Cleaning Out ATSF 2926s Firebox

Experience what its like to journey inside the 500 ton beast, as Me, Henry and Spencer climb into 2926s firebox to clean it. In suits and respirators that look like their straight from Chernobyl we clean all the soot from the walls and firebrick with nothing but brooms brushes, and a air lance!
Enjoy!
WEBSITE
2926.us/
MUSIC
Nuclear Mission Jam - Half Life: • Nuclear Mission Jam
Playing with danger - TF2: • Team Fortress 2 Soundt...
Cara Mia Addio (Remix) - Alex Guidici: • Portal 2 - Cara Mia Ad...

[@rossbryan6102]

I ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED THE VIDEO!! IT REMINDS ME OF THE DAY I CLEANED AN “ DEAD MULE” OFF THE FIRE BOX FLOOR IN KANAS CITY ARGENTINE YARD! THIS WAS AN LARGE CARBON CINDER BUILDUP THAT HAPPENED BY NOT WORKING THE 3751 HARD ENOUGH DURING ITS EASTERN TOUR IN 1992! THE ACCUMULATION WAS HIGH ENOUGH TO IMPROPERLY DEFLECT THE FIRE WHEN RUNNING AT SPEED! THE BIG ISSUE WAS WE HAD TO CLEAN HER WHILE IT WAS HOT AS WE HAD NO WAY TO START HER BACK UP WITH LESS THAN 85# OF BOILER PRESSURE. AFTER KILLING THE FIRE , LONG POKE RODS WERE USED TO HELP BREAK UP THE CLINKER FROM WORKING THROUGH THE FIREBOX DOOR. FINALLY , SOMEONE HAD TO GO IN WITH PICK AND SHOVEL TO FINISH THE JOB! ANOTHER ONE OF THE 3751 MECHANICAL CREW WENT IN BUT COULD NOT STAY IN BUT AN VERY SHORT TIME, DUE TO THE HEAT! I VOLUNTEERED TO GO IN NEXT, BUT FIRST I PREPARED MYSELF AS THE OLD HEAD BOILERMAKERS DID IN PREPARATION. I REMOVED MY WALLET AND ALL METAL TOOLS AND ITEMS FROM MY POCKETS. I FOUND AN LARGE WOOL RAG WHICH I SOAKED WITH WATER. I THEN GOT AN 5 GALLON BUCKET OF WATER AND STEPPED IN IT TO SOAK MY BOOTS, POURED THE REMAINING WATER OVER MY CLOTHES AND LONG SLEEVE JACKET. I WRAPPED THE WET WOOL RAG AROUND MY NECK AND OVER MY NOSE, THEN WENT INTO THE HOT FIRE BOX! I WAS ABLE TO WALK AROUND A BIT AS WE HAD PUT A COUPLE OF LONG 2X 10” BOARDS ON THE FLOOR BEFOREHAND! I WAS ABLE TO CLEAN AND DISPOSE OF THE DEBRIS AND WAS READY TO GET OUT, BUT THEY GAVE ME ONE LAST TASK! THE GAVE ME AN SMALL PIECE OF SHEET BRASS METAL, .050” THICK WHICH WAS USED TO CLEAN THE BOOTH BURNER NOZZLE! THIS BEING DONE, I GOT OUT OF THE FIREBOX, AND MY CLOTHES WERE NEARLY DRY AGAIN! WITH 105# OF STEAM PRESSURE REMAINING WE WERE ABLE TO SELF START THE BOILER FIRE AGAIN! I WAS PROFUSELY THANKED FOR MY WORK, AND WAS GIVEN AN 3751 CREWMAN CAP AS MY REWARD! TODAY IT IS MY #1” PROUD HAT” KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!! 👍👍

[@OfficialSEIC2K6]

How they clean out ATSF #2926's firebox. Wow. Its no easy task but its a necessity.

[@adformer9212]

0:33 "Turn Down For What?" (I'm sorry)

[@mateusz_paulus]

Great video. Thank you for your work!

[@t-12productions15]

7:10 I can safely say that all of us in choo choo Land have several screws loose.

[@neilwilliams5173]

Great job men doing a very unpleasent but necessary task.Watching this video its hard to believe that they used to send men into hot fire box,s (think it was NY Central RR) to make repairs and inspections wearing asbestos suits,no OSHA back then.

[@ishirotanaka]

You guys should acquire Santa fe baggage dorm #1380 from the pacific southwest railway museum in campo. so when you’re out on excursions; you have a place for the crew to rest up.

[@Mandem_Nj]

love this old girl

[@joenewstead4848]

Was that team fortress 2 music I heard? 😏

[@atsf2926]

Valves holy trilogy. Half life at the start Tf2 in the middle and portal 2 at the end.

[@joenewstead4848]

As a gamer myself and a streamer on Twitch. I SALUTE YOU.

[@justahillbilly7777]

I asked this question on the bookFace page, but I never got an answer, which is understandable when there's multiple pages being managed, so I'll ask it here. Looking at 2926's cab, I see you guys have fitted her with a modern 26 air brake stand, rather then opting to keep the original brake stand. My question is why have y'all opted to do this? I have the obvious answer of parts availability and a few others ringing in my head, but a solid official answer would be nice. As far as I've been able to tell, you guys are the only group with a mainline running steam loco that's based west of the Mississippi River that doesn't have its original air brake stand in place and have instead fitted a 26 stand, which I find quite intriguing given I live east of the Mississippi where mainline steam locos with their original brake stands still in place is the rarity and 26 stand fittings are the norm.

[@atsf2926]

So if I remember correctly. I've been told its for easy acquirement of parts and easy maintenance. Apparently her previous brake stand was a pain to maintain they tried to keep it but than just decided to replace it with a easier operating brake stand.

[@justahillbilly7777]

@@atsf2926 Thought it'd be something like that. On the side of preservation, right shame that the original stand gave y'all so much trouble that replacing it was the better option, but from a mechanical stand point, good on y'all for modernizing. Have y'all put any thought into making an interactive exhibit out of the original brake stand for the public to learn about air brakes on? Edit: Oh, and I see y'all have made progress on the Amtrak certification of the tool car. Fantastic to see progress on that front. Looks like you might be getting towards the final-ish stages of that. A video on the whole Amtrak certification process for the tool car would be quite the interesting watch.

[@N-Scale]

Why not pressurized water?

[@t-12productions15]

Don't quote me on this, but I think THINK it's bad for the firebox, but I don't work on steam locomotives, so I would have no bloody idea.

[@atsf2926]

That was the original plan but there was problems with the pressure washer. Also I would rather be covered in soot not soaked in soot

[@N-Scale]

LOL !!!@@atsf2926

[@rossbryan6102]

DOING THIS WITH A COLD BOILER WOULD ALLOW WATER TO SOAK INTO THE FIRE BRICK, AND ENCOURAGE RUST ON THE STEEL FRAMING HOLDING THE FIRE BRICK IN PLACE! ALSO WHEN FIRING UP AGAIN , IF YOU HEAT THE FIREBRICK FLOOR TOO FAST, THEN, STEAM PRESSURE WITHIN THE FIREBRICKS CAN DAMAGE THEM!!

[@N-Scale]

@@rossbryan6102 That could be overcome by circulating hot air through the boiler until humidity level was at o%