valve and blow the water out of the pipes, when working steam will cause imperafter which close the valve. fect combustion and steam pressure loss. The stronger the draft the more tendency there is to draw or put the fire out, and therefore more oil must be fed to keep it burning than when under a moderate draft.

Light a piece of oily waste and throw it in near the center of the firebox and turn atomizer on strong enough to carry the oil spray to the burning waste. Next open the firing valve lightly at first, gradually increasing the supply after the oil has ignited until steam is being generated without the making of black smoke. The more gradual and evenly this can be done the better it will be for the firebox sheets, the flues and stay bolts. Crowding the temperature and the pressure up rapidly is to be avoided at all times if possible. The roundhouse supply of steam must be used until enough has been generated in the boiler to operate the blower, atomizer and heater. The amount of heat required for the heater depends very largely weather conditions. If the engine is cold and is to be fired up at some outlying point when no roundhouse steam is available, to supply the blower, atomizer and heater, the boiler may be fired up with wood and steam enough generated in this manner to supply the needs of the occasion. The wood ashes must all be removed before starting the oil fire in the firebox for the reason before cited.

on the

Too much oil should not be fed into the firebox at this time as it might result

in an explosion. The fire must be watched closely to see that it does not go out, as if unnoticed, the oil might run in the pan on the pit and when ignited cause an explosion that would do much damage to the engine and possible injury to any one on or about her. If the fire does go out, do not try to relight it from the heat of the fire bricks. If you do, there is another chance for an explosion. Light

the fire in the usual manner with burning oily waste.

The condition of the fire can be observed through the hole in the fire door; a brightly burning fire denotes that the fire is all right and proper combustion is taking place, but if the fire shows dark and murky the fire is not burning properly and combustion is imperfect, and the cause should be located and remedied at once if possible.

The dampers must be regulated carefully to suit the work being done by the engine; one damper open will furnish plenty of air when firing up or when locomotive is working moderately.

If engine is not working steam the dampers should be closed, as too much cold air admission will cause firebox and flues to leak. Too little air admission

An over fed fire gives off black smoke, and by watching the stack indication this can be avoided. When the throttle valve is shut off the oil supply to the burner must be reduced and the atomizer cut down to a point that will just spray the oil to the fire. The blower must be put on as soon as the engineer indicates that he is about to shut off steam, and it should be kept on enough to keep the fire burning brightly until the throttle is again opened, or if trip is completed until engine is housed and fire is put out.

Putting out the fire is accomplished by shutting off the oil valve on the tank and allowing the oil to be burned out of Close the blower the burner oil pipe. valve, atomizer and dampers, being very careful to see that this latter is done as a protection to the firebox and flues from cold and the consequent leakage from their too rapid chilling.

The working of the atomizer should at all times be graduated to the proper spraying of the feed oil over the firebox this the more easily and have the oil flow for the best results, and to accomplish freely at all times, it must be heated to thick and sluggish and as before stated, a temperature that will prevent its being to be held on the tank head will give this a temperature that will permit the hand

result.

The oil should be heated quickly by turning on the heater strong enough to give a direct flow of a considerable supply of steam, and when the required temperature is secured the heater should be shut off. Opening the heater to a small extent and leaving it on continuously is not a good practice. It takes too long to heat the oil and increases the water condensation in the oil while heating. The temperature of the tank must be watched closely to avoid its falling too low or becoming excessive and causing the oil to boil. The oil should be heated, as far as it can possibly be done, when the engine is standing still.

The drain cock should be opened at frequent intervals so that any water accummulations in the tank will be drawn off, and the danger of the fire going out from this cause will be removed.

An auxiliary super-heater is placed near the burner so as to heat the oil sufficiently to permit it to spray freely when acted on by the atomizer, and re

sult in quick ignition when it reaches the fire.

This super-heater consists of a pipe a foot or so in length and larger than the oil pipe which passes through it and a slight amount of steam in this larger pipe heats the oil as it passes through the oil pipe. Too much steam in this super-heater will cause an intermittent flow of oil to the burner. There is a drain cock to this super-heater to carry off the water. This cock should be open all of the time.

