Santa Fe How to Operate a Steam Locomotive

This Santa Fe Railway training video from the 1940's was used to inform employees on the recommended operation of the steam locomotive. Santa Fe 4-6-4 No. 3464 was used as the example locomotive. Find out ways in which you can assist with the preservation of sister locomotive, No. 3463, at: csrail.org/3463

[@danielthoman7324]

Just as with many things, there is a lot more to it than you think. Steam locos of that era were some complicated machines.

[@pauls.3400]

Great to see this. Now I know more about my grandpa who was an engineer for 37 years with Western Pacific & operated throughout the Feather River Canyon in N. California..

[@manuelkong10]

3463 is a BEAUTIFUL engine....I've visited it many times in Topeka KS GREAT proportions....HUGE driving wheels! She REALLY should run again someday

[@davefrompa5334]

I hear they're fixing her up, at least cosmetically.

[@chasewithrow4008]

She was set to run again as a testbed for a new generation of passenger steam. Alas a group of locals who were more than happy to let her dam near rust away in a park heard the news. Those locals sprang into action faster than a hostler could chase a runaway down the shop track. So now she is sitting in the same spot , same rust , same neglect. But they sure did show that bunch of engineering mad scientists that OUR locomotive will not EVER be modified ! Nope not one bolt , one nut , one rust hole nothing will ever be changed ! Now would you please buzz off we have a barbecue to get to on the other side of town.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

To be a steam locomotive engineer and run a big modern engine you have to have seniority. You started out as an unpaid student fireman until you booked enough trip. Then you fired for 5 or 10 years. You work your way up from switching in a yard to a local, to Mainline Freight passenger service and then up to named passenger trains you got paid by the weight on the drivers of the locomotive. The bigger engine you operated the more money you made. You had to learn steam by doing it's not something you read in a book. Steam locomotive engineers derisively call diesel engineer's motor men like it was a trolley car huge insult. If you ignored or mistreated a steam locomotive would kill you no doubt about. There was a picture in the locker room of the Pennsylvania Railroad of an I10 decapod that had exploded next to the running gear were two covered bodies. My uncle always used to say the rule book Was Written in Blood. My aunt used to say that's the only spoke with words to her husband when he left for work because if he died that day he did not want his last words to be cross ones. Steam is a man's profession

[@anthonyvallillo422]

One thing that strikes me is how old these two guys look. Indeed, from what I have read about the steam era, including the outstanding "Set Up Running", engineers in the steam era were usually older than modern retirement age, and even the firemen in many eras were "over the hill" by today's standards. And for such a physically demanding pair of jobs, at that! They must have made real men in those days...

[@WaltsNephew]

Very good men, but also because it’s very common practice on any railway system across the globe to have the young (and physically able) men be firemen and the like whilst the seasoned railwaymen who can’t shovel several tons of coal a day be acting engineer

[@michaelramsey82]

@Randy Bingham I wonder what the average life expectancy was back then, compared to now?

[@lwilton]

@@michaelramsey82 When Social Security was set up in the 30s or early 40s, the retirement age (when you could generally begin drawing SS payments) was set at 65. This was not accidental. People generally died a few years after this, meaning that SS did not have to support them for long. We've added 20 or 30 years to the average lifespan in the last 80 years or so.

[@RogerThunderhandsGilbert]

You had to work your way up to be an engineer,,I believe it was switch-man, brake-man, fireman and then finally engineer thus the term old head! Big difference from today! Also,,these guys knew their stuff and were hard working souls! I once had an old head give me a steam locomotive manual,,,I looked at it in awe of what they had to know! Those were the days!

[@b3j8]

These fellas are Passenger Enginemen. Typically they put in many yrs in freight service before they earned enough Seniority to be promoted to the Passenger List and stay there for long.

[@ryandavis7593]

Thank you for removing the commercials. This is an excellent film. I have five oil burners under my belt at this point. No two fire exactly the same. SP3420 GB&L40 GB&L 12 GB&L 14 And AT&SF 3415 I have fired nothing but the oil burners. What a joy.

