Re: 340 in Durango

Earl Wrote:
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> Two things I have always wondered about are how
> Knotts manages to use coal fire doors when burning
> oil, and what's the big air tank on the backhead
> for?

Well when you run on a basically flat 5/8 mile track an oil fire door isn't entirely necessary The old ashpans went away long ago and the firepan has an opening at the front about 14"x6" where the plumbing for the burner enters. At the rear of the firepan there is a damper box that is about 14"x14" with a door that can be opened by the fireman, this is your main air intake. It worked just fine while I was there even when we would drag the brakes and make the engines work harder. This is how it was when I was there, I don't know if the D&S made any changes. It looked pretty much the same when I saw it. I can tell you that the D&S did leave the clam shell doors on 41, in fact they are new castings. She fired pretty well on the D&S, even when I fired. She really needed more air intake. They said if she was to stay on the D&S they would probably enlarge the damper and install a set of oil fire doors.

The "Air tank" on the backhead is actually an oil tank. Call it a puke tank if you will, it was used to capture the left over or residual oil from the hydrostatic lubricator when refilling it. It's California, you can't spill and oil unless you want the EPA to haul you off. Part of the hostlers job in the am was to empty the tank into a can, then pour that into a waste oil drum in storage. When you have to refill the lubricator in the middle of a shift is nice to just drain the lubricator into the tank rather than into a can then go dump that.

Jeff Taylor
CRRM curator of equipment and rolling stock.