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Old 12-29-2004, 07:25 PM   #28
madrasahs
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Exclamation Aha...BLACK smoke.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Misty Blue
Yup. I go for wood furnace and water for the tank.
1) The tank could even have been empty at the time, but a full tank of diesel fuel possibly could have survived the fire around it, especially if fire hoses were directed on it. (But it doesn't look like an oil tank. It looks like a tank that would hold something clean, potable, maybe filtered-water. Maybe whole milk moved by steamship to market without shaking? Maple syrup?)

2) The smokestack is very high, suggesting that the exhaust was rich in ash and embers. The photo with the big plume of black smoke says coal. Here's a little bit from a steam train forum that seems to tell it all:
Quote:
"Well for starters woe to the hapless fireman that put out to much smoke..This was a BIG NO NO and was frown upon by the railroad management and cities and towns along the right of way...In fact firemen was very suspicious of anybody taking pictures because it could be a railroad photographer taking pictures to insure the fireman was not in violation of the no smoke rule or if he was then to turn into the management as evidence of the smoke rule violation.

"Now steamers being steamers would indeed put out smoke at times..The black smoke was cause by poor coal with too much slate and over firing by the fireman thus wasting coal...White smoke was the sign of a good fire and good burning coal.A highly skilled fireman would put out very little smoke during his trip.
Now grades would cause the smoke to roll as the engine dug into the trains tonnage..However a skilled fireman would keep that smoke to a minimum as well..

"And yes, not all firemen were skilled at their jobs of firing."
Overfiring (and the black smoke) would be expected when the Mount was "getting up a head of steam" upon departure.



http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=12210
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