[@troystaten5633]

Love those 3460 class locomotives, not too many steam locomotives were faster.

[@kicko61]

How many cigars are required per run?

[@TrainsDirectVictoria]

300

[@Vinyl_guy]

i would say about 2 cigars every 20 miles

[@Dannyedelman4231]

About 5 per every 100 miles

[@liamlittle2494]

Depends on the tonnage and the percent of the grade your climbing.

[@OKFrax-ys2op]

Well that depends on supply in cab

[@isaiahwilliams2642]

I wish nothing but the best for your plans on 3463!

[@andrewsharkey8248]

Do you mean 3464?

[@NYMR-Pacific-6323]

@@andrewsharkey8248 Nope,Description Talks About Her Preserved Sister,3463

[@dennislivesey8282]

Outstanding! What a gem of a training film. Thank you for letting us this.

[@JohnSanderson28]

looks like a lot of work

[@flashesofblack4128]

I used to be a stationary operating engineer/electrician. I used to operate steam boilers and did many functions that are depicted in this video. I am long since retired, but by watching this, it made me have fond memory's of operating boilers! When I ran the boilers, it was pretty well automated, but I still had to check the operation and water in the sight glass taking water samples which told me how much sediment had developed in the boilers and the frequency of blow downs.

[@redrobbo1896]

IUOE?

[@VincesArtDesigns]

Wow! Steam engines are so complex!

[@galenhof3371]

It's no wonder that steam locomotives were phased out....extremely labor and maintenance intensive

[@cmcer1995]

Great video with a lot of information on how to operate. I am sure there is a lot more to it than just that. I see a lot of knowledgeable people committing on various things about the steam locomotive. Cool information esp. if I ever get to operate one.

[@thefareplayer2254]

93 mph...so faster than most Amtrak trains nowadays with a 1940s steam locomotive. 😔

[@thefareplayer2254]

The speed limit on almost all Amtrak routes today is 79, so I’m right.

[@thefareplayer2254]

@phillyslasher I said MOST!!!! OF COURSE I know the Southwest Chief and Pacific Surfliner, Wolverine, Blue Water, Keystone, Northeast Regional, and Acela Express go faster, but MOST of the track Amtrak runs on has an absolute speed limit of 79 mph, and that is a FACT, so you can stop being pedantic and telling me otherwise. Oh yeah, and Philly SUCKS!

[@mikeggg5671]

@phillyslasher there is NOTHING wrong with being a foamer. So take your derision and pissoff

[@railscenes4959]

Santa Fe had the 3460 Class Hudson’s rated at 100 MPH BUT were restricted to 90 MPH with 84” driving wheels. 90 was allowed due to the loco being equipped with Automatic Train Control with cab signals. Later in the 1940 era ATSF equipped most passenger locos with ATS with a electro-magnetic system pick up mounted on the trailing truck under the engineer. The ATS allowed maximum speed of 90 MPH. Steve Rippeteau

[@davefrompa5334]

@@railscenes4959Some of the Santa Fe engines like the 3765/2900 class Northerns and 3460 class Hudsons were allowed up to 100mph when making up time, although 90mph was the normal maximum on a fast passenger or mail train. Reference - Railroads at War- S. Kip Farrington, Jr. Samuel Curl Inc New York 1944 The author claims he rode in the cab of a 4-8-4 hauling the Chief at speeds above ninety miles an hour, and in the cab of a Hudson hauling a sixteen car Fast Mail at a sustained one hundred. Both engines had speedometers. The Santa Fe also ran high speed tests with the 4-8-4's. Example - 3752, equipped with poppet valves, reached 105 mph with a heavy mail and express train (including a dynamometer car) in 1948. Reference- One Man's Locomotives - Vernon L. Smith - Trans -Anglo Books Glendale California 1987. Smith had a successful, long-term career in locomotive design and construction during the steam age and is a credible source. He was riding the train when 3752 made the previously mentioned run. Farrington is also credible. He rode 25,000 miles in locomotive cabs across the country in 1943. The fact that the speedometer on the locomotive in this video was reading over ninety kind of confirms that the ATS was set at a hundred, not ninety. - Ninety miles an hour, although very respectable, was in no way the absolute maximum for Santa Fe steam, at least before 1948. Later in that year, the Interstate Commerce Commission set the speed limit of trains without cab signals to 79 mph (the top permissible speed for most Amtrak trains today)

[@garyamerson8799]

Vary informative video on my favorite SantaFe locomotive. Hope to see the sister is preserved like the started.

