Re: My two centavos

I've been a reader of this forum for many years. This is my first post. As ussual El Coke's post is right on the mark. I fired for numberous engineers on a tourist RR in Colorado for several years. My experience was that an engineer that operated the engine one or two notches farther forward on the Johnson bar quadrant than the other engineers, could make an engine seem like a bad steamer when in reality it was a problem with how it was being run. Another factor is how well the fireman understands the combustion process. Heavy black smoke might make a good picture, but it is a sign of poor combustion in the firebox. The fireman must combine the proper amounts of fuel and air in the firebox in a way that will produce the maximum BTU.