Re: D&S spark arrestors

I would hope the "beartraps" are on the way out. I remember a conversation I had several years ago with John Bush (jump in here, John, if you want to) where he related how he had changed the mesh pattern on the C&TS's spark arrestors and felt that they were as effective as the beartraps.
I do know from talking to D&S people over the years that the beartraps negatively affected the draft of the engines at slow speeds. You would often see them switching around the yard with the arrestor "tipped off."
Truth is that the quality of coal used, firing technique, and the engineer's throttle and Johnson Bar use probably have more effect on the number of cinders thrown around than does the arrestor. Now someone is sure to say that the C&S used these type arrestors for years. True, but they also used an extremely light and soft coal that demanded special equipment. Not so on the D&S and C&TS.
As I said in a post sometime back, a more aggressive (particularly on the D&S) program of brush removal along the right-of-way would be the best solution to preventing large-scale fires started by trains. Rampant overgrowth of timber and brush can be removed two ways--by physical removal or by fire. If one doesn't do it, the other will. That's a natural inevitability.