[@xy47402]

Informative video. Thanks!

[@davidkimmel4216]

Really enjoyed this video. Thanks

[@TRAINBUILDER]

Amazing video!

[@brianfalzon6739]

Awesome documentary

[@kevp9601]

I Love this KZbin Video so Much. :-D

[@BeingRomans829ed]

You had to have 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 to operate a steam locomotive! Good thing Charley Pratt was the engineer of The Hooterville Cannonball, and not Floyd Smoot!

[@kevp9601]

Best KZbin Video Ever! :-D

[@donl3248]

Well good. Now if see an unattended steam locomotive sitting on the track I can take one out for a joy ride.

[@kriskrysler]

Boys to Men ! Salute

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Baldwin locomotives were the best steam engines that were. They also had the best customer service. When the King of Siam wanted new Baldwin steam locomotives as part of foreign aid since Baldwin was out of steam production the plans were sent to Mitsubishi in Japan.

[@marklintwo]

I heard the LIMA was the best.

[@marksman4004]

Damn it takes more to check a steam locomotive than a diesel.

[@thatoneguy611]

That is a big reason railroads switched to diesel. It’s easier to maintain and more reliable. That said nothing can truly replace a steam locomotive.

[@marksman4004]

@@thatoneguy611 I operate a diesel locomotive and I'm glad we don't have to do all that. Probably take half a day.

[@Wawa111_Mainline]

@@marksman4004 they will do those checks while the locomotives is heating up

[@ollylewin]

Sherlock.

[@marksman4004]

There's always one.

[@nmccw3245]

Greetings and good restoration from 2926.

[@ernestimken5846]

This was an oil-fired locomotive as seen by the engineer shutting off the injector and the 7000 gal. oil bunker. They were mostly smokeless too.

[@railscenes4959]

Ernest Imken oil burners were a bit easier to control smoke but they still emitted a lot of smoke. The oil flow from the tank in the tender was controlled by the fireman with the firing valve and atomizer to disperse the heavy grade oil with high pressure steam into the firebox in a fine mist that was almost explosive.

[@pauls.3400]

7,000 gallons of oil! Man that's a lot of oil🛢

[@alwaysbearded1]

@@railscenes4959 Good info. And he mentions it is Bunker C. At 55 degrees, the only temp I've seen it, it is like thin tar. You can put your finger in it, pull it out and watch it slowly fill up the divot over a one or two minute period. Typically heated in marine engines to 180 degrees to pump and atomize. I'm guessing these beasts were kept hot as is quite a chore to start an engine with that fuel.

[@charlesgreathouse7376]

@@alwaysbearded1 the oil tank had steam heat to help the heavy oil flow.

[@alwaysbearded1]

@@charlesgreathouse7376 Makes sense, same as in marine service.

[@timvandiepen8373]

Awesome

[@pravoslavn]

I can tell this is a modern narration. No one said "reverser" in steam days. It was always "REVERSE BAR." "Reverser" is strictly a word from the Diesel-age. HA! (And yes, I go back to late steam days in the 1950s.)

[@ellisjackson3355]

It wasn't the fact that there narrator's voice sounded completely clear and not distorted?

