Re: RGS 74 trivia question

When the RGS bought #74, several minor changes were made including to the front if the tender. The cut you are asking about was to hold a hook or rake over the coal gate. Such hooks were used to break up or prevent clinkers on the grates. #74 is said to have had a dead spot over the fourth axle. When in service on the C&S, there was a tray which was part of a plate which ran across as a header over the coal gate formed by wood boards at the bottom between the water legs, and a wood pallet which formed the upper gate. The RGS fabricated steel coal doors.

Tools used on C&S locomotives included hooks and rakes of various length and design and an auger to bore clues. One use of the hooks was to reach sand and coal levers in Denver shared by Standard Gauge locomotives, and water tank spout rings. The RGS carried only one such device and carried it in the notch you ask about.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2018 05:01AM by Mike Trent.