Re: D&RGW 346 approaching No Auga tank

Jeff,

Actually the type of fuel used in a locomotive does make a difference, but not that you would notice at Knotts. Different fuels have different heat generation capacities... i.e. more or less BTU's per unit mass. Propane, which I think is what your folks use down at Knotts, has the lowest, which is a good trade-off for your use, since it is easy to use and generates virtually no smoke. Coal is next, then oil, which has the highest BTU content. Coal does have it's issues, in that the cinders tend to damage the internal tubes, flues and superheater pipes (oops... you guys don't run superheaters). Oil tends to clog the flues and tubes, but is easier to fire than coal, and it's fuel space requirement is smaller than with coal.

I'm not so sure that with propane firing a locomotive originally designed for coal firing could maintain a full head of steam during heavy usage... but then the 40 and 340 are enjoying their retirement down among the palm trees and don't need to work hard anymore. And they no longer have to contend with snow...