Re: Steam Locomotive cinders - Containment vs Blow Out

At various railroads all around the US, I've seen a number of variations with regard to procedures for cleaning the smokebox. Most of them involved actually opening the hinged front cover and either using a shovel, a brush, or even compressed air to extract the cinders. I've definitely learned to stand well clear when photographing such operations, lest I get completely filthy.

One of the more unique procedures that I've seen is the one used on WW&F Locomotive #9 up in Alna, Maine. It involves attaching a large section of PVC pipe to a clean out plug on the bottom of the smokebox, and using steam to flush the cinders out. The crews at our museum refer to it as "blowing #9's nose" or "sparking." Here's a photo of what it looks like:



Obviously, Fireman J.B. Smith (on the right) is the fellow holding the big PVC pipe and directing the resulting slurry to a safe location. Engineman Rick Sisson can be seen up on the pilot, actually flushing out the smokebox. Engineman Roger Whitney is on the left, watching this odd procedure play out. One of these days, I'm going to get one of the Enginemen to actually show me, up-close, what Rick is doing. Perhaps one of the WW&F train crew could elaborate here.

I thought folks here might get a kick out of seeing this.

/Kevin Madore



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2020 08:30AM by KevinM.