Some of the discussion in the 488 thread have gotten me thinking about how and when fires are lit in locomotives to prepare them for service and strike a good balance between the 1472 day rule and proper warming procedures. This question could apply to all railroads running steam in the US subject to the 1472 day rule, but I'm curious as to what happens on the C&TS first.
At any given time during the regular operating season (not counting charters or special events) how many trains does the C&TS run per day, and how many of the locomotives are in steam? How many locomotives are cold? If a cold locomotive needs to be put into service to pull a train in the morning, when is the fire lit? Is there any supplemental heat source, such as shop steam or steam from another locomotive used? When considering the 1472 day rule, when does one day end and another day start on the C&TS? Is it at 11:59 PM, or at a different time? The meat & potatoes boils down to does lighting up a locomotive to bring it up to temperature & pressure consume one of the 1,472 days before it even turns a wheel? Is it even possible to bring a locomotive into operation without using an additional service day, and if so, is it a good idea from the perspective of the well-being of the equipment and the folks who maintain it?
What happens when the fire is dropped on a K36? Assuming the locomotive is stationary, how long does it take to cool off and loose pressure if left alone? How long between runs is it deemed appropriate to drop the fire? What is the procedure on the C&TS when a fire is to be dropped and the locomotive stored for a short time?
Some of the most interesting things can seem quite mundane,
Dave
