Steam & Excursion > Throwing Coal

I've heard it said that the true power plant of a steam engine is the fireman. Watching this guy gave credence to that notion.

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography

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Kit,
An excellent observation and awesome photo. Thanks for posting this one.
It reminds me of the day that we brought 3985 back to life. Here was a locomotive with a 133 square foot firebox and we had laid out a good bed of coal covered with a light spray of diesel fuel and ignited by a fusee. With the patience of a railfan waiting for a train to show up we stood in the cab discussing what we were about to accomplish ever so glancing up at the pressure guage to see a glimmer of hope.
Eventually at last we caught movement of the guage hand. Eureka, we had steam pressure in the old gal. But it was a long way to go to reach a pressure to start the stoker turning. So being the tallest guy on the crew I grabbed the scoop shovel, opened the coal gate and began placing scoop after scoop into the raging furnace to keep the pressure on the upward climb. Finally after a while the pressure was up around 225 and the augur was starting to try to take over its duties which I was emulating, feed the behemoth. Eventually we had the stoker and augur performing its duty, I was resting and alas 3985 was alive and talking to us.
I miss the old gal but as with all of us, I guess its time has run its course. Having been on board firing and running the Challenger was a privilege and I wouldn't exchange that experience for the world. To have been on it during the double stack run and watch it pull the circus train always brought a great sense of pride to me.
But most of all it was the people that came out to see the locomotive that brought me the most pride. In was just a cog in this process.
Again thanks.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/15 05:17 by Bob3985.

Bob...you are talking like it is all over and will never happen again. Our favorite two will steam again, but this time, with their big brother, the Big Boy!

Bob, ever have that auger get stuck or broken on a trip and have to hand fire that beast? :) It would have to take an army of firemen to keep that engine running. I have tossed a few loads in a few different engines and thought, "jesus, who the hell wants to do this day in and day out for money?!"

I'm glad I hog on a modern diesel most days. It WOULD be fun to get to do some mainline steam stuff, but not every single day.

Joe

But that sound of the lonesome far away whistle is why so many boys left home to hire-on firing.

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> But that sound of the lonesome far away whistle is
> why so many boys left home to hire-on firing.


My uncle left the farm in Minnesota to move to Montana and become a cowboy, in about 1910. That lasted for less than two years, and he heard that whistle calling and became a locomotive fireman - it was easier!

-John

A hand-bomber at speed will make one work. Even with a wedge I remember my pattern was one-two-three, pause, one-two-three, pause ... I don't think I could do it nowadays ...

joeygooganelli Wrote:
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> Bob, ever have that auger get stuck or broken on a
> trip and have to hand fire that beast? :) It would
> have to take an army of firemen to keep that
> engine running. I have tossed a few loads in a few
> different engines and thought, "jesus, who the
> hell wants to do this day in and day out for
> money?!"

Joe,
The last trip we made on coal with a Laramie turn around excursion, the coal we received (supposedly 3" lump coal) was actually mine run and we had pieces of concrete, conveyor belt, and Small lumps of coal about 3 feet tall. At one point I hollered at Lynn and said HEY! Look at this. As in his usual tone he yelled back "What!" I said look it's Mount Rushmore. We had four - three foot lumps of coal standing straight up next to each other on the top of the coal pile. He just shook his head but that was the last time we did any hand firing. Even Steve's guest, a Rock Island engineer, helped out. We made it to Laramie and back and looked forward to beginning the oil conversion, which was already in the works.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

Bob3985 Wrote:
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> The last trip we made on coal with a Laramie turn
> around excursion, the coal we received (supposedly
> 3" lump coal) was actually mine run and we had
> pieces of concrete, conveyor belt, and Small lumps
> of coal about 3 feet tall. At one point I hollered
> at Lynn and said HEY! Look at this. As in his
> usual tone he yelled back "What!" I said look it's
> Mount Rushmore. We had four - three foot lumps of
> coal standing straight up next to each other on
> the top of the coal pile. He just shook his head
> but that was the last time we did any hand firing.
> Even Steve's guest, a Rock Island engineer, helped
> out. We made it to Laramie and back and looked
> forward to beginning the oil conversion, which was
> already in the works.

Didn't anyone ever tell ya, Bob, that real firemen burn coal??? (GDRVVF)

I found this coal pile in Chama. I also noticed that day from my parlor car seat that occasionally there would appear to be a large black object seen to be rolling off the side of the tender apron, only to disappear quietly into the trees and weeds.

-John

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I can't imagine one man hand bombing a 133 square foot grate. Good on ya, Bob.

I've always wondered, if you have to hand fire a stoker engine, can you leave the jets on to disperse the coal, or do have to throw the coal like a regular hand fired engine?

Posted from iPhone

Defective_Detector Wrote:
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> I've always wondered, if you have to hand fire a
> stoker engine, can you leave the jets on to
> disperse the coal, ...

Leave the jets on to keep the firing table from burning out the metal from the heat of the fire, but...

or do have to throw the coal
> like a regular hand fired engine?

... you have to throw the coal to get it to land where you want it.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Defective_Detector Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've always wondered, if you have to hand fire a
> stoker engine, can you leave the jets on to
> disperse the coal, or do have to throw the coal
> like a regular hand fired engine?

That is exactly how it is done on a stoker equipped locomotive. Just because the stoker screw doesn't work, the steam jets on the distributing table still function. Dick Yager and I fired NKP 765 just that way when the stoker screw sheered a bolt in a screw universal joint. Simply shovel the coal just inside the fire door right on to the distributing table, and let the steam jets do the work. Not as difficult as it sounds.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Defective_Detector Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I've always wondered, if you have to hand fire
> a
> > stoker engine, can you leave the jets on to
> > disperse the coal, or do have to throw the coal
> > like a regular hand fired engine?
>
> That is exactly how it is done on a stoker
> equipped locomotive. Just because the stoker screw
> doesn't work, the steam jets on the distributing
> table still function. Dick Yager and I fired NKP
> 765 just that way when the stoker screw sheered a
> bolt in a screw universal joint. Simply shovel the
> coal just inside the fire door right on to the
> distributing table, and let the steam jets do the
> work. Not as difficult as it sounds.

That's what I was looking for. Thanks!

Posted from iPhone

The historical perspective on stokers is instructive. For many years the fireman's union pleaded in contract negotiations for this "new" device, the mechanical stoker and for as many years the carrier's response was "shovel the coal, that's what we hired you for".
A classic labor vs. management stand-off.
Until someone in a decision making position realized that with a stoker a locomotive's size was not limited to human strength and endurance, meaning great leaps in drawbar pull and horsepower were possible (which would mean longer trains and fewer employees).
So maybe for the wrong reasons the carriers began buying stoker-equipped engines.