Steam & Excursion > How To Dispose of Coal Ash?

At Midwest Railway Preservation Society we are in the middle of a heated debate on whether to restore the GTW 4070 to burn coal or oil. The posting found elsewhere on TO regarding disposal of coal ash from power plants brings up another point in the debate, how do other steam operators dispose of their coal ash? http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3608208 Here in Cleveland we might be able to send ash to a nearby asphalt plant for use in paving materials so it might not be a problem for us. Could there even be enough demand so that a small price could be charged for the ash or at least get it hauled away for free? We are proceeding with the 4070 restoration, the ultrasonic testing is complete and repairs to the firebox will be needed. We hope to have 4070 operating by 2018 which will be when the locomotive turns 100 years old.

My advise is to contact the Strasburg Railroad in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. They have been operating steam locomotives for many years and I'm sure that they can be of help to you.
Call them at 866-725-9666 or mail to P.O. Box 96, Strasburg, PA 17579. They have a web site at
StrasburgRailRoad.com.
This is a First Class passenger and freight operation as they do contract work for others.
Merry Christmas to you.

John in White Marsh, Maryland

To add to the Strasburg suggestion--check in with the folks at the CATS in Chama or the D&S in Durango.

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

livesteamer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To add to the Strasburg suggestion--check in with
> the folks at the CATS in Chama or the D&S in
> Durango.


And TVRM in Chattanooga. And don't be suckered by the claims of those who distort the truth about the legalities of relatively small amounts of coal ash in order to promote their own affinity for converting to oil.

thought the number one consideration would be fires along the ROW, or can this be mitigated easily? coal smells better, havn't smelled the 4960 yet.

At the risk of being called out for "blaspheming," there are a number benefits to converting to oil. Assuming you do it right, of course.

- fuel can be delivered just about anywhere via truck, and you don't need a loader to get it into the tender
- the aforementioned lack of combustion residuals
- line-side fires are less of a concern
- can be spun as more "environmentally responsible," if you're into that sort of thing

It all depends on each group's mission. If you're looking to nail the history and do it the way it was done, the engine stays as original as possible. If fuel logistics are a concern and the locomotive is more of a generic marketing tool (Grand Canyon, for example), then perhaps oil is a sound alternative.

Like a lot of things in railroad preservation, it all comes down to first specifically defining and understanding a group's goals,and then developing the strategy and tactics to make them happen.

By the way, it's always a good idea to take the time to understand how regulations affect your efforts. For example, the recent ruling on CCR's from the EPA includes the following:

"The requirements of this rule do not apply to wastes, including fly ash, bottom ash, boiler
slag, and FGD materials generated at facilities that are not part of the electric power sector or an
independent power producer and that use coal as the fuel in non-utility boilers, such as
manufacturing facilities, universities, and hospitals."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/14 05:19 by TimBo611.