[@MarkInLA]

I thought it was called the Johnson bar. Anyway, it's simply astounding what these men among men had to know and do for their salary.. Also surprised that engineer does so much work.. I naively thought the engineer got that position due TO having already been a fireman, and with this ranking only ran the engine; fireman doing all the dirty(er) work...But I'm thinking now, while engineer is doing all that preliminary work, the fireman is inside waking the beast up from it's cold sleep and feeding it its breakfast, which is just as hard as the engineer's outside chores. Of course, under way the Captain has a little more relaxed job; the fireman continually working his ass off !! Astounding !! And, sadly so, it is obvious why the CEOs replaced them with diesel. ............> maintenance

[@edwardgray154]

i can just imagine a hot summer day or 10 below zero running a engine like this after the trip you know you put in a hard days work.

[@HelloKitty-fs4mt]

So dope! You can learn anything from KZbin. I can now twirl a baton and drive a train!!!

[@heinzbreuer2674]

Danke für den lehr Film was für eine arbeit für die beiden 🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚄 Sante fee

[@dustbowlhammer7119]

Rule number one, always have a big cigar hangin out your mouth. 😂

[@rayvaul3539]

At the end, I can't wait until 3463 is fully operational again, but there hasn't been a single update regarding the progress of its restoration since 2019, according to what I have read on the CSR website.

[@raxxtango]

up to 100 MPH. ok...I'll watch

[@fiddlerpin]

It’s a wonder there was enough oil in that oil can!

[@buntik1687]

I would love to master operating a steam engine. 🚂

[@CometExpress]

I recognize a lot of the background music in the video, it’s that KPM music that plenty of kids shows from the ‘90s used (like Ren & Stimpy or Bill Nye)

[@johnstudd4245]

It's not hard to figure out why diesels were readily accepted, besides the maintenance - efficiency - availability benefits. Those steam locos were a bear to operate! Yes there was some change and something lost in the transition, but I bet the average engineer did not mind the switch once getting used to the diesels. I don't think I heard it mentioned in this video, but would there have been some sort of steam "cut off" lever to adjust the amount time that the steam is admitted to the cylinders in relation to the travel and position of the piston? Just another lever to operate! lol

[@MB_Videos1]

Yea John it was mentioned the "Reverser" or "Johnson bar" is the name and it is the vertical lever that is directly in front of the engineer ,the throttle is the lever that hangs from above that he tugs with two hands usually ,but the Johnson bar is a valve adjustment lever that you adjust based on speed and or other operating conditions as needed .

[@thecpmr6276]

I have heard, but not been able to confirm, that on a case by case basis that steam locomotives are stronger than diesel locomotives. Now, even if this is true, I admit that diesels are likely much easier to operate, but I am curious as to which is better for the railroad as a whole, a oil burning steam engine, or a diesel engine.

[@sharkheadism]

@@thecpmr6276 A diesel

[@kleetus92]

@@thecpmr6276 Oh boy... you really went there. There's a saying about this in that a steam locomotive can pull a train it can never start, but a diesel can start a train it can never pull... It all comes down to available torque at a given speed. Diesels with their electric drive, forget about DC or AC for the moment, can apply their maximum power at very close to zero speed. Think about it, the diesel is put in run 8, motor is wide open producing full HP and the electric motor is drawing full current trying to get the train moving... a steam engine at zero speed literally has 1 piston trying to push the train into motion, and to boot, it only makes maximum power when the crank pin is at either 12 or 6 o'clock position as it has the greatest torque producing moment at that time. Starting torque a diesel is superior, period. Now once you get moving, things start to change. The diesels as speed increases have to be able to produce more and more voltage to be able to maintain that level of torque as the electric motor speed increases, but it isn't physically possible to do... motor back emf starts fighting the system so as speed increases, available torque decreases. In a steam engine, no such restriction applies. The thermodynamics of the steam locomotive improve as speed increases. Being able to change the steam admission time (johnson bar) allow for better efficiency the faster you go. I truly can't explain it well, but once you get a steam locomotive moving, they become harder to stop. The only limitation is how fast can you boil water, and those massive boilers did a great job doing exactly that. I read an article about some steam excursion trips where there was both steam and diesel in the lash up. It was A northern type locomotive which is something like 5000 thermal HP, tied up with 2 SD40's (6000 HP). The train was a relatively large passenger consist with something like 15 or 20 pullman coaches, so not exactly trivial. While the 4-8-4 could start the train as expected, the diesels could run away with the train including pushing the steamer with ease. However once some moderate speed was accumulated, the rate of acceleration would fall off.. when the throttle was pulled open on the northern, they just took off like nothing was behind them. Diesels are much more simple to operate and maintain by many times over. The number of crew members to do all the service work, and I'm including all the boiler rework every 90 days or so and the equipment was astronomical. Diesels basically need an oil change once in a while and they are happy. The ability to lash multiple diesels together an only require one operator is huge. Each steam locomotive has an engineer and fireman, so basically a complete train's worth of crew, less the brakeman in the caboose... Steam definitely had/has the cool factor, but operating costs were off the charts.

