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Modelling 4mm brickets?


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I've nearly finished weathering and detailing a 3F, the coal I added has been (tonge in cheek) critised by a proper ex Trafford Park fireman as being "so much dust it would barely get of the shed". Fair comment, however as the loco is based on this one at Dursley I'm looking around for some thing resembling brickets, not much better than my dust for steaming I believe. So any one got any ideas, I was also told that good steam coal was rarely shiny.

post-13564-0-34560800-1518626227.jpg

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Bricketts are sort of compressed coke/coal, I don't know whether they had a proper name but thats the polite terminolgy former old colleagues used. Maybe the spelling should be brickquettes,what I do know is they had all the calorific value of a cornflake packquette.

Edited by w124bob
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Sorry, but I have to ask - what on earth is a bricket?

 

Developed by Jacob Brownosk (Ascent of Man) and his team when director of research for the NCB the "Brownoski Bullet" was developed partly as a NCB response to the Clean Air Act.

 

I think it's fair to say is was something of a failure.

 

P

Edited by Porcy Mane
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The runners from Kirk Coach Kit underframes are good feedstock for briquettes. Use a fairly hefty file to make them cuboid cross section, chop into pieces by Stanley knife. A simple end stop style jig arrangement makes for length regularity, and doing the chopping operation inside a plastic bag limits the pinging off never to be found again effect. I didn't have any dimensions so made them roughly 4mm long, a little under 2mm height and width. I don't recall the NCB product, but saw them on SNCF loco tenders...

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Bricketts are sort of compressed coke/coal, I don't know whether they had a proper name but thats the polite terminolgy former old colleagues used. Maybe the spelling should be brickquettes,what I do know is they had all the calorific value of a cornflake packquette.

 

... also sold on the domestic market, and used by the railway, were 'ovoids' - same material; different (goose egg) shape.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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... also sold on the domestic market, and used by the railway, were 'ovoids' - same material; different (goose egg) shape.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Some were held together by simple compression, others by some sort of binder, such as clay, or even cement. There were even some that used bitumen or pitch; no lack of calorific value there. The idea was to use up the large amounts of coal-dust generated by mechanised coal-cutting, and also that which collected around the coal-hoists at the shipping ports.

Those who received concessionary coal would often make their own with the large amounts of fine dust that accumulated in the coal-house. These would often use manure as a binder. In West Wales, at least, they were known as 'pélé'; literally 'balls'.

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... also sold on the domestic market,

 

Technically the briquettes for the household markets had to be burnt in a specially designed sealed front fireplace with it's own door with special grate. Very similar front to a loco firebox. Another abject failure.

 

 

used by the railway, were 'ovoids' - same material; different (goose egg) shape.

 

Almost a full trainload of 16 tonners filled with  the bu**ers here. 

 

https://flic.kr/p/CAmUTg

 

If you want to see them being shovelled into a real firebox check out Sir Johns documentary, "Branch Line" from about 3' 10" in.

 

 

Looks like they had to be mixed with the real stuff to get a decent fire. An Uncle told me about a delivery they had to Penzance shed.. Basically after trying some on a run to St Ives they made sure there was never a follow up delivery. 

 

P

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