Re: What did 493 reveal??

Russ489 Wrote:
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> 493 performed well and precisely as expected as
> far as tonnage capacity. On par with the K-36
> class. As expected it needed some debugging and
> fine tuning of the oil firing equipment and setup.
> After that was done it fires well overall and
> steams very well. The firemen have no trouble
> keeping up with steam and water usage. The harder
> you work it, the better it steams.
>
> The reactions of the crews to firing oil range all
> over the map. One comment that was made to me
> was; "I wish somebody would have introduced me to
> this years ago." Others are not at all thrilled
> about the change. Most of us really prefer coal
> but understand and accept the necessity of the
> changes being made and will adapt along with the
> railroad and make the best of it. The engineers
> like 493. The way the controls are laid out,
> particularly the throttle, make it comfortable to
> run. It seems to be no more or less slippery than
> the other engines.
>
> The vast majority of the passengers don't know the
> difference, and don't care.
>
> It did prove, once again, that the K-37 class is
> not as limber as the other classes of Ks. She
> helpfully pointed out a few spots where the track
> alignment or track structure were not ideal, which
> have been corrected. (To be fair, we are
> running these engines around tighter curves than
> they were designed for.)
>
> Strictly speaking about fuel costs, oil is the
> more expensive fuel. In practice, the operation
> of the oil burners does not require a night
> watchman full time since the fire is killed at the
> end of the day. However, someone still has to be
> there several hours ahead of the call time for the
> locomotive to light the fire and bring it back up
> to pressure. Along with the normal boiler and
> firebox maintenance an additional expense is
> maintenance of the brickwork in the firebox.
>
> One very important fact is that for the first time
> in the known history of the railroad we have, so
> far, not had a single line side fire ignition this
> operating season. In that regard, 493 has done
> exactly what it needed to do.


Thanks Russ and appreciate your feedback!!

William
aka drgwk37