# Starting a Steam Locomotive



## trainmaster1989 (Jan 4, 2008)

Just something I am curious about.

Before electric fan blowers were available, how did the crew of a steam locomotive create a draft before there was enough steam to run the steam blower?


Scott


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

First your purse your lips and then ya blow.... (sorry too late for self control) 

I believe they used hot burning kindling, oily waste rags, wood, etc...


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## Chris France (Jan 3, 2008)

Some Locomotives are actually set up to run shop air through the blower via a quick disconnect hose. Older locomotives (all of the operational steamers at the B&O Museum where I run) you just start your fire, close the firebox door and let the fire create its own draft. It usually doesn't take too long for the fire to discover what its supposed to do. Mostly the design of the firebox, tubes and smokebox tend to help. We actually use our steam blowers very rarely even when we have full pressure.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

In an enginehouse (roundhouse) or near a shop where another source of steam was available (from a stationary boiler or another steam locomotive) steam was connected to the engine from that source to operate the blower in the smokebox.

If another source of steam was not available (out on the road) and the fire needed to be started, sometimes a small wood fire would be set in the smokebox to get a draft started, then once flow from the firebox was established it would naturally maintain the draft. A wood fire in the smokebox would not get hot enough to damage components in there (especially in older engines without front end throttles, superheater manifolds, feedwater heater cores or ash baffles/screens, etc.). But getting the smokebox door open to start the fire and then dogging it back down can be a long and arduous task, so it is seldom done.

Trying to get the draft to go the "right way" by just starting the fire in the firebox could be an iffy situation, depending on weather conditions. It was (and still is) done often, but a shift in the wind or a sudden downdraft could (and will) blow fire out the bottom of the firebox or back through the firebox doors if/when they are opened to check on the fire.

Even with a good draft with the engine working hard, sometimes fire can escape from the firebox in places that are supposed to be air INTAKES! I have seen considerable fire blast from a small 2x6 inch opening at the bottom of the front of the firebox of the oil fired West Side Lumber Shay at the Midwest Central RR in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. There is quite a violent fireball in that firebox and sometimes a part of that fireball jets out of that opening. Usually when it is sitting still there will be small licks of flame come out of that small opening, but bigger ones will appear right between chuffs when it is starting up, almost like there is some sort of backlash effect from the sudden loss of air movement through the flues.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

The answer also depends on if the engine is an oil burner or not. If it is an oil burner, you need something to atomize the oil. That means you either need steam or compressed air. If you want to start it buy building some sort of fire in the firebox, you will not be able to switch to oil until you have a few pounds of steam. This will take a long time since the pan in the firebox is not built to provide a proper draft for a small wood fire.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

With an oil burner and lighter oil, toss a fusee in the firebox and turn the atomizer on and off by hand.... at least when the boss isn't looking. 

With a wood or coal burner, oily rags, busted bits of crate, etc. Until the fire gets big and hot enough to add heavier stuff. 

With an oil burner and heavy oil, like bunker C (almost tar at room temperature) you pretty much better hope that there is shop steam or another locomotive to hook the tank heater to or it isn't gonna flow anyway.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Do a Google search for: 

"booting a steam locomotive" 

Lots of interesting sites show the process...


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

[url="http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/loco_bot.html"]http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/loco_bot.html[/url]


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## trainmaster1989 (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. It hadn't occurred to me that you could actually build a small fire in the smoke box. It makes sense now that I think about it. 

Semper Vaporo, Torby, 
Thanks for the link. That article is actually what prompted the question in the first place, as i noticed he used an electric fan in the smokestack. 

Scott


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