Friday, April 8, 2016

Weekend Steam: British Fireman Training Film

4 comments:

John in Philly said...

The Navy's boilers were hand fired for some time. ( way before my time)
A lot of skill and knowledge was needed to balance air, water, and coal.
Another lost art.
Good post, thank you.

David aka True Blue Sam said...

The old timers at Old Threshers taught me to throw one to each corner, bounce a shovelful off the front sheet, and to hit any dark spot. I never fired an engine that was working hard, and that takes more skill than firing an engine in a parade. The big rule there was to not stoke the fire before you went by the grandstand.

Merle said...

There's a lot more to it than I ever expected. Thanks for the education.

Merle

John in Philly said...

We took friends to the Thresherman's Reunion at Pennsylvania's Rough and Tumble Museum.
Next time they will not be wearing anything white. The house in Philly I grew up in was near the PA railroad and the the family spoke of having to rewash clothing that had been hung outside.
The waning days of steam were during my life, but I was too young to remember.