If you have every wondered what it's really like to get a heavy steam powered train over a grade, here is the most accurate representation I have ever seen on film. And having personally lived it, it's pretty good. You don't have to speak Japanese to know what's going on...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6BXgptPU00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLB1t7oNods

Enjoy!

That is good. Having never seen it done: does one always open the smokebox door as part of a pre-trip inspection?

On coal burners yes to inspect the netting in the smokebox.

That second video was crazy! I've hand sanded rail and fixed more sanders than I can count. I've climbed on some running locomotives just to see if all the cooling fans were running. They are three phase and have seen some running backwards. Once with the WLE I was on a grain train to Hagerstown and the third unit kept overheating going up the west slope of Sandpatch. Notch 7 was fine, in notch 8 it got hot. I went back and disconnected the m/u cable and ran that unit the rest of the way in 7. BTW the engineer had control of the air the entire time. There are some people who want to get their train over the road and go home. Others not so much.

At least the guy in the 2nd video had a Franklin Firedoor... watching the first guy stoke the firebox one-handed with basically an entrenching tool just looked like an awful time!



I wonder if any one ever managed to get photos of guys hand sanding back in the day. Must have been a laugh to be a photographer and just randomly see a guy hanging off the pilot...

Reverend Ron McElrath got video of our 2001 Ferrovias Guatemala charter train doubleheaded, westbound at Agua Caliente with two members of our crew walking ahead of us as we struggled to get a grip. They each had buckets of sand, tossing it on the rails, and they were not even slightly worried about being run over. This scene is part of his DVD "Central Doubles", available from Revelation Video, PO box 129, Tallmadge, Ohio 44278, USA.

So someone else (specifically "Txhighballer") has had experience firing ANY full-sized steamer in revenue service (not live-steam model/amusement-park size) singlehandedly?!?

A long-running joke with "those who know" is, that by U.S. standards, British steamers could be kept running by a fireman tossing individual lumps of coal into the firebox from the deck of the tender. It's an exaggeration, to be sure, but a definite contrast to American firemen furiously trying to keep up with the demands of a massive articulated or big 2-8-4 or the like.

One little detail not immediately apparent to most Western viewers: Japanese railways pre-Shinkansen (Bullet Train) operated on "Cape Gauge," 1067mm/3' 6" gauge. The proportions are such (just like South African steam) that if you don't put things like lorries or other items in the scene for direct scale, they almost pass as world "standard gauge" (1435mm/4' 8.5").

I think that you unientionally missed my point. While I have fired British steam, and hostled NKP 765, I have never fired and run at the same time. I was referring to the teamwork of the engineer and fireman, along with the rear brake man doing their best to keep that train moving. As far as running and firing a big train when gravity was enforcing itself, yeah I have been there. Yes I have fought through a stall or two. As far as hand firing something the size of NKP 765, put in a big heel, keep it thin in the middle, and go till you can't.

I MEAN with a shovel you can scoop and swing with one arm, not both!!!!!!!!

Indeed it is...... and there's a nice 6 part series on Amazon Prime called FULL STEAM AHEAD documenting the history and effect on England of the advent of stream railways. Most of it was filmed on preserved railways with a lot of steam operation.

The guy firing with one arm must have a right arm like Popeye.
I've never fought a grade running a coal burner, but have done battle with 1522 quite a few times and she never faltered or let us down. Memorable experiences.

That scoop looks like something my grandma put coal in their potbellied stove with...

I was able to translate the description of the second video with google translate:

“The sand sprinkling pipe breaks down while climbing a hill, and an assistant engineer struggles to do so manually.The fresh fish train is pulling twice as many cars as the current train (the only thing keeping it cool is ice), and the train is on a long, steep climb. It was a difficult time because if a truck was stopped, it would become impossible to pull it out and the cargo would be destroyed, resulting in a serious accident. Breakdowns in the sand sprinkler pipes were common, and one way to do this was to go around to the front of the locomotive and dump sand on it. Fall 1955 Toei Theater Released From "The Naked Sun" Directed by Miyoharu Iashiro Starring Shinjiro Ehara, Shuno Takahara, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kenji Ushio and others Collaborated with the Japan National Railways Sendai Railway Administration.”

I suspect that all inspections done BEFORE the engine was spotted at the coal dock, were done by the person known in US parlance as the Hostler - who is in charge of moving locomotives in and around shop areas including round houses. After the coal dock the road crew took over.

I watched the first video and feel like commenting now.

JNR regular service was (and is) 1067 mm gauge. The Japanese learned quickly and when they built the RR in Korea, uesd 1435 mm Standard Gauge. The height and width clearances in Korea could also take EMD SD18's.

The engine our guys are working is a 9600 class 2-8-0, as ubiquitous on JNR as were the H8-9-10 2-8-0's on PRR. Similar histories: heavy Main Line power to Branch/shifter and staying in service to the end of steam.

JNR did not use pilots, but in Northern Honshu and Hokkaido used pilot snow plows, similar to WM steam. There was a lot of snow in season. Our guy is not only bucking a grade, he's plowing snow which is why it was productive to get stopped, back up, get a run at it where you've already plowed, get stuck again. Repeat until you're over the top.

Phil Mulligan