What do you do to clean your steam locomotives? I remember using a strong cleaning industrial soap, brushes, and water. I know some people might use power washers. If you use power washers, what do you do to avoid driving dirt into bearings, etc.?

The traditional method of cleaning a steam locomotive, or at least the running gear, was with a steam jet or with high pressure hot water mixed with kerosene, either of which would dissolve or melt grease and oil as well as carry off dirt.

I don't know what was used for a cleaning solution, but N&W had locomotive washers similar to what were used for diesels.

Both techniques, depending on the era and time available, would have had a follow up with rags and kerosene or other cleaners to wipe down the boiler jacket, and would use water and brushes on the sides of the tender and cab.

I don't know what was done not to drive grit into things; my guess is it depended on the skill of the people with steam jets and kerosene to be careful about how they did the work.

Oakite (brand name) was a popular cleaner back in the day.

Today, many use simple mineral spirits and rags on grease and oil. The used rags then go into the firebox.

After washing, then grease the pins, etc. That will force out anything that got into the bearings from power washing.

We used a power washer with a pickup for kerosine or diesel for the running gear and of all things, Simple Green everywhere else.
I love the smell of Simple Green in the morning.

Just between you and me, anyone raise any concerns about spraying that kerosene on the ground and into the ground water?

CP 1201 was usuually cleaned with steam straight out of the boiler, followed by a good polishing with oil (cut with kerosene), just like CN and CP did back when.

Aside from being a lot of work and attracting pollen and dandelion fluff, the old girl looked beautiful after this treatment. Cotton waste or rags, and spray bottles, worked wonders.

Steve Hunter

In the heyday of the BC Rail steam programme there was quite a strict cleaning regimen at the North Vancouver steam shop, the "Royal Hudson" and 3716 were always kept spotless. If memory serves it took two guys around 4 hours to do the cleaning routine after the engine came back in the late afternoon. The paintwork above the running boards and the tender would be cleaned with an alkalai cleaner/degreaser, with brushes and hosed off. The paintwork was all Imron so it stood up to this treatment well. The running gear and trucks would then be hot water washed using steam either from the train heating line on the tender, or from a Vapor train heating boiler in the shop (also used for lighting up). There was a really neat little piece of kit similar to an injector which mixed the steam with water and detergent and could be adjusted for force and rinsing. The hot water would dry off pretty quickly, any rust spots on the rods would be scotch brited, then the rods and motion would be swabbed with car oil using a turks head brush, then all the bushings greased. Then into the cab with brasso and rags, the old school brasso, not the kid safe junk. Every couple of weeks the stainless jacket would also be etched with a brush on mild acid solution, the jacket was so bright you practically needed welding goggles when working on it on a sunny day. The facility had steel trays laid out on the shop leads so all oil and cleaner drained into a sump for disposal. Of course these engines were primarily grease lubricated so water getting where it shouldn't was not much of an issue. On other engines I've also used a simple wash hose and lance hooked up to a connection on the injector delivery pipe, used at low pressures with the check valve shut off.
P. Hosford

The alkali cleaning solutions on a hot jacket or on a sunny day (or both) needs to be almost instantly rinsed.
I mixed some diesel fuel and a little journal oil and wiped down 1522 one time and it looked like new, but was a tremendous dust magnet and slippery as ice. I don't recommend doing that.
IMO, engines that are spotless are not nearly as attractive as one which has a couple trips behind her. They should look like they earn a living.

Here's my video of N&W 611 getting it's Bubble Bath before the Streamliners At Spencer event.

Norfolk & Western 611 (Spirit Of Roanoke), 05-28-2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-mJM_2mAcQ

Enjoy! ^_^

Regarding the British Columbia steam engines: Back in 1991, my wife and I went to BC to ride the Royal Hudson train to Squamish. The night before, we went to the depot to get tickets and know where to be the next morning. As we were going back to the car, my wife noticed some activity down the track a ways, and asked, "What's going on there?" I told here that was the engine house and we went down to take a look. There was 2860 in all her glory, and my wife said, "That's the cleanest, shiniest engine I've ever seen!" The workers were pleased at this comment, and I think we even got a look in the cab. As we left, I commented, "Well, it is a Royal Hudson, so if they get a message from Buckingham Palace that Her Majesty would like a train ride in this far corner of the Commonwealth, they're always ready."

I remember visiting the Midland Railway Centre in Great Britain in 1980 and finding several volunteers Simonizing the tender of Pacific type "Princess Margaret Rose" in preparation for the locomotive's appearance in the 150th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. At other places in England, I noted the beautiful paint on locomotives. Apparently, folks who aspire to engine service start out as "engine cleaners," putting in their time with soap and water, rags and brushes, keeping their charges sparkling clean while working up to hostling, firing and eventually running locomotives.

Hope this poke to an old thread is meaningful.

See this photo? Notice how the spray wand has TWO hoses attached. What do you think the hoses are?

Probably air and water to create a high pressure stream.

One is steam, the other is hot water.

There may be kerosene mixed into the hot water as well.