Steam loco oil refilling facilities

American Scale Models will be importing oil fueling columns soon:  

 facilitieshttp://americanscalemodels.com...Coming_Soon_From_ASM

Not cheap, but high quality, high fidelity models. Get one or two of these and you should be in business.  And perhaps, an oil storage tank. No need for coaling tower, ash pit (but then you do have some "eastern" coal burning locomotives).   Sand facilities, yes !  Perhaps Morning Sun's CP Facilities book might provide a photo or two of western CPR steam locomotive oil fuel installations.

J Dad - Think that photo is of a leased Santa Fe 2-10-4 on PRR property, in Columbus, OH, in 1956 !!!  I am sure ATSF had coal and oil facilities in, say, Argentine Yard in Kansas City, where western oil and eastern coal burning locomotives mixed.

Talk to Dave at Crescent Locomotive Works. He has oil and water columns, etc and is at York. His website does not list all of his products so talk to him. His ohone number is (770) 844-7502.

Dave is usually busy and does excellent work.

J Daddy posted:

You may have to purchase some books on this mater. It appears the Santa Fe used large tanks and an integrated coal/sand/water facility for their locomotives... look at the large vertical tank to the right...

This photo is NOT a good example of how oil burning steam locomotives were serviced, as it is actually on the PRR, and NOT on the Santa Fe. 

albertstrains posted:

I am looking for info/photos on  steam era service areas pertaining to oil fired locomotives especially on CP, CN and GN. Not much out their that I have found so far.

   Interested in the columns for filling the locos and details for modelling 

Al

Al, if you find pictures, and I doubt that you'll find the equipment that you so desire, try Plastruct.com, they are the World Leader in Plastic Scale Model Parts. They have it all from "N","HO","O","G". ....

P.S. if you decide to go this route, you can cut down on your change of directions with your plumbing/Piping config, by using different size Florist Wire, and a little heat from a hot air gun to bend your shapes.........You can bent 22,45,90.180 degree bends without kinking the tubing. You probably already know this, but if not, it's a pointer.....................................Just Sayin  

  I do have some pics of CP oil tanks but they are so far in the background. I have included a shot taken at Revelstoke sometime in the mid 60's. I did find some detail parts from Sellers/Finishing Touches(Bowser), which I will include a pic of . Here there is a pipe spanning two tracks for re-fueling.

   I need to find a detailed pic of the storage tank for scratch-building...still lol

Al

albertstrains posted:

  I do have some pics of CP oil tanks but they are so far in the background. I have included a shot taken at Revelstoke sometime in the mid 60's. I did find some detail parts from Sellers/Finishing Touches(Bowser), which I will include a pic of . Here there is a pipe spanning two tracks for re-fueling.

   I need to find a detailed pic of the storage tank for scratch-building...still lol

Al

That is EXACTLY the oil fill stand pipe you need! The oils supply would be from heated tanks, reasonably close to that stand pipe. The oil fuel, from the old days of steam locomotives, must be heated (usually by the steam from the terminal steam power plant), in order for it to flow, i.e. at least 150 degrees F.

Hot Water

Thank you for the confirmation with respect to the oil column. I am thinking however that this  one needs to sit on a concrete pedestal, approximately 3' tall to have enough clearance for access to the top of most tenders.

   Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe these moved vertically but were only rotated into position, with the locomotive being spotted at the column

Al

albertstrains posted:

Hot Water

Thank you for the confirmation with respect to the oil column. I am thinking however that this  one needs to sit on a concrete pedestal, approximately 3' tall to have enough clearance for access to the top of most tenders.

   Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe these moved vertically but were only rotated into position, with the locomotive being spotted at the column

Al

Correct.

Amazing how many coaling tower pictures there are compared to oil filling facilities. Just not as exciting I guess. 

  I  am still searching on my own to find pictures of these facilities. I have seen a picture of the silver Imperial Oil storage tank at Banff Alberta circa 1950, but no idea if there were refilling facilities there or not. I  know water was taken on here but  not coal or oil? Still mostly grainy photos so far lol

Al

I have a copy of "The Model Railroader's Guide To Locomotive Servicing Terminals" and it has a page with a few pictures.  Also it mentions the books "Locomotive Cyclopedia" and "Railway Engineering And Maintenance Cyclopedia" as good sources for information, if you have access to those (I do not).  Also, have you tried googling with something like "trackside oil storage tanks for steam engine oil refueling images"?  Here is the one page from my book.  [I deleted the picture in case it was a copyright infrindgement issue.]

Here is the oil refilling facility piece that I have.  I have not painted or placed it yet.  Matt

Check out this posted topic of about 2 years ago...

Oil Column Link

About three postings from the last I show how I scratched a typical oil column using Plastruct styrene components.   Not hard to do....seems to have enough credibility to fool my 1:48 oil-burning steamers into pulling up along side of it.

If you do a forum search you'll find a bunch of past discussions on the matter...

FWIW, always....

KD 

Edward

I really like that 2 gallon bucket on the end of the spout of your oil filling column !

Charlie

Choo Choo Charlie posted:

Edward

I really like that 2 gallon bucket on the end of the spout of your oil filling column !

Charlie

That is not just a "2 gallon bucket". That is a specially designed "funnel spout" to keep the heavy, and HOT, oil from splashing all over the place as the fluid exits the main spout.

 I did find one actual picture of a 5900 being refueled in Edmonton. No storage tank details yet.

I have gone thru my Locomotive Encyclopedia 1950 and checked out the steam facilities section but no real info on oil column suppliers.

  Al

Hot Water posted:

Choo Choo Charlie posted:

Edward

I really like that 2 gallon bucket on the end of the spout of your oil filling column !

Charlie

That is not just a "2 gallon bucket". That is a specially designed "funnel spout" to keep the heavy, and HOT, oil from splashing all over the place as the fluid exits the main spout.

Right. Here is a Santa Fe film that shows the funnel spout in use.

   Here are a few interesting pics I rediscovered going thru my reference material. 

   Like I mentioned,grainy photos but better than none

  Nov 1949 GM FP7s first demo trip pic beside the oil filling facilities at Golden BC.

     The second pic is circa 1915 with pump house.

Photos from Adolph Hungry Wolf's "Rails thru the Canadian Rockies"

Al

I saw this discussion in another forum and thought there might be some useful ideas for you in it.

Railroad Line Forum Link