My dad was a fireman on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge in the ‘30s. They lived in Vancouver and he went to Boise. I never understood what he did, so thanks. I also understand why he moved on to spud farming.
44:40 The discussion on having to manage the fire properly, and how much thought and skill goes into shoveling, makes me wonder about the auger fed fireboxes in some locomotives. How did they avoid just having a big clump of coal in the center? Or did they just run inefficiently?
Steam table with jets to scatter the coal across the box. That's what the "V" or triangle of valves seen is doing. The auger brings coal to the elevator screw, the elevator screw brings it to the table, and then the steam jets fling the coal where it needs to go.
@@Hyce777 that's neat! Thanks
@@cemmy410 he touches on it in one of his two videos (first?) of running the Big Boy mod in Train Sim.
I'm admittedly no expert, but I believe they also use much smaller pieces of coal than hand fired locos...?
@@LexieAssassin they do! Stoker grade coal is all very fine. Grape-ish sized towards maybe golf ball ish sized vs. baseballs and larger.
“There’s a lot of hair in this hat.”
Hi, Austin! Funny seeing you here!
@@DAPchatt I see you are a man of culture as well.
😂
Hi Austin 😂
@@H.O.Scalemodeler4501 but tis not a man of clouture.
This technology is so raw and direct. Love how you explain every part as you show it in action.
I keep going back to 11:00. I dunno why. This is my favorite part with the mapp torch. Into the box with Ye followed by copious amounts of kindling!!
beautiful machine and great camera work and dialog, thank you!
I did Coal fires in Schools in NYC ( fireman ) for 5 years back in the 80s, it was just about the same as what you dealt with, but 1 difference is I had to shovel all the coal out... into red cans and then haul them into the street, we used a much smaller coal size, called Nut Coal... often used in Blacksmithing too - I would burn thru over 2000 pounds on a cold day... ( 4 buckets ) often shoveling as much as 12 buckets a day to skip a few at a time, and at 550 pounds a bucket, it was hard work... but when you are young, it was not hard
I never realised the time and effort required to start one of those engines. Great video.
Great video! Like so many of these, these are so complicated, but when you think back and looking at them from the angle of history, you don’t get the sense that people were had to be trained in how to do all of these jobs! Kudos for you and your company to keeping these mammoth steam machines going-especially in cooler areas like Colorado.
I live in California and have been to the train museum in Sacramento and that in and of itself was a very special treat! I love everything about trains, and try to get around on the engine, for me, will never happen-between using a wheelchair and or a walker it just ain’t gonna happen! Lol
Algorithm got me here and boy what fun that was to watch. Shovel cam rocks. Never seen such an in depth explanation of this process. Very impressive. Great video.
Cheers! The algorithm has been very kind lately and i appreciate the watch.
28:35 - one of the coolest shots we've ever seen!
B roll is yours if and when you want it :)
Having recently (within last year) added Derail Valley Overhauled to my HTC Vive I'm glad I found your channel, Hyce! I wanted to just drive the 6 axle diesels. Then I tried the steam locos and have been hooked on them! The information you provide is highly interesting and fascinating to me, you know, how all things steam work and all the nuances of said steam. Big thanks to the museum too!
This was a random find and I've watched every minute of it! That was really awesome and interesting!
Glad you enjoyed!
I never fired a locomotive before . I worked for a utility company for around 35 years . Coal, natural gas and fuel oil . My first unit was very old unit . It was a lot like that unit as far as rivets ect . Saturated steam unit . Yea over firing a unit is a very bad idea . Coal has a lot more btu than wood . I worked at a unit that had pulverized Coal and it would make a extremely hot fire . . I repaired a lot of boilers over the years . Enjoyed your video brought back a lot of memories lol . Seems like I heard of a story about boiler chemistry where some one left some potatoes in the boiler and that resulted in less corrosion or whatever a long time ago . I remember watching the video and there was a box of 7018 I assume In the fire room or what ever it's called . I fixed a lot of boiler tube leaks with 7018 or what ever depending on the material I was working on . I remember seeing a steam locomotive in Colorado years ago and it was some thing else . Thanks for the video
Cheers Jim! I bet you've got some stories. And yes, lots of 7018 around our shop. ;)
Having never started or driven a steam locomotive I have decided to just enjoy your video without feeling the need to offer endless commentary as to how many things I would do differently.
marvels of engineering built by the hands of strong men. it's amazing how these things work and are still going
I don’t think most people fully understand how much work it is for these machines to operate property. It must have been some really tough guys who did this job in the old days. Such beautiful machines that must be preserved.
This was way cool to see how this process works! Awesome camera work !
She's such a beauty! Thanks for sharing, I didn't know anyone still ran steam locomotives. Wow!