[@thecpmr6276]

@@kleetus92 God bless you for this in-depth explanation, a credit to the rails you are.

[@thunderdrums6551]

So Doc and Marty COULD get to 88 MPH!

[@captainmorgan757]

Those bibs are awfully clean, for an engineer!!

[@avarageyoungboyfan7924]

Great now I know how to operate a steam engine

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Plop Junior in front of laptop...he's quiet for the next 17:42 minutes

[@drrgperrin]

That's a lot of lubrication!

[@antoniocarlosruizfernandes9575]

Modern computer controlled locomotive engineers have no idea of the hard work to run this wonderful beasts of the past.

[@michlo3393]

Please, the engineer in this video had it made. Let's see him keep 18,000 feet of train stretched while managing multiple DPU consists with 4 FEWER crewmembers all while following a rule book that's thicker than a Shanghai phonebook.

[@09JDCTrainMan]

I wonder how fast a 3460 can really go

[@Vinyl_guy]

i bet 130 if you push it hard and have straight level track

[@christopherdibble5872]

The trains don't wave from the trains anymore; not like they did back in 1954!

[@raxxtango]

the engineer is "lubricating" this locomotive that is as big as a house with a 12 ounce bottle of oil. ok...I'm sure that did the trick.

[@railscenes4959]

raxxtango a little dab will do. Plus the training film was just having the engineer show all the crucial oil points. Notice how he pauses and we can almost hear him ask “Do you want me to keep going?” We can only guess. It was important to oil around at almost every stop. Notice the shelf above the fire box door. They had extra oil kept warm.

[@FanRailer]

Most "modern" steam locomotives by the time of this film had automatic lubricators. In fact, you can see one of these around the 2:50 mark, actuated off of the valve gear. These lubricators supplied the crosshead guides and cylinders among other things.

[@railscenes4959]

Fan Railer yes but the lubricators were mostly for the interior portions like the cylinders that required valve oil or tallow from the rendering of animal fat is different from petroleum oil. Tallow oil blends with water or extremely hot steam. Petroleum oil does not work with steam. The tallow was in different the oil cans on the back head in the cab. You can see the smaller tallow pots on the shelf above the fire box door. This keeps the tallow oil liquid. Tallow oil, If left at room temps it will solidify. Try frying bacon, that is tallow oil. Sheep rendering was best in steam. Today they have synthetic valve oil. So they can leave the sheep to making wool. Thanks, Steve Rippeteau, retired conductor.

[@railscenes4959]

I should have also mentioned that the mechanical hydrostatic lubricator also had to be able to have enough pressure to inject the valve oil into cylinders that were under pressure. How that was done is above my pay scale, but I am familiar. Questions like this lead to long dissertations that tend to cause eyes to glaze over and take up more space than the internet can handle. But I like the topic, because we can all learn steam locomotive trivia.

[@jordanrodrigues8265]

​@@railscenes4959 The tallow is held in a container which is heated and pressurized by steam. The steam slowly condenses and the condensed water sinks to the bottom of the molten tallow. Thus the tallow slowly overflows its containers and drips into the steam supply pipes. The static pressure of the steam and water is what pressurizes the tallow, so it's called a "hydrostatic" lubricator. To refill the lubricator it would be isolated, vented, and drained. Then topped up with fresh tallow and repressurized with steam.

