I've ridden in the cabs of a few oil-burners and my observations as a (non-railroader) Mechanical Engineer is that firing one is much trickier than a coal-burner. Instead of having a constant heat source from a bed of hot coals in the firebox, you've essentially got a torch sitting there. Not only that, but you have two separate people controlling the fuel (Fireman) and air (Engine Man) mixture. It means that the two people have to work in pretty close synchronization, or you have a problem, like tons of black smoke, or the fire blowing out, as was the case here. The set-up of the cab can really have an effect on this. Some cabs, like Sierra #3, offer the crew a clear view of each other as well as a pretty good view of the fire. Others, like White Pass #69, are not very ergonomic at all. On that engine, the Fireman is seated astride the boiler and cannot directly see his fire. All he has is a reflection on the oil tank.....and a view of the stack. Neither crewmember can see the other, as they are on opposite sides of the boiler, making communication (and synchronization) rather difficult. No wonder the crews up there seem to prefer the 73. While I have seen some fire appearing underneath oil-burners as they passed me, this was mostly the result of over-fire conditions in which the crew was trying to make smoke for photographers. Generally, the fire is pretty well-contained.
From a line-side fire perspective, I think it is a far better situation than a continuous stream of hot chips flying out of the stack, as is the case on the 4% out of Chama. I've been close to the tracks a few times at Coxo, and have clothing with holes and even a couple of minor skin burns to prove that the fire threat from a hard-working coal burner is constant, and the screens don't catch it all.
I think the issue we see in this video is related to the fact that most of the folks are training. As others have indicated the crews on the C&TS have decades of experience burning coal, and a few days with oil. They will get it sorted out and they'll be fine.
/Kevin Madore
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2021 04:00AM by KevinM.
