East Broad Top Firebox Doors

Joe Comer · **Posted:** Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:36 am

Hey all. I was just up at the East Broad Top yesterday for my first time. Its a great trip, and my first on a narrow gauge line.

Here's my question: why are the firebox doors on the EBT engines so high? The curiosity of this has been bugging me ever since I looked in the cab!

josephcomer@hotmail.com

Aaron M Sholley · **Posted:** Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:55 pm

I never thought of the doors being exceptionally high. They are not in a position that makes the engines uncomfortable fire. Perhaps Linn could shed more light on if there was any sort of standard.(He is busy with Thomas this week so we may have to be patient for his input). I never thought of EBT's doors as high but I always felt that 475's doors at Strasburg are extremely low. But then again I am over 6 feet tall and it could just be a matter of perspective. Maybe Dave up at EBT could ask Stan if there was a specification that EBT ask Baldwin for. Interesting question anyway!

> Hey all. I was just up at the East Broad Top
> yesterday for my first time. Its a great
> trip, and my first on a narrow gauge line.

> Here's my question: why are the firebox
> doors on the EBT engines so high? The
> curiosity of this has been bugging me ever
> since I looked in the cab!

Strasburg Rail Road
asholley@hotmail.com

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Sat Jun 19, 2004 4:13 pm

> I never thought of the doors being
> exceptionally high. They are not in a
> position that makes the engines
> uncomfortable fire.

I took a long look at No. 14 today while taking my son for his first real steam locomotive ride.

I think the "high" look of the firebox door is an illusion created by the low height of the tender deck (these are deckless engines, so there is no real cab floor per se). The tender deck can't be more than 2.5 feet off the ground, if that, whereas the firebox is in the usual Mikado position up above the trailing truck and the ash pan.
The effect is to make the firebox and firebox door look high if you're standing on the tender deck. Otherwise, I think the firebox door is in a more or less normal position in relation to the grates, brick arch. etc.

I welcome any corrections, this is all guesstimation on my part.

eledbetter@rypn.org