Firemans Tools?

[Jack P]

Hi guys, 

 

I'm assuming this is pretty generic, i'm specifically after information relating to the southern railway Circa 1947, but information from any region, or what's used on preserved railways, is helpful.

 

I'm looking for a list of what tools you would typically find on the footplate of a steam loco, and/or what tools the fireman would pick up from the stores before heading out on a working turn. I appreciate there will be some very simple things, like (obviously) a shovel. But i'm looking for as comprehensive of a list as possible. Fire irons, Lamps, rags, buckets, tea pots, any hand tools, coal pick, pep pipes (how common were these?).

 

Why? The idea is i'm wanting to assemble a sort of 'pack' for each loco that i'm detailing, so that when I get around to fitting a crew I can add the rest, instead of just picking from whatever random assortment of bits I've got lying around.

 

Cheers!

Jack

Edited July 12, 2019 by Jack P

[The Stationmaster]

Might depend on the Railway/Region but a lot of what you list was part of the engine equipment and (in theory) remained on the engine.  The shovel and lamps, plus oil cans and feeders would be drawn from stores as would cotton waste (the latter might well have been on a 'help yourself basis) and probably the coal hammer as well.  I'm not sure about buckets, the pep pipe was of course a fixture on the engine and the fire irons would normally be kept on the engine.  Tea cans were personal property.

[Wickham Green]

Don't forget that some items might vary with the type of loco - you'd not want ( or be able to stow ) full length fire irons on a 'P' or 'Terrier' for instance ( or many other tankies ) ......... even firing shovels came in different widths to suit different fire holes !

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Wickham Green said:

Don't forget that some items might vary with the type of loco - you'd not want ( or be able to stow ) full length fire irons on a 'P' or 'Terrier' for instance ( or many other tankies ) ......... even firing shovels came in different widths to suit different fire holes !

The GWR used much bigger shovels than most other railways

[The Johnster]

IIRC, which I don't always, a 'normal' firing shovel held 5lbs of coal whereas the longer GW one held 7.  It was claimed by old timer steam men (which means most of them in those days) at Canton in the 70s that this was to deal with the length of the firebox on bigger GW engines, though I can't see it made much difference on a pannier or 56xx.  56xx cabs, and 42xx/5202/72xx, were quite cramped and must have been difficult places to wield the larger tools in.

[tomparryharry]

For a fireman, it would normally be shovel (depending on region), long bar or dart), fire dropping shovel,  slice ( a long bar with a blade at 90 degrees, and a bucket. Never went without a bucket! The length of the longer tools depended on the cab dimensions of the loco in question. On a tender loco, you'd sometimes see a old firebar, used to trim up the tender well. The Western had cotton waste; the Southern used wipers. A wiper was a cotton napkin-sized cloth, and my uncle still had one for cleaning his shoes.

 

Then there would be lamps, spanners, oil pots (steam & lube), more rags, old overcoat. In fact, all of the stuff you needed for a 8-hour shift. 2 Grimsby boxes, a couple of whisky bottles with cold tea, or, a billy can or two. These wouldn't always be white enamel; sometimes they'd be tinplate, with a solid copper base, about 3/16" thick.

 

A locomotive pep-pipe was normally included with the locomotive; normally being permanently attached to the fireman side steam injector. Failure to have a pep pipe would normally give grounds to fail the loco, on account of it being 'incomplete'.

 

With a Southern loco, you can sometimes fire through the tip, having the smaller shovel blade. I'd guess that you would need to open the doors to get a decent amount with a Western blade.

[PatB]

Forgive my ignorance, but a pep pipe has been mentioned a couple of times. What is it and what does it do?

[Steamport Southport]

6 minutes ago, PatB said:

Forgive my ignorance, but a pep pipe has been mentioned a couple of times. What is it and what does it do?

 

It was a hose that was used for washing down the footplate and damping down coal dust. You sometimes see them on photographs, hanging out of the cabsides. Particularly on shunting engines that probably got the poor quality coal.

 

Photo here.

 

http://gwr2807.blogspot.com/2013/10/

 

 

Jason

[tomparryharry]

Jason is quite correct. You can normally use the pep-pipe when the firemans side injector is in use. To use one, turn on the water feed for the boiler, then turn on the steam to mix the water & steam together, which pass towards the  boiler via feed non-return valves. Within this pipework is a valve which can discharge mixed steam & water for use on the footplate. The pipe is normally made of heavy duty rubber pipe, tightly bound externally with wire, and about 1/2" internal diameter. A length of copper pipe, about 5" long would be pushed into the rubber pipe to form a small steam lance.  I'm told that Western firemen carried their own pipe, but Southern firemen didn't need to, the copper being firmly attached. A tank loco would normally have a location for the pipe in, or near, the cab. On a tender locomotive, the pep pipe feed is mostly near the firemans area, , depending on which side of the locomotive operates.

[JeremyC]

If you look at photos of ex NBR locos there is almost invariably a hose hanging out of the fireman's cab window

[Stanley Melrose]

Somewhat off topic, I recall a headline above an article in the Liverpool Echo many years ago:

 

NO WATER SO FIREMEN IMPROVISED

 

I always wondered if they used their "tools" . . .

 

Stan

[The Stationmaster]

20 hours ago, PatB said:

Forgive my ignorance, but a pep pipe has been mentioned a couple of times. What is it and what does it do?

They were called pep pipeson the Western, I suspect they had different names on different parts of the railway network.

[Wickham Green]

13 hours ago, Stanley Melrose said:

Somewhat off topic, I recall a headline above an article in the Liverpool Echo many years ago:

 

NO WATER SO FIREMEN IMPROVISED

 

I always wondered if they used their "tools" . . .

 

Stan

Read 'somewhere' about a signalman who spotted a small lineside fire by his box and dealt with it using his 'personal fire hose' !

[LMS2968]

Slaking pipes on the LMS - at least in the North West. I've also heard them called 'deggers', but I've no idea why.

[tomparryharry]

3 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

Read 'somewhere' about a signalman who spotted a small lineside fire by his box and dealt with it using his 'personal fire hose' !

 

If you're on the Southern, watch out for the 3rd rail.......OUCH!

[Wickham Green]

Most of my reading IS on the Southern ! ................................................. but if the fire was caused by a steam loco spark there may well not have been any juice rail to worry about.