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Reply to "Question for 1:1 steam operators"

Hot Water posted:
coach joe posted:

I would like to model a steam tender with less than a full load of coal.  I believe a tender when the fireman is stoking would develop a "V" shaped depression toward the doors at the front of the tender but I'm not sure if a tender equipped with an auto-stoker would empty the same way or would develop a uniform depression down the length of the coal bunker.

First, there is no such thing as an "auto-stoker", since the Fireman controls all operations of the stoker, i.e. speed of the coal delivery and distribution of that coal being delivered over the fire bed. 

That said, the coal does indeed get used from the front of the tender coal bunker, pretty much the same way as when being hand-fired with a shovel. The vast majority of railroads had movable steel plates covering most of the stoker auger screw trough, so that the stoker engine did not have to turn the auger screw with the entire weight of all the coal in the tender on it. As the coal was used in the forward portion of the tender, the Fireman would then open the big steel coal-gate doors, and using a long steel hook, pull the next steel slide forward, thus releasing more coal int the auger screw trough. The Fire would repeat this action, until the coal bunker was virtually out of coal. Prior to refilling the tender with coal, all the steel trough slides, would be pushed back towards the rear of the trough, then the tender was refilled with. coal.

  Any info or pictures would be appreciated.

 

If you are the N&W.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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