Re: Coal...

Earl,
Is the coal mined down there pretty good? I am reading a book right now on firing of locomotives and there is a fairly large section in there about grades of coal and what types are found around the country.
Were the K-36's fireboxes and the amount of grate area designed with using this coal in mind?
Most railroads did that right? I know up north on the NP they used a real soft coal that produced a lot of ash and cinders and a lot of their power were built with the frame extending outward beneath the cab kind of like on K-36's and K-37's (or any outside frame locomotive, really) to allow for a larger ash pan.
Thank you,
Kevin Bush