STEAM LOCOMOTIVE CLEANER
Author: Brian Hains
Date: December, 2016
CONTENTS
1 PREFACE 3
1.1 INTRODUCTION 3
1.2 DISCLAIMER 3
2 CLEANER 4
3 JOB DESCRIPTION 5
4 GENERAL DUTIES 6
5 CLEANING OPERATIONS 7
5.1 PREPARATION 7
5.2 GENERAL 7
5.3 ABOVE THE FRAME 8
5.3.1 The Traditional Method of Oil and Paraffin 8
5.3.2 The More Modern Method of Soap, Water and Car Wax 8
5.4 BELOW THE FRAME 8
5.5 IN THE CAB 9
1 PREFACE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Note that this document is a privately generated affair and is not affiliated with any given railway preservation scheme. The site is about “education”, which is general by nature, whereas “training” is specific and beyond its present remit.
Developed in the tradition of the Mutual Improvement Class (MIC), with its focus on locomotives, the content has been extended to include operational aspects of other railway activities.
Access to this document is contingent upon the reader’s acceptance of the following Disclaimer.
1.2 DISCLAIMER
Users of this document do so at their own risk. The document is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. It is presented in good faith and does not claim to be error free. By reading it, you will have released and discharged the providers, owners and creators of this document from any and all liability which might arise. You should not assume that the information is error free or that it will be suitable for any particular purpose. The Author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document.
The content of this document is provided as a service to the railway preservation movement and is for information only. Whilst the Author makes every reasonable attempt to ensure the accuracy and completeness of such information the Author shall not be held responsible for any loss, however arising, from the use of, or reliance upon this information.
In no event shall the Author be liable for any special, incidental, direct, indirect, punitive or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, and on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this document. Any decisions based on information contained in the document are the sole responsibility of the reader.
The document may include technical or other inaccuracies, typographical errors, or missing information. The Author may make changes and corrections to the document at any time.
2 CLEANER
The role of the Cleaner is typically the first step on the ladder to becoming a Driver and its importance should not be underestimated. It is when cleaning a locomotive that all the various nooks and crannies, devices and other aspects of the locomotive become visible. As such the educational opportunities afforded by cleaning is of major benefit to the future footplate career of the given individual.
Rust is the inevitable consequence of untreated metal coming into contact with water and air. As such rust spots will appear on surfaces such as connecting rods, exposed threads on bolts, as well as on paintwork that has become chipped due to flying ballast or careless handling. Another prime source of rusting is where a gap has appeared in some component that has allowed the ingress of water, examples including doors, windows as well as paintwork that has lifted off it immediate surface. Care must be taking when cleaning paintwork not to make the situation worse by flaking off more paint and thereby exposing even more metal to inclement weather.
It should also be commented that cleaning a locomotive is never “beneath the dignity” of anyone in the Locomotive Department. Indeed, some Drivers take a pride in cleaning the cabs of their locomotive and are none too keen on allowing others to get involved!
When cleaning duties have been completed it is often the case that Cleaner will assist around the shed yard in performing a variety of different duties, again under the supervision of some appropriately qualified person (the Driver may have gone off shed with the locomotive by this time).
It will often be the case that the Cleaner will be invited up on the footplate, by the Driver, for at least one round trip on the line.
Because the Cleaner will have to climb on and around the locomotive it is imperative that they are safety trained for these tasks, including basic track safety, the secure use of ladders and the handling of cleaning materials.
· Job Description
· General Duties
· Cleaning Operations
3 JOB DESCRIPTION
· To be fully conversant with all Rules pertaining to the movements of trains and locomotives whilst in the yard.
· To be fully conversant with all working practices pertaining to climbing on, or working beneath, locomotives.
· To work as directed under the guidance of the Driver or Fireman, such duties to include cleaning, preparation and disposal as assigned, as well as retrieving and disposing of tools and cleaning materials.
· To advise the Driver of any problems, or potential problems, encountered with the locomotive whilst engaged on cleaning duties.
· If allowed a run on the footplate, to learn the road with particular reference to the position and sighting of signals, speed limits and whistle requirements, as well as to observe the general operating practices.
· To clean the locomotive in question in accordance with locally accepted practice.
· To assist the footplate crew in such tasks as clearing the ash pit, collecting wood for lighting up and other associated duties
4 GENERAL DUTIES
Duties here are may and varied, and may include:
· Breaking up of wooden palettes to a size suitable for lighting up the locomotive
· Carrying wood for lighting up to the wood store and/or locomotive
· Helping to carry oil cans and lamps to/from the locomotive
· Cleaning the ash pit out and barrowing away the ash once the locomotive has left the pit area
· Clearing the coaling area of fallen lumps of coal
· Generally keeping the shed area tidy, including removal of assorted debris such as dirty rags, drink cans and anything else that could be either unsightly or create a slip or trip hazard
5 CLEANING OPERATIONS
The basic purpose of this operation is to clean the locomotive to an acceptable standard and to report upon any problems or issues that may become apparent during the cleaning process. At all times the Cleaner is working under the direction of the Driver.
