[Steam-engine] Firing with coal

[Best, Dianne]

Being originally from the Great Lakes country, I grew up firing with
coal. Now, living on the prairies, wood is the norm - thank gawd I don't
have to fire with STRAW!

The biggest difference between firing with wood or coal is that coal
forces you plan ahead, WAY ahead (or look like a novice, as you sit
waiting for steam)! It takes time for green coal to catch and start
adding to the firebox heat - when first added, it reduces heat! The same
applies to reducing heat - coal requires much longer to burn out or
"tame down" than wood. The most noticeable difference in handling coal
is you will use much smaller quantities than you were used to with wood.
Your coal fire will be much more shallow (thin) than a wood fire to
produce the same work.

Lighting a coal fire starts with building a wood fire. As the wood
starts producing red glowing coals, start mixing some coal with the
wood. As you start building up a bed of glowing coal, you can
discontinue the wood.

With coal, brushing the flues and cleaning the smokebox and ash pan are
CRITICAL! Coal ash draws moisture and produces sulphuric acid. Within a
few days, that acid will have started to erode your boiler. With my 1/2
scale Russell, I brush the flues and clean the ash pan every day. At the
end of the show, I use an old shop vac and a wire brush to remove all
the coal dust and ash. For a full sized engine, I would recommend a good
washing with a steam jenny or a good bath with a fire hose. Remember
that your smokebox will probably be oily and need some soap to cut the
oil, ash, and coal dust.

The quality of coal will have a large effect on how the enjoyable the
experience is. A nice hard clean coal from Virginia or Pennsylvania is a
delight - a load of soft creosote-laden "Montana steam coal" will sour
you on coal forever!

All things considered, I MUCH prefer firing with coal - it is a lot less
work than firing with wood though requires more "mental work" and more
careful cleanup.

Dianne &
the Pennsylvania-fed baby Russell