The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-13
Santa Fe Planning to Burn
Crude Oil in Topeka.
Converting All Passenger En-
gines into Oil Burners.
IT IS A CHEAPER FUEL
Also Makes Travel More Com
Portable in Summer.
Other Items of General Interest
in Railroad World.

The long painful task of twisting
your eyes up in a knot, blowing your
nose, crying and calling for a wet
towel-all for the purpose of remov-
ing a cinder will soon be thing OF
the past. All of the big roads running
through Topeka have converted their
big passenger locomotives into OIL
burners'' No more coal burning en-
gines splitting hot cinders at every ex-
haust.
AT this time the Santa Fe shops in
Topeka are converting into oil purn-
ers all of the thirty engines on pas
senger runs which make time between
Kansas City and Newton and Kan
saa Citv and Arkansas City. The
freight engines on this run ana on
a number of other runs along the
5000 miles of Santa Fe lines nave
been converted into oil burning loco
motives since the first Of January.
ON fha Oklahoma division of the
Santa Fe there are now in service %
engines with oil burners me tanks
have been built and they are maKlns
great records for the road both IN
the saving of fuel and in the decrease
in engine failures. Both the freight
and passenger engines on this olVls-
ion will be using oil within a Few
weeks.
Huge. Oil Storage Tanks.
In Topeka it will be necessary 10
erect a huge oil tank for the STORING
of this oil. These tanks on the easG
ern division will be placed in Topekd,
Kansas City, Emporia, Newton an9
Arkansas City. The tanks Will hoIo
about 200, 900 gallons of oil.
The oil tanks are not built Tor the
purpose of keeping a supply Oh on ~, uli
hand at all times They are built IKE
wafer tanks-for the purpose OF CIV
ing the oil flow to the tank IN the
tender of the engine. The oil from
the tank cars is pumped into the SLOT
age tanks and the yard tanks are sup
pIied in. this manner. 1t is inquired
mat the tank cars which are shipped
direct from the oil fields of the south:
will hold about 5000 gallons OF OIL
each.
ing engine into an oil burner IS not
q hard iob-that is, it doesn't take
long and is in no way an expensive
task for the railroad company. Inc
crates of the locomotives are removed
and huge oil burners installed IN their
Mace. In the tenders of the en-
rgires +be tanks are built The engine
tanks hold 5000 gallons OF oil. Inls
IS considered enough to carry an en-
CINE 500 miles under ordinary circum-
stances. -
There are many advantages TO
crude oil for locomotive fuel Most
of the benefits are to the passengers
IN a passenger train. OF course the
railroad has found that there IS an
Immense economy in fuel in oil con-
eurnption. There are no cinders and
no smoke to oil. This makes passen-
ger travel comfortable.
The advantages to the firemen OF
an engine are also an argument IN
favor of the crude oil fuel All a
fireman has to do is to turn little
s'spigot'' and keep his eye on the
steam gauge.
That oil as a fuel for locomotives is
coming into still more general use is
evidenced by the recent statistics pub
1ished by the Western Pacific railroad
to the erect that approximately $780,
600 barrels of crude oil are used per
month by the locomotives of that
road which would make 100000
barrels used annually. This amount
is used entirely in New Mexico, Ari-
IONA and those lines in California
south of Ashland.
It is stated that the Southern Pa
cific's engines have a boiler pressure
averaging 100 pounds. and the eff
cheney obtained gives an equivalent OF
163 gallons of oil to 1000 pounds of
coal. This means an enormous saw
ing in fuel expenses.
The Rock Island and Union Pacing
also use oil in their engines through
Topeka.