Friends of the Rail Forum

On Sunday......

Fire bright, needle on the right! Old firemen can take a seat!

A comment was posted on this picture to which I cannot sensibly reply, not being an expert etc etc .

It goes......

Comments: I haven't seen many shots of SA meter gauge locomotive footplates so this series is particularly edifying. The cabs look surprisingly commodious. Interestingly, the firebox door has a handle that looks to make shoveling coal more difficult than the air operated ones in the States. I wonder how it is actually done.

John and Nathan - can you explain so that I can provide some sort of reply......

Let Nathan comment on how it was done in the old days. These days we are generally working fairly light trains over short distances at relatively low speeds (although firing a heavy Rovos Rail train double-headed by two Dollies uphill all the way from Hercules to Centurion is hard work - but still low speed and not too far).

Nowadays we tend not to close the firehole door between each shovelful of coal, although occasionally if the loco is working very hard the driver will assist by working the door for the fireman. But generally we build up the fire before an up gradient, and then fire "light and bright" through a partially open firehole door. Old drivers teach us to leave the firehole door partially open most of the time to allow secondary air into the firebox.

I have seen a foot-pedal-operated firehole door in action on a 15 class Garratt in Bulawayo, and it does appear to make life easier for the fireman.