Re: C&TSRR - Loco 484 Fireman Side

Etrump Wrote:
=======================================================
> Fifty one years ago this year, I was swinging a
> scoop on that
> very same engine.... I was 20 years old at the
> time and a smartass
> kid, but I learned from some of the old timers...
>
> It is interesting to watch these guys learn.....
>
> Do they teach "pattern firing" at all these days,
> or do they just
> let 'em shovel it in?
>
> I remember I was taught (mostly by Pete Degani) to
> fire a 480 by firing the front corners left and
> right first, then lay one along each side, or two
> if it needed it, then heel the back corners. Let
> the draft level the fire. Maybe bounce one in the
> front center if it needed it, then put the scoop
> back on the shovel sheet and ride the left hand
> curves and watch the water until the stack
> cleared, then get down and put in another
> fire...Wasn't bad once you got the hang of it, and
> I enjoyed the work immensely. I didn't ever think
> of it as hard work.
>
> I was also taught to "trim" the water feed to the
> injector with the squirt hose to a spray rather
> than a hard stream, then you could usually keep
> the injector running fairly steady on the grade,
> unless you had to stop for any length of time. If
> the engine was worked steadily, you could get the
> water feed set to just equal what was used and
> keep it where it belonged until nearing the top of
> the grade...Then you generally wanted a full glass
> so it wouldn't be too low when you tipped over the
> top and started down the other side...
>
> What fun that all was!


Sounds like a fun time for you.