Rough and Tumble Engineering | Page 2

to get the learner started, it is reasonable to suppose that the
engine he is to run is in good running order. It would not be fair to put
the green boy onto an old dilapidated, worn-out engine, for he might
have to learn too fast, in order to get the engine running in good shape.
He might have to learn so fast that he would get the big head, or have
no head at all, by the time he got through with it. And I don't know but
that a boy without a head is about as good as an engineer with the big
head. We will, therefore, suppose that his engine is in good running
order. By good running order we mean that it is all there, and in its
proper place, and that with from ten to twenty pounds of steam, the
engine will start off at a good lively pace. And let us say here,
(remember that we are talking of the lone engine, no load considered,)
that if you are starting a new engine and it starts off nice and easy with
twenty pounds, you can make up your mind that you have an engine
that is going to be nice to handle and give you but little, if any, trouble.
But if it should require fifty or sixty pounds to start it, you want to keep
your eyes open, something is tight; but don't take it to pieces. You
might get more pieces than you would know what to do with. Oil the
bearings freely and put your engine in motion and run it carefully for a
while and see if you don't find something getting warm. If you do, stop
and loosen up a very little and start it up again. If it still heats, loosen
about the same as before, and you will find that it will soon be all right.
But remember to loosen but very little at a time, for a box or journal
will heat from being too loose as quickly as from being too tight, and
you will make trouble for yourself, for, inexperienced as you are, you
don't know whether it is too loose or too tight, and if you have found a
warm box, don't let that box take all of your attention, but keep an eye
on all other bearings. Remember that we are not threshing yet, we just

run the engine out of shed, (and for the sake of the engine and the
young engineer, we hope that it did not stand out all winter) and are
getting in shape for a good fall's run. In the meantime, to find out if
anything heats, you can try your pumps, but to help you along, we will
suppose that your pump, or injector, as the case may be, works all right.
Now suppose we go back where we started this new engine that was
slow to start with less than fifty pounds, and when it did start, we
watched it carefully and found after oiling thoroughly that nothing
heated as far as we could see. So we conclude that the trouble must be
in the cylinder. Well, what next? Must we take off the cylinder head
and look for the trouble? Oh, no, not by any means. The trouble is not
serious. The rings are a little tight, which is no serious fault. Keep them
well oiled and in a day or two ten pounds will start the empty engine in
good shape. If you are starting an engine that has been run, the above
instructions are not necessary, but if it is a new one these precautions
are not out of the way, and a great deal of the trouble caused in starting
a new engine, can be avoided if these precautions are observed.
It is not uncommon for a hot box to be caused from a coal cinder
dropping in the box in shipment, and before starting a new engine,
clean out the boxes thoroughly, which can be done by taking off the
caps, or top box, and wiping the journal clean with an oily rag or waste,
and every engineer should supply himself with this very necessary
article, especially if he is the kind of an engineer who intends to keep
his engine clean.
The engine should be run slowly and carefully for a while, to give a
chance to find out if anything is going to heat, before putting on any
load.
Now if your engine is all right, you can run the pressure up to the point
of blowing off, which is from one hundred to one hundred and ten
pounds. Most new pop valves, or safety valves, are set at this pressure.
I would advise you to fire to this