Coaling en-route

[6Gman]

We are all familiar with steam locos topping up their water supply en route either by chucking a water column outlet into the tank or tender at a station stop or by use of water troughs.

Has en route coaling ever been used in the UK or elsewhere?

I know there have been cases of locos having either to be replaced or visiting a nearby loco shed for a top up on rare occasions (when the first batch of Britannias went to Holyhead they struggled the 263 miles to Euston and were eventually replaced by later locos with larger coal capacity tenders).

Of course coal is a very different substance to water but some means of depositing a ton or two of coal might be practical?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Preserved steam operation on the main line in Germany and Switzerland quite often has a 'spare' tender in the consist, in the form of a bogie wagon complete with crane, to assist with the loading of additional coal at layovers.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

The comical part of my brain is now imagining some kind of Heath Robinson-esque mechanism for coaling a locomotive tender at speed. Perhaps someone along the lines of the lineside mailbag pickup used by the Night Mail?

 

[ac6000cw]

The Norfolk & Western railroad in the USA had some large coaling towers straddling their mainlines for en-route coaling of freight locos - a few still stand. This is a 2012 publicity photo by successor railroad Norfolk Southern, with locos painted in 'heritage' diesel liveries of the pre-merger Norfolk & Western (left) and Southern (right) railroads:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/bPQb6t] N&W and Southern by Norfolk Southern, on Flickr[/URL]

 

[Rescars]

IIRC, in the early days in the US, it was not unusual to replenish the tenders of wood-burners from supplies stacked beside the line at convenient points along the route.

The comical part of my brain is now imagining some kind of Heath Robinson-esque mechanism for coaling a locomotive tender at speed. Perhaps someone along the lines of the lineside mailbag pickup used by the Night Mail?

Quite an idea! Surely someone must have patented something like this before H&S was invented. Rather you than me to risk travelling in the leading carriage though!

 

[Taunton]

Coaling towers were used by several USA railroads. The New York Central ran their 4-8-4s right through from Chicago IL to Albany NY, about 850 miles, stopping at a couple of them. Like the photo above the structure was astride the running lines. UK railway author Tuplin did a cab ride on this line towards the end of steam there in the early 1950s, and described the coaling process in his trip account in the Railway Magazine.

As well as water in the conventional way, and water troughs (known as 'Track Pans' in the US) there were also lengthy elevated structures for supplying ice, produced in a lineside plant, to both passenger and freight cars that stretched behind the loco servicing point, sometimes at the same location. Ice was used for passenger air conditioning before modern-style equipment was available, tons of it was loaded into underfloor compartments between the bogies, and air was wafted over it and into the saloon by fans. A similar approach was taken with refrigerated freight cars taking chilled foodstuffs long distances.

 

[Irascible]

You could probably scoop coal in the same way as water, although I'd a) not like to be the one filling a trough, and b) not like to be anywhere near the tender when that grenade goes off

Generally in the past you just changed engine.

 

[Taunton]

There's a USA Trains magazine article about coaling towers, with some notable photos of them, here:

"I have a thing for railroad coaling towers. Like modern-day Colossi of Rhodes, they punctuate the landscape, giant reminders of the steam locomotive culture that held sway for more than a century ..."

Coaling towers: revenge via rebar - Classic Trains Magazine - Railroad History, Vintage Train Videos, Steam Locomotives, Forums

Classic Trains magazine celebrates the 'golden years of railroading' including the North American railroad scene from the late 1920s to the late 1970s. Giant steam locomotives, colorful streamliners, great passenger trains, passenger terminals, timeworn railroad cabooses, recollections of...

cs.trains.com

The approach continued with diesels, where locos were refuelled en-route while at the head of the train. Because of the multi-unit approach there might be four or more sets of diesel fuel hoses in a line. The Canadian Pacific ran their passenger diesels right through from Vancouver to Toronto, three days at the head of the train, and I recall the diesel refuelling installation at Revelstoke BC station. These lineside points have tended to be done away with in recent times because modern environmental restrictions on diesel fuel spillage requires more complex installations and drainage capture at the roundhouse.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Going back to the dawn of North American railways, when locomotives on many lines burnt wood rather than coal, it was necessary to re-fuel during extended stops quite frequently. Obviously logs couldn’t really be treated as a bulk material, at least with handling technology of the period.

 

[ac6000cw]

The approach continued with diesels, where locos were refuelled en-route while at the head of the train. Because of the multi-unit approach there might be four or more sets of diesel fuel hoses in a line. The Canadian Pacific ran their passenger diesels right through from Vancouver to Toronto, three days at the head of the train, and I recall the diesel refuelling installation at Revelstoke BC station. These lineside points have tended to be done away with in recent times because modern environmental restrictions on diesel fuel spillage requires more complex installations and drainage capture at the roundhouse.

The US western freight railroads (at least) still do it, with mainline fueling and servicing pads in various places - the train stops then inspection, fueling, sanding and maintenance people descend on it. It's faster than swapping locos and avoids disturbing the brake pipe continuity. I guess that any mid and/or rear DPU loco sets might have to be fueled with mobile equipment, as the position of them varies in the train, or the train has to pull forward (some distance!) to deal with them at the pads. Federal rules require mandatory '1000 mile' running inspections anyway, so I think the usual thing is to combine fueling and sanding with those.

I think Amtrak uses mobile fuel trucks in some places for en-route refueling.

 

[Gloster]

I have a recollection of being told that at Salisbury on summer Saturdays a junior fireman or two would be stationed on the platform (I have in mind that it was the west end, but this may be a figment of my imagination) with a supply of coal (in bags?) which could be hastily dumped in the tender. Presumably intended for services that were hauled by bad steamers in order to avoid changing locos. Whether this is true or is just an old fireman’s tale, I know not, but I heard it from an ex-fireman who never struck me as having the imagination to make up stories.

 

[ac6000cw]

Of course if you're oil-fired this is the easy way of extending the operating range - take maybe 300 tonnes of extra tenders with you...



(The Union Pacific 'Big Boy' with three tenders in tow...the black one weighs around 190 tonnes, the yellow ones maybe 150 tonnes each?)

 

[Yew]

I have a recollection of being told that at Salisbury on summer Saturdays a junior fireman or two would be stationed on the platform (I have in mind that it was the west end, but this may be a figment of my imagination) with a supply of coal (in bags?) which could be hastily dumped in the tender. Presumably intended for services that were hauled by bad steamers in order to avoid changing locos. Whether this is true or is just an old fireman’s tale, I know not, but I heard it from an ex-fireman who never struck me as having the imagination to make up stories.

Mysterious firemen loitering on bridges pouring sacks into tenders is no basis for a form of refuelling system

 

[30907]

Mysterious firemen loitering on bridges pouring sacks into tenders is no basis for a form of refuelling system

No bridges involved at Salisbury

Heaving a 1cwt sack of coal onto a Bulleid tender would be a challenge, but they were heavy on coal AIUI and I could well believe that local staff were employed to shift coal forward during the 5min water stop.

(Through loco working Waterloo-Exeter became standard in the 50s.)

 

[Gloster]

No bridges involved at Salisbury

Heaving a 1cwt sack of coal onto a Bulleid tender would be a challenge, but they were heavy on coal AIUI and I could well believe that local staff were employed to shift coal forward during the 5min water stop.

(Through loco working Waterloo-Exeter became standard in the 50s.)

That may be it. It is more than forty years since I was told about it.