Fish oil and aluminum paint

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Some railroads used aluminum paint on the smokebox and firebox of
locomotives as a rust prohibitor, because it was thought aluminum  paint
held up better under the high temperatures found in these locations.Other
railroads used a mixture of  steam or engine oil and graphite for this
purpose.As for the fish oil ,after a time the paint on the boiler jacket
would lose it's gloss,so as a cost cutting measure,after a locomotive was
washed at the roundhouse the engine wipers would wipe down the jacket with
coal oil ( kerosene ) or a light oil to give it that glossy look for one
more trip.It is possible this is where the Virginian used fish oil.


Aluminum or white paint was also sometimes used to stripe ( highlight )
wheel rims,driver tires and running board edges,this practice varied
according to railroad standards and sometimes the practice varied according
to what particular shop did the maintenance on the locomotive.
John Barnett
Raleigh,N.C.


  _____  

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:42 PM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Fish oil and aluminum paint

 

In reading Virginian Railway In Color by McClure and Plant, I found several
references to the use of fish oil and aluminum paint to spiff up
locomotives.  Was this a routine cleaning and polishing?  Was fish oil
really FISH OIL?  Was the aluminum paint used for decorative reasons or did
it provide better protection?  Did the different shops have their own way of
cleaning up locomotives to make them distinctive?  Would some of the
knowledgeable Virginian brethren on the list please expand on this.  I have
a hard enough time washing and waxing a small pickup, so I can't imagine
polishing an AG.  

 

Thanks, 

Chuck Stewart

Bahama 

 

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