The Topeka state journal., 1900-01-26
ENGINE INFORMATION.
The Importance of Flues and the
Effect of Water Upon Them.


There is one thing among the many
things about the building and repairing
OF a locomotive which requires consio-
cradle attention, and which in the west
costs great deal of money. rms ls
the repair of flues, which are such an
important item in the construction OF
a locomotive.
The life of a locomotive f1ue varies
with the character of water necessary
to be used in the operation Of the To-
comotIve. If the water is soft the
hues will last much longer than they
viii when the water is full of alkali.
In the east, where there is generally
an abundance of soft water OBTAIN
able, the life of a locomotive Hue va
ries from one to three years. In the
west, where the water ordinarily con-
tains much alkali, a f1ue OF the same
kind and made out of as good material
as those used in the east will last only
from three to nine months.
A locomotive f1ue is made out of
good quality of steel tubing. They are
expensive, as there are no seams in
them and they must be perfect to
withstand the hard usage to which they
are subjected. A faulty flue in To-
connective might cause great nconVe-
nience and trouble, and it IS necessary
to have them as near perfect as pos
sibie.
The number of f1ues in a locomotive
varies with the size of the locomotive
boiler In the smaller boilers there are
many as 235. In length the hues vary
with the length of the boiler.
In the putting in of the hues IN a
boiler great care must be exercised. AT
either end of the boiler is f1ue sheet,
containing corresponding holes oppo-
site to each other and a tritie larger
than the fiues. Through these holes
the fiues are pushed until the ends pro
ject a small part of an inch past either
end of the hue sheet.
This done the flueS are ready to De
fitted into the holes so that the water
and steam will not leak out Around
each end of the flue is slipped small
copper collar, which fits tightly between
the hole in the f1ue sheet and the fue.
The ends of the fiues are then eX-
panded by a long tapering iron beng
driven into them. This makes the ends
ready Tor crimping, or the process
which renders them steam and water
tight at the ends.
The crfmping of the ends of the f1ues
turns the edge out, and this is rolled
with machine which presses the edge
of the fiue tightly against the fue
sheet. This done, the edges are cork
ed" which practically completes the
putting in of the fiues. and makes them
ready for use.
The corking of the f1ues is an import
ant matter, and is done to thoroughly
close any little gap or crev1ce which
may remain between the edge of the
f1ue and the fue sheet. This cOrk1ng
process is the hammering in of the
edges and may be said to make the hue
a part of the flue sheet.
In former times the corking of the
fues was done by hand, with a ham,
mer and a corking tool, which resem-
bles a cold chisel. 1t was a tedious
job. At the present time the corling
is done by a specially constructed cork
ing machine driven by compressed air.
AS the locomotive is used and the
water in the boiler has a chance to eat
the ends of the flues, it is not many
months before the flueS became exceed
ingly weak and thin where they are
fastened to the f1ue sheet, and eventual
ly begin to leak. This allows the water
and steam to escape into the smoke
chamber or the fire box. and when this
happens new fiueS have to be put in.
When a locomotive has to have a new
set of f1ues it does not necessarily mean
that the f1ues have to be new. The old
flues can possibly be used over again,
as usually they are only worn out at the
ends Old fiues can be used over and
over again before they have to be dis
carded for new ones.
The old f1ues are taken out of the To-
comotive and placed in a a''rattler, which
thoroughly cleans them and takes all
the scale and sediment from the exter-
ior and interior. This done, the ends
are cut off and new end, from five to
seven inches long is welded on. The
f1ues are then put back into the boiler
and made steam and water tight in the
fiue sheet
In former times the old worn out f1ues
were thrown on the scrap pile to be
used as old iron. or else sold for fence
rails A new use, and an economical
one has been found for them. They are
cut into lengths of about three feet, one
end f1attened and a number stamped
on it, painted to preserve the iron from
the weather and these short lengths
are then used as mile and bridge posts,
along the railroad tracks. During the
past year many of these iron posts have
been put out, as they are much more
durable than the old wooden posts for
merly in use.