The manner of cleaning a locomotive can raise quite strong passions. Methods that are sworn by from some people are sworn at by others, and vice versa! Although most people are agreed as to how to clean the motion or anything underneath the running plate, opinions differ about how to treat the paintwork.
The precise cleaning regime at a railway will differ from railway to railway, however, the following guidelines should be of general interest.
For a steam locomotive it is best to use paraffin on Needless to say the paraffin and dirt then needs to be wiped off, using some old rags or cotton waste. Once all that under the running plate has been completed the rods should then be lightly oiled over with a lubricating oil, for which purpose an old paint brush will be found most useful.
5.1 PREPARATION
· Ensure that the proper materials are at hand. Such to include rags, cotton waste or cloths (cotton ones are best), a couple of buckets, a couple of old paint brushes, a standard brush, brass cleaners, fine emery tape, paraffin, a supply of warm water and some light oil.
· Depending on the local cleaning policy some detergent, and standard car polish / wax will also be needed.
· A ladder with cloths to put round the end of the ladder leaning against the locomotive, in order to avoid damaging the paintwork.
5.2 GENERAL
· It is best to start at the top and work down, using one rag and/or brush to to wipe off the loose dirt, another cloth with which to do the cleaning and a third cloth to do the polishing or buffing up. When finishing off it is important to avoid leaving any streaks behind as they are readily visible and spoil the look of the locomotive.
· Special attention should be given to the number plates and name plates (if fitted). The public generally take a special interest in these items and they should not be disappointed.
· Do not forget to clean the lamps! Many the look of a well turned out locomotive has been spoilt by the appearance of grubby head lamps on the buffer beam.
· If any problems, real or imagined, are discovered during the cleaning process then the Driver must be informed. It is preferable to have the Driver waste five minutes of his time pointing out that there was no problem, as against having the locomotive taken out of service after a major failure such as a loose tyre, a broken spring or some other failure occasioned by a missing nut or split pin.
5.3 ABOVE THE FRAME
Essentially the two main methods of cleaning the paintwork are as follows:
5.3.1 The Traditional Method of Oil and Paraffin
· The purpose of the paraffin is to dissolve the grease and dirt, whereas that of the oil is to leave a nice shine and protect the paintwork against corrosion.
· The oil and paraffin can be mixed in a bucket in proportions related to the degree of dirt on the locomotive. Anything from one part oil and two parts paraffin up to one part oil and six parts paraffin may be used. Once applied the oil/paraffin mixture needs to be wiped off cleanly and without leaving any streak marks on the paintwork.
· The disadvantage of this approach is that subsequent dirt (such as that pushed out by injudicious use of the large ejector) can stick to the paint, as well as eventually leading to the paint becoming quite dull. However, the advantage is that the paint is protected against rust and the effect of minor chips to the paint being caused by ballast being thrown up as the locomotive moves down the track.
5.3.2 The More Modern Method of Soap, Water and Car Wax
· The advantage of this approach is that dirt can literally bounce off the paintwork, and at the end of the day a simple wipe over with a rag is often all that is needed to restore the shine. However, this method has the disadvantage that any water that is not dried off can remain trapped under boiler bands, access doors or anywhere else that water can remain, will eventually lead to local rusting.
· Whichever method is used begin by first using a brush to dislodge any loose dirt (especially around the smokebox area), taking care not to brush all the debris into the motion.
5.4 BELOW THE FRAME
· Clean the rods, the wheels and then the frames, in that order. In such manner the Cleaner is saved from attracting volumes of dirt and grime on to his clothing whilst he is carrying out his duties.
· First dislodge any dirt by use of an old paint brush, using a paraffin / light oil mix to dissolve and remove the dirt. Finish off by cleaning off any residue with a rag or cloth. Note that the object of this exercise it to remove dirt and grime and the Cleaner should not be so liberal with the paraffin that he/she affects the lubrication of the rods or brake rigging.
· The rods may need the additional use of a fine emery cloth or tape to remove ingrained dirt or rust spots.
· Once the frames and rods have been cleaned the rods should be covered with a light oil / paraffin mix to prevent rusting (this will, invariably, attract dirt but rust prevention is the greater danger). Alternatively one may use a proprietary car wax
· When cleaning between the frames make sure that no oil appears on the shaft of the vacuum brake cylinder piston as such oil can damage the rubber seal and thereby cause a vacuum leak.
5.5 IN THE CAB
· The brass work in the cab should be cleaned with a standard cleaning product, but may need use of the fine emery tape to remove dirt if is has been allowed to become caked on the pipe work. This is especially the case for pipes that carry steam (such as the injector pipes). Use of a tape wrapped around a pipe while moving the tape back and forth can give good results.
· The faces of the gauges and the windows (inside and out) should also be cleaned.
· Cleaning of the gauge glass itself, however, must be left to the Fireman unless the Cleaner has been specially trained to do so. This is even more important if the locomotive is under steam by this time (as will generally be the case since there is little point in cleaning the cab unless there is sufficient boiler pressure to activate the blower.
Operations : Steam Locomotive Cleaner Page 1 of 9 Dec, 2016