Burned Up Engines

From: lmullaly@jeffnet.org

Last week I was reading a list of terminated CP/SP during the period 1878-1890 at the Sacramento City archives. Often the only reason given for firing an employee is listed as "for cause." But among the reasons that are given – and in several different instances – is that a locomotive engineer was terminated because he "burned up engine." Does anyone know how someone "burns up an engine"?

Larry Mullaly