Oil burners.

[brucet]

Dumb question!!!!!!

I'm building an On30 layout. Have a Bachmann 2-6-0 that 'looks' near enough to a C&S loco for me. My issue is that all my steam has been converted to oil burners. Yes I know it's my layout and I'm the railroad baron. But did the C&S have any oil burners. I've done some Googling but can't find a photo of one. My goal is to capture the feel of the #22 but with some license in details.

bruce

[Paul R.]

Yes, one I think a2-8-0 # 70 ran on the Clear Creek line. Others with more knowledge can help here! Paul R.

[Chris Walker]

You may wish to view this thread of Jim's on the subject: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Denver-NNGC-Notes-Book-Reports-td9326.html

Quote Jim Courtney:
>Turns out, the oil conversions were a marketing ploy by the new C&S management, to increase their share of the lucrative summer tourist excursion business--oil burners could be advertised as soot and cinder free excursions in open excursion cars. The C&S planned to outfit at least six of the newly rebuilt Cooke 2-6-0's with oil bunkers in the tenders for the summer season of 1902. Three were to be used on Denver - Silver  Plume excursions. The other three were to be used in Platte Canyon! The management had decided to extend the weekend Fish Trains to a seven day a week summer schedule and add shorter, out and back excursions to Platte Canon destinations.

The use of oil was not yet economical in 1902 Colorado: The locomotive fuel costs of a round trip from Denver to Silver Plume was about $19.00 for oil, about $15.00 for coal. The locomotives were converted back to coal in the fall of 1902, it is not clear whether the practice was continued in subsequent years.

A great, rare photo:

[brucet]

Thanks. So I can get away with a 'what might have been'.

bruce

[skip]

Chris Walker wrote

You may wish to view this thread of Jim's on the subject: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Denver-NNGC-Notes-Book-Reports-td9326.html

To expand a bit on Jim's post: The discussion about the tests in 1902 are around page 19 of the Klinger's Clear Creek Memories book. The photo of #6 doing the tests is on page 31.
The part that was interesting to me were the notes that the C&S had interest in new oil wells around the Boulder area and so had a close captive source of the fuel. There were solid business reasons for looking at oil above and beyond not dropping cinders on the heads of the tourists.
So in a fantasy C&S using more oil burners, there is an excuse for increased tank car traffic from the Boulder area. Who knows? Maybe the need for good access to this oil would have allowed acquisition of the Denver, Boulder, and Western by the C&S in order to support this new oil-burning fleet. Just imagine the possibilities if the C&S had acquired the DB&W #30, #31, and #32. Boy! That big motive power would have really... Oh. Wait...

Skip Egdorf
Los Alamos, NM

[skip]

Bruce,

brucet wrote

Thanks. So I can get away with a 'what might have been'.

Probably more than just a 'what might have been'. You even have a picture in a real book to back you up. Letter it as the #6 and you will be a lot closer than of the locomotives out there.

When you get it going, please post some pictures. I think that taking things in the oil burning direction is a neat 'what might have been'. I would love to see where you go with it.

Skip Egdorf
Los Alamos, New Mexico.

[Rick Steele]

Actually, it was not a test.

The Master Mechanic on the C&S at that time was an ex-SP man, where oil burners were relatively common.

According to the Denver Times, Almost all of the B-3-C's (4-10) were outfitted for oil burning at one time or another. One article in the Times mentions that No.7 emerged from her rebuilding as an oil burner.

There were two reasons for this, The first being the ability to travel further without the need to refuel as often. The second was fire mitigation.

The C&S's initial plan was to convert to oil in the summer and dry weather and to convert to coal during the wetter periods of the year.

The entire project was stopped when the oil fields in Boulder stopped producing oil at a price that the C&S thought that it could afford. Yes, Boulder, Colorado.

Rick

[Robert McFarland]

Somewhere I read that at one time there were people searching for oil around Baldwin or Castleton.

[Fred52]

Robert: Around Baldwin? Interesting. Maybe one of my moguls could be an oil burner. We just got one from a fellow On 30 buff that does really nice work. I think maybe I might convert it to an ooil burner and get some tank cars. Another industry.
Fred Cotterell.

[Jeff Young]

Rifle Reveille, June 20 1902:



Montrose Daily, Dec 9, 1919:

[Fred52]

Jeff.
Nice find. Oil as a source of revenue.
Fred Cotterell

[ComoDepot]

Oil has been an on and off issue in South Park, in the 1930's it was going to be the new Texas.

Still currently an issue, not sure anything will happen as Denver and Colorado Springs water flows form here.