Olaf Rasmussen Wrote:
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> I remember that in Germany in the open-window days
> one could lean out of a fast moving train and risk
> catching an occasional cinder. When I rode the
> open dutch door at speed behind 611, one didn't
> just need eye protection, but a bandanna to
> protect any exposed skin from the fierce blast of
> cinders, unless one was interested in a free
> dermabrasion treatment
The alternative was riding behind the oil burning T&P 610 during the Southern Steam Program, which had poor quality oil often times and therefore required frequent sanding of the flues. As a friend of mine put it, "I got sand in places where cinders feared to tread".
Most mainline steam in the US produces copious amounts of cinders at speed. I always found that goggles and a bandana worked well, leaving the forehead only to take the brunt of the onslaught.