Hi Folk's, Having trouble finding info online about what was carried by the fireman and stored in the tendere vestibule. We recently had the coal bunker doors opeend for the first time since the 60s and noticed 3 seperate metal hooks welded in place on the sides of the vestibule wall. I Imagine it would be for hanging shovels etc but does anyone know what would be kept or stored in this area??

Perhaps some kind of hook to move the covers over the stoker auger around (6069 may not have any of those covers left)

maybe their lunchbox as well.

The hooks I refer to are welded onto the side of the interior of the vestibule two on one side and one on the other...?

shovels, poker, extended lever to shove the grate levers around.

Thanks Dinwitty, do you know what the poker and shovels looked like? We managed to reacquire one of her original shovels but I am not sure if there were two different shapes or they were both the same?

Those are coal scoops, a shovel is the tool of a different trade. Engines carried extras, because it was possible for a scoop to be broken or lost, sometimes into the firebox if the fireman was extremely fatigued. A fireman without a scoop is far up the creek, even on a stoker equipped engine.

Thermos of ice tea, lunch pail, towel, jacket, goggles, scarf, air mask(?).

Thanks dennis, appreciate that info So she would have had 2 "scoops" and a rake or poker for use by the fireman?

I hope this works.. if you look close you can see the two hooks in the upper part of the side of the firemans side vestibule this is looking forwards.




This is the opposite side with only 1 hook....

Within the cab on these CNR engines there were specific storage spaces for a Water Can, Flagging Kit, Firebox rakes and Pokers (just above the bi-fold door to the tender) and the grate shaker lever (on the side of the bi-fold door). There is also a small box for tools on the back wall of the cab.

The rakes are probably close to 10 feet long (the entire width of the cab)

Also within the cab are spots to store fusees, spare light bulbs, gauge glasses, