What did the facilities to refuel oil burning steam engines look like? I have not had any success finding pictures of an oil burner refuel station. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Mike, do a Google search for “Steam locomotive servicing facility” and there are a number of photos and books. They usually consist of a water and oil column usually next to each other. You’ll probably want a water tank and an oil tank or a tank car tank elevated for the oil storage. A sand tower is also needed. If coal was used earlier, the coal tower is abandoned, torn down, or in some cases converted to a sand tower. Depending on the available real estate you have available, a wash rack and engine house or raised work platform. Many are facilities are road specific. I think there are some examples on this site as well if you do a search. The research is the fun part of the hobby! Good luck!
@totomac posted:Mike, do a Google search for “Steam locomotive servicing facility” and there are a number of photos and books. They usually consist of a water and oil column usually next to each other. You’ll probably want a water tank and an oil tank or a tank car tank elevated for the oil storage. A sand tower is also needed. If coal was used earlier, the coal tower is abandoned, torn down, or in some cases converted to a sand tower. Depending on the available real estate you have available, a wash rack and engine house or raised work platform. Many are facilities are road specific. I think there are some examples on this site as well if you do a search. The research is the fun part of the hobby! Good luck!
All good suggestions. Also, do NOT forget a power house, located nearby, in order to supply steam necessary to heat the Bunker C "fuel oil", which is like street tar, unless heated to over 150 degrees F. Pretty sure there are lots of photos of Southern Pacific steam locomotive servicing facilities in books.
Here are threads on that topic:
https://ogrforum.com/...refilling-facilities
https://cs.trains.com/trn/f/740/t/92713.aspx
https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/141625.aspx
Online photos of an oil burner being refueled seem to be lacking. I did find this one: Carson and Colorado Railway tourist line. Though maybe not historically accurate, here is UP #8444 being refueled from a tank car in 1980. For reference, here is a Santa Fe Diesel refueling track which should be similar in layout.
Oil tanks were either buried or elevated or both. A boiler house supplying steam to heat the tar-like oil was needed. Fuel columns delivered the oil to the tender. As with coal fired locos, a water tower or column and sand tower was needed, but no ash pit.
Here is a oil fueling facility I built based on the Santa Fe refueling track. I kit bashed it from a K-line tank car and Lionel yard towers. The fuel columns were 3D printed models I bought at a train show. I added the hose for diesel servicing. Selley made a similar column and it is now sold by Arttista. The pump house was scratchbuilt.
Attachments
Images (5)
Well that would be a bad idea! Sorry I was not clear. My model and the Santa Fe servicing track on which it was based is a diesel service facility. An oil fueling facility for steam locomotives would look similar but would have a boiler house instead of a pump house.
Bob
Thank you everyone! Your replies are the jump start I needed!
@RRDOC posted:Well that would be a bad idea! Sorry I was not clear. My model and the Santa Fe servicing track on which it was based is a diesel service facility. An oil fueling facility for steam locomotives would look similar but would have a boiler house instead of a pump house.
Bob
Ah. Gotcha.
@RRDOC posted:I just stumbled onto this close-up picture of a Milwaukee Road Hiawatha streamlined Class A Atlantic (oil burner) being serviced. Is that a fuel column or a water column? Comments?
Bob
That is a fuel oil column, as it is a relatively small diameter pipe, with the large round handle shut-off valve (with the man standing read to shut off the oil). Water columns are MUCH larger diameter with the shut-off operated by the person taking water, i.e. up in the tender. Note that the taking of oil fuel is at least a two man job.