I miss the old steam engines but I never realized how much had to be done to get one in operating condition. THANK YOU for anlighting a old man.
Great video thank you. I knew steam locomotives were a lot of hard work, but so much goes into firing them up, it's amazing. So much respect for you and your dedication and effort. Also loved the runby at the end 👍
I just love stuff like this!
Thanks for taking us along for the startup!
Thank you for sharing this! Always cool to learn new things about steam locomotives!
you got it :)
This is a nice video to show how hard the work really is to get a steam engine going when it has sat cold. My great grandfather as well as my great great grandfather were both steam railroad engineers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Quebec. Watching you work here has really increased my appreciation of their back breaking hard days. I’m an aerospace engineer so I am carrying a tradition, it’s still two phase flows, plumbing leaks and heat sources but it is much different as well. What is not different is thermodynamics.
I grew up down the street from the colorado railroad museum! I used to go every summer! We went recently too and its awesome to see the place getting some recognition!
I love how you explain the process in a simple manner that the majority of society can understand!
Before fire up I learned to check 7 things: Firebox leakage, Smokebox leakage, handbrake on, regulator shut, reverser neutral, draincoqs open, enough water
That's a good list. I probably should've said something about the water level for firing up, but missed that piece for the video.
@@Hyce777 guessing if you need to add water it would be with the circulating pump, and probably from a hookup on the tender?
@@Ronald.Golleher correct
What a great and informative video. Great work here! You've gained a subscriber.
Cheers Kris!
your enthusiasm is awsome. thanks for sharing your skills. thank you for your love of what built our county.
Very interesting. I’ve been to Steamtown and was lucky to get a tour of the old Lackawanna shop were hundreds had worked back in the day. Now there are about 12 working there rebuilding the old engines and recertifying the boilers.
That goal annalogy is hilarious to me. I remember one time I was firing a wood burning Russell Steamer and the firebox door on that tractor is SO SMALL and the wood was pretty big and I "hit the goal" a lot and missed the bright spots more than I'd like to admit...
Like always a great and very helpfull informational video!
Keep it up man, even just the footage is magical to look at can't wait for the next one!
This video actually helps me to get the fire for my beloved d600 started. I never started a fire on a steamengine
I rode a light weight, wood burning, narrow gauge, locomotive that had been completely restored and ran on the track between Durango and Silverton for a short time. It was not pulling very much load, but the rate of ascent and the misty wet weather kept the driver wheels breaking away from the rails and spinning up. Fortunately the engine was beautifully appointed and maintained, the engine was equipped with sand tubes, which were opened enough to provide traction for up the uphill pull... But wood contains a fraction of the energy of high quality coal, and the starting delays and traction problems meant we had to stop in the forest near a wood pile and load the tender with fuel... All of the able bodied passengers got off the train and formed a bucket chain between the woodpile and the tender. But we got up to Silverton.
That must have been an adventure! I wager that was the Eureka & Palisade #4? Beautiful engine.
Im not protesting anything. Im just glad he put this video together. I am blown away at how much wood it takes to fire up one engine. Imagine the 1940s when everyday there thousands of these to fire evey day! Im surprised that there are any trees around. 🌳
When the steam engines were working every day they never let the fire go out my old bother in-law was a fire man back in the day as a junior he would start 2am and fire up 4 engines and have them ready by 6am for the drivers and fire men .
The shovel technique stuff was very informative! And you're dead right, media depictions of steam engines being shovelled just makes you think that you just chuck coal in where ever and it's dead simple, but from what you've shown it's really not!
Even knowing the measurements of the firebox, seeing that looong rake fit entirely in there surprised me, and drives home how far the coal has to go to get to the back corners... and then there's a small hole in the way when throwing as well!
What is the "circulator pump" doing, just agitating the water in the boiler to reduce temperature gradients? Also with the heating up over several days, I assume that implies the boiler will stay hot overnight, how long does it take to fully cool down from operating?
The circulator pump is taking water from the hottest part (bottom by the firebox) and putting it as far away as it can - that way the boiler heats evenly. As you're starting up, all the heat is at the back - nothing heats the front, so this helps.
Takes about a week to truly get cold. You'll still have some steam 2-3 days later.
Thats why when those steam locomotives were in use every day they really did not have to do all of this work to start them up
This was absolutely awesome to watch. Much like boats/ships for me, the “romanticism” that’s tied to running or working on a behemoth machine like that almost begins to evaporate in front of your eyes once you in the mix of actually doing the thing. Stoking up a fire inside of a machine like you do is still so intriguing to watch though.
Old trains and electric guitars, what a nice combination of interests! One I happen to share :)
Young man america needs you. What do I mean? I mean we desperately need history teachers like you..