The Canadian National in steam days, when storing a steam locomotive, referred to this action as "going to tallow". Presume it meant actually covering the locomotive with tallow (rendered beef or mutton fat). Union Pacific covered locomotives in storage with red lead. Can any folks further illuminate these practices? Was the material sprayed on or brushed? How was it removed? Were there any other practices for storing locomotives employed by other railroads?
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French Fried Loco, as it were.
Dick
I wonder if it was a hold-over expression from the old steam days? Tallow was the original steam cylinder and bearing lubrication that didn't get washed away by the high temperature and condensate.
I've seen internal surfaces oiled down for storage on stationary fire-tube boilers. Maybe the "tallowing" was done on inside surfaces? I can imagine the engine-house rats having a field day on the real thing, especially on the outside of a locomotive 
Yes, could be a hold-over from the old days.......like "tallow pot" for firemen. But the UP really did cover stored locomotives in red lead. There was a picture of an early 800 4-8-4 in Classic Trains still in red lead, being rushed into service in a traffic upturn. Dick & Curt: agreed and agreed !!
I could see something like that to protect the ferrous surfaces from moisture and rust, but the smell and cleaning it off must have been interesting.
Matt: the entire UP 4-8-4 was covered in red lead. So, would assume the tallowing operation would be the same. Clearly a railroad investing that much time and effort in a stored locomotive still saw a future usage for it.
I wonder if the "tallow" was combined with other ingredients to prohibit fermentation?
I have read a number of Canadian authors using that expression. Maybe a carry-over from Britain?
Where I come from, stored steam locomotives were not covered in grease. The moving parts of the valve gear and rods were given a good coat of grease.
Perhaps the phrase continued in use, beyond the days of tallow in common usage for lubrication, to refer to what became the ultimate fate of most steam locomotives - "rendering" at the scrap yard.
I always took it to mean the same as the traditional expression, that she would not be worked anymore and the muscle would turn to fat. In other words, retired. You might be overthinking it.
Kelly, thanks for the link. I have now learned something new, my daily goal.
Are you sure it wasn't "go to Fallow"? Fallow refers to a farm field that you're not using, no seeds planted etc. and you're just letting it alone.
Reminds my of reading a book on a war, in which weapons badly needed were rushed to the front, and were packed in "cosmolene". whatever that is, that gummed them up so badly they could not be used without a bath in some solvent. I thought I had read that tallow was used to aid the fire in some old wood burners, and that was where the term "tallowpot" came from.
Cosmolene is a bare metal rust preventative that goes on fluid and semi transparent (depending on the makeup) but over time turns yellowish and waxy. Neat stuff that was used on everything from surplus rifle barrels to automobile suspension parts to reduce salt corrosion.
colorado hirailer posted:I thought I had read that tallow was used to aid the fire in some old wood burners, and that was where the term "tallowpot" came from.
No, no need to "aid the fire" in a wood burner. Wood burns just fine on its own.
As explained earlier, tallow was used as an early form of steam cylinder lubricant. Instead of being stored in a long-spout oil can, steam oil is stored in a squatter pot that looked more like a tea kettle. This was (and is today) called a "tallow pot."
Since the fireman was usually tasked with oiling 'round, he was soon known as a "tallowpot" as well.
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