How often did the steam trains need to stop for water?
every 7–10 miles
During the very early days of steam locomotives, water stops were necessary every 7–10 miles (11-16 km) and consumed much travel time. With the introduction of tenders (a special car containing water and fuel), trains could run 100–150 miles (160–240 km) without a refill.
How much coal did a steam locomotive use?
The original locomotives had a coal capacity of 9 tons of coal which gave about 350 miles (560 km) of range. Tornado’s reduced coal capacity of 7.5 tons will give a range of about 290 miles (470km).
How much coal does a train need?
Nowadays, 120-car trains are normal with each car carrying roughly 120 tons. Thus the capacity of a modern unit coal train is around 15,000 tons per train.
Who shovels coal on a train?
fireman
A fireman, stoker or watertender is a person whose occupation it is to tend the fire for the running of a boiler, heating a building, or powering a steam engine. Much of the job is hard physical labor, such as shoveling fuel, typically coal, into the boiler’s firebox.
How far can a train go before refueling?
According to the AAR, moving freight by rail is 4 times more fuel efficient than moving freight on the highway. CSX trains can move a ton of freight approximately 492 miles on a single gallon of fuel.
How fast does a coal train go?
An additional 16-18 trains are expected, and each train may be over 1.5 miles long. At a speed of 50-60 mph, that would be an approximate 3-4 minute wait time at crossings.
How long does it take to load a coal train?
Loading steam engines with coal and water and incidental maintenance takes about 1 hour. A diesel engine can be fueled from a pump like this one in 10 minutes or so. A railroad worker removes ash from the locomotive ash pit.
Where do you put coal in a train?
Coal is carried in the tender of the locomotive and is hand-shoveled by the fireman into the firebox. Water is carried in the tender in a tank surrounding the coal. The water passes to the locomotive through a device called an injector.