Loco Lube

[Twodot]

as posted by Skratch on the Beartooth Bullet forum:

"This just for what it's worth. A retired rail roader friend gave some me some blocks of lube used in the old steam locomotives, blocks about 4" square & 10 - 12" long. They were probably from the 30s or earlier.

No leading and improved accuracy over any lube I've used before. Sad thing is when it's gone I'll probably not find any more.

Any old rail roaders out there that might know of such?"
..

[AJMD429]

Whew... I was afraid it referred to something the Amyl Nitrate crowd might use. . .

[piller]

Or the Amyl Acetate ones, too.

[Hawkeye2]

Most lubricants used for steam engines are tallow based. The tallow is less affected by the steam or condensate (water) than petroleum. If you look at the photos of a the boiler backhead of an 1800's loco you will see a pot sitting on a shelf above the firebox door. The tallow lube was kept warm and the fireman would go out and pour it into the oilers on top of the cylinders. Steam oil is tallow based even today and is what I use in my scale live steam locomotive. What you have may be close to pure tallow that may have been melted for use. If so it would be very old as most steam locomotives used liquid steam oil supplied by automatic oilers.