[@lukefarmer4239]

Could the steam locomotive be a sustainable train today? What if a modern steam locomotive could be certified Tier 4 emissions sooner than an SD40.

[@isaiahwilliams2642]

Was the film always silent? Or have the audio files been lost?

[@ryderlx]

The original film on the Kansas Historical Society, was entirely silent, as well as the second film "Operation of a Diesel Locomotive". So, i would assume so.

[@railscenes4959]

Yes, The version I purchased (the full version) from the Kansas Historical Society is silent. It also includes a shorter segment with the same engineer running an E-1 streamlined diesel-electric loco. While this version with narration is informative the music is annoying.

[@mikeggg5671]

@@railscenes4959 music is perfect, as it is period-appropriate.

[@railscenes4959]

Sent from my iPad On Oct 4, 2019, at 3:40 PM, Steve Rippeteau wrote: This training film looks more like the late 1930 era when these Santa Fe Hudson’s were built by Baldwin. I purchased a digital copy of the entire training film from the Kansas Historical Society. The original film did not have this music. The group who added the narration also must have added this more modern music. But that’s ok. At least they explain a lot of detail. Steve Rippeteau Sent from my iPhone On Oct 4, 2019, at 2:43 PM

[@yugotime1598]

Would there have been a teacher speaking about each of these highlighted in the text? Since this was originally a silent film.

[@catthecommentbothunter6890]

Grandpa your on youtube

[@MrJeep75]

How can you recommend all this

[@Nundevwizer]

Oil-burning Steam engines used Bunker C? I thought they used something thinner

[@2manycatsforadime]

Interesting that at 1:00 he doesn't open the top and bottom valves, on the film that is.

[@georgebenson6036]

That sounds like Kevin Keefe doing the narration. Is that right?

[@organbuilder272]

Full forward gear - Since when did steam locomotives have transmissions???

[@combatrailfanfilms848]

They don't. They do have incremented forward and reverse though. Full forward is max steam to the valves. Halfway back is neutral. All the way back is full reverse.

[@charlesgreathouse7376]

It refers to the valve gear of the locomotive. The valve gear controls the direction and power of the locomotive.

[@williamclarke4510]

That means "in the corner". Maximum valve travel.

[@fredburban8219]

When underway the reverser/Johnson bar can be pulled back to reduce the amount of steam used, conserving steam.

[@sqike001ton]

So the job of the fireman seems a lot easier than on a coal fired train I've worked on you don't have to shovel it's all adjusting so by easier I me less labor intensive

[@cmphighpower]

Wow no wonder steam went away! Extremely complicated

[@stevehaun3178]

I agree although today steam locomotives are run for fun and historical significance back in the day what was shown in this video was a daily job on railroads all over the country with real men doing exhausting work like this.No wonder the diesel electric locomotive was welcome with open arms

[@scoobycarr5558]

The change from steam to diesel was of absolute necessity. First there were the automobiles which were mostly in vogue around the time of the Great Depression. That and the Depression itself killed the interurban. Then after World War II the interstate highway came thanks to Eisenhower and the trucks, and by the late 1950s the jet airliners. Government funding of these competitors came unfortunately via taxes which were paid by the railroads. Which was the chief reason why the diesel was necessary for the railroads to stay in step with their government subsidized competition. Imagine how America would be if it didn't allow diesels and instead forced the railroads to stay with steam. The railroads would no doubt go out of business.

[@williamclarke4510]

Too bad such an excellent film is exposed for daylight, not light in the cab. Can't see all that well what is going on.

[@fiddlerpin]

Now I can see why Diesel locomotives replaced the steam locos. Way too much labor to make the steam engine run. I’m sure these guys couldn’t sleep in the cab!

[@ollylewin]

No fireman? Coughs in British.

[@pbr2805]

Boy, you have to be physically fit like a foot ball player. Most whimps of today could not handle this job and would cry on mommies shoulders.

[@rainriderpnw6259]

This was not foolproof.It required a brain to operate and maintain.