When starting out of a station the injector should be shut off; this is true in the case of either a coal or an oil burning engine.

Slipping is to be avoided on any engine, but more especially so on an oil burner, as were the fire to be drawn out, the fact not noticed and the firing valve closed until it could be relighted in the regular way, a dangerous condition would arise from the oil flooding into the firebox and heating to a point where an explosion might ensue when lighted again in any manner.

If the burner becomes choked up from

blown out by opening the steam valve in pipe to burner and steam supply valve to heater and closing the firing valve.

If the flues or flue sheet becomes clogged with soot the engine will not steam. When this occurs frequently it any foreign substance, it should be is usually the result of over feeding oil through the firing valve, although it will accumulate when engine is fired properly but not so rapidly as when over fired. If the atomizer tube becomes clogged It also forms freely when engine is being up, open atomizer valve wide, and if this fired up. Sand is used to cut this ac- does not remove the obstruction take it cummulation of soot from the flues, and out of burner and clean it out. If the it should be used when engine is working oil feed pipe becomes obstructed from hard so as to strike the flues with a any cause, open superheater valve, open cutting force. Sand should be used when tank valve wide, close firing valve and going from roundhouse to train if engine the obstruction ordinarily will be blown is worked hard enough at any time beinto tank. If not, it will be necessary tween these points. The sand is put into the firebox through a funnel inserted in to disconnect pipes and remove it. an opening in the fire door that is made for that purpose and the engine should be working hard enough to carry the sand against the flues with considerable force to cut away the soot or gum from them. Usually it will be necessary to wait until the train is leaving town to give the flues their first sanding after firing up. The sanding funnel should be so manipulated as to scatter the sand over the whole flue sheet surface. If the exhaust is weak, however, the soot will be left on the flue sheet or flues to hinder the draft and, falling to the floor of the firebox, will cause the fire to drag and interfere with the steaming of the engine.

The drumming noise sometimes heard in the firebox may be caused by the atomizer being open too much, too great a supply of oil being fed to the burner or too great an air admission through the dampers into the firebox.

Over feeding of fuel oil is more likely to occur when engine is working slowly, and quite often at such times on grades or about yards it is necessary to use the blower to keep up sufficient draft to cause the fire to burn brightly.

The blower should be used whenever steam is shut off but should be worked as lightly as possible; this is true also of the atomizer, dampers and firing valve.

Should the tank heater hose or pipe burst, the oil may be heated after train is stopped in the following manner: Put the fire out, close dampers to protect the flues and firebox, close the firing valve tightly and open tank valve, also open blow back valve and leave it open until oil is again sufficiently heated to proceed with train. This can ordinarily be done without much delay; however, if weather is very cold it may be impossible to get the oil warm enough to proceed at all. The fireman when coming on duty should ascertain if the oil tank has been filled and oil warm. When filling oil tank sufficient room should be allowed for expansion of the oil when heated, and the man-hole cover should be closed and clamped.

The main oil valve should be connected to the engine with a chain, and the safety oil valve by strong cords extending to the front of cab and so placed that either the engineer or fireman can reach them readily.

Care should be taken in the adjustment of the atomizer valve, blower, dampers and firing valve. The heater should not be worked so long as to overheat the oil for good firing results. Engines should never be moved when there is no fire in the firebox, as it is injurious to the flues to do this. Great care should be exercised to keep an even tem

perature in the firebox, and to do this the and pressure can be varied more easily fire must be watc..ed closer than on a on the oil burner than on the coal coal burning engine, as both temperature burner.

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE K TYPE OF TRIPLE VALVE.

BY EDWARD O'CALLAHAN

1. Q. How many sizes of K type ignation on the side of the valve body, triple valves are manufactured? and the K-2 has three bolt holes in the A.-Two, the K-1 and the K-2. reservoir flange while the K-1 has only 2. Q.-With what size brake cylinder two. and what weight of cars is the K-1 type of triple valve used?

A. The auxiliary reservoir is of such a volume that with an initial pressure of 70 pounds it will equalize with the brake cylinder (full service application) at 50 pounds, providing the piston travel is 8inches. 9. Q.-How can you distinguish the shown on a single plane or true sectional K-1 from the K-2 type of triple?

view. A diagrammatic view is one in

A. Each valve is marked with its des which these have been distorted, the

actual proportions and mechanical con- and Charging position; and Emergency struction being disregarded for the pur- position, respectively. pose of making the connections of the different parts, ports, passages, cavities, etc., more easily understood.

15. Q.-Why are dot.d lines used in mechanical drawings?

17. Q.-Give a general explanation of Fig. 3.

A.-In Fig. 3 the branch from the brake pipe connects at union swivel 18. The retarding-device body, 29, projects

A.-Dotted lines are used, as in Fig. 4, into the auxiliary reservoir and is confor the purpose of indicating a part or structed so that free communication exists port which is hidden by other parts of between the auxiliary reservoir and the mechanism, and would not be seen chamber R, in which the slide valve 3, when looking at the device from the and graduating valve 7, operate. The point of view taken. retarding stem, 31, extends into chamber

16. Q.-What do Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 R and forms the stop against which the and 10 represent? end of piston stem 4 and the end of the A. They represent a K-2 triple in slide valve 3, abut when they are moved Full Release and Charging position; to the release position. Quick Service position; Full Service po- The opening marked "To Brake Cylinsition: Lap position; Retarded Release der" comes opposite one end of the tube

16 which leads through the auxiliary reservoir to the brake cylinder when the valve is bolted in place on the auxiliary reservoir, as shown in section in Fig. 2. This same tube is had with the combined cylinder and reservoir. This opening in the triple valve leads to chamber X over the emergency valve 10, and under the emergency piston 8. It also leads through portr to the seat under slide valve 3, as shown in Fig. 4. The emergency piston 8 and the parts below it are the same as in the older quick-action freight triple valve. Porty (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3) connects chamber Y, be

run through the valve and connect with cavities in the face; port ≈ also has a cavity at the top. The face view of the slide valve shows exhaust port n as a long two-part cavity. The longer portion is connected by a restricted port (shown by dotted lines Fig. 4) to a "tail port" at its right-hand end. Cavity n connects the ports through which the air escapes from the brake cylinder in releasing, in retarded release with the aid of the "tail port." Port b, Fig. 4, is cut diagonally from the face of the valve until it just cuts into the edge at the top of the slide-valve body.

It admits

24 23 22 19

tween check valve 15 and emergency auxiliary reservoir air to port t in an emvalve 10, with port y in the valve seat, Figs. 3 and 4.

18. Q.-Give a general explanation of Fig. 4.

ergency application.

19. Q.-Give a general description of Fig. 5 and trace the flow of the air through the valve in this position. the K-2 triple valve in Full Release and brake pipe flows through passage e, cylCharging position. The air from the inder cap ports ƒ and g to chamber h and against the right face of the triple valve main piston; thence through feed groove i, now open, around the piston to the slide-valve chamber, which is always in free communication with the auxiliary reservoir.

A. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of

A. The face view of the graduating valve shows that it has a small cavity v. This valve is of the slide valve type. It seats on top of the slide valve, and it controls the upper ends of ports z, q and o. Cavity v. connects the upper ends of ports o and q in a service application. Port t leads from the slide valve seat to the chamber above emergency piston 8. Port p is the exhaust port to the atmosphere. Port o, on the top ("Plan View") 20. Q.-Where does the air come and bottom of the slide_valve, connect from that charges chamber Y? and are the same size. Port q runs directly through the slide valve, but is smaller at the top than at the face of the valve, and the smaller part is out of center with the larger part. Ports & and z

A. From the brake pipe. Check valve 15 raises and supplies chamber Y with air as fast as it is required.

21. Q.-What is the operative difference between a K-1 and a K-2 triple?