Took this photo in the shop on Friday of an interesting device being test-fit into #10's smokebox.
This spark arrestor, nicknamed 'Super-draft,' was inspired by plans in a 1940's "Locomotive Cyclopedia" and built by volunteers at the WW&F Ry museum. The theory is that the round shape at the back, (out of sight -facing the tubes), will cause most of the cinders to be deflected out towards the sides of the smokebox, and fall to the bottom before getting sucked into the screen. It is easily removable in one piece so that the tubes can be cleaned out, which was a 2+ hour job with the previous 'Master Mechanics' type front end. The petticoat pipe is held inside and is adjustable up and down to optimize the draft. The screen doors are hinged to allow easy access to the inside. When completed it will rest on a cross shaped support and be held in place by a movable pipe that extends down from the stack.
This is an experiment and it will be interesting to see how it works in practice.
SJHussar@aol.com