Yes, it was waste the refinery had no use for. It sold to the RR's
for 10 cents a gallon!
Same situation with slag at the nickle mines in Northern Ontario.
They were glad to give it away for track ballast. Later, it was sold
for $10 a ton. The CPR loved it. Took longer to get track back up to
speed but, once it settled in, it stayed there unlike limestone which
shifts a little and needs attention.
Eventually, the Ont. Environment people said it would leach into the
ground and be a contaminate, so the RR's had to stop using it.
As for buring waste oil, that is bad too since they are lots of
dangerous things in it, lead and worse stuff like cadmium etc. that
does Not get burned. You wind up breathing that crap. Once upon a
time a long time ago I looked into the firebox of a steam engine on a
tourist RR that burned crankcase drainings. The tube sheet was coated
with yellow crap. Wold have been a mess to work on that thing!
when
I believe the only thing that bunker C oil had to recommend it was
that it was cheap. If I recall correctly, it is the residue left
the refining process removes the lighter fractions that become fuel
and lubricating oils.
