Re: Coal

narrowgauge Wrote:
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> Anthracite coal is getting hard to come by. It
> also burns 'cooler' than bituminous, hence the
> Belpair fire boxes on Pennsy.

I was under the impression that the square topped "Belpaire" firebox form is mostly about having shorter and straighter staybolts that break less often (reduced maintenance) than about fuel used. Hard coal is more associated with large Wooten firebox forms. It burns hotter than bituminous coal but burns slowly and can't be kept in so thick a bed, hence the larger fire grates required for it. A locomotive designed for burning bituminous coal most probably wouldn't run all that well on anthracite.

Hard coal was never a large proportion of coal reserves and I imagine most of it available in the U.S. (at least the easily reached stuff) has long since been mined.