Re: Burned Up Engines

From: "Wendell Huffman" wwhuffma@clan.lib.nv.us

My first thought also was a heated, or "burned" crownsheet; but I don't have any evidence of that. But, how was anyone to know? If one knew that if he wrote up "burned crownsheet" on the bitch sheet (if that is what they called it in those days) he would be fired, one might just keep mum. I mean, if it held long enough to hold pressure after getting some water back on it, why say anything about it. On the other hand, I don't think of anything else other than the literal: catching an engine on fire. And I don't see that as a common event.

Wendell

Re: Burned Up Engines

From: mikadobear45@yahoo.com

I believe that's scorching a crownsheet for sustained lack of water over same. If the engine crew + head-end brakeman survive – that is, if the boiler doesn't blow up, then the hogger gets canned since he has the access to the waterpumps/injector and also the tri-cocks and is fully responsible for the well-being of the locomotive to whiuch he's assigned. Obviously a new firebox would typically be required and the cost would be heavy i terms of time and materials consumed to rectify the damage.  

–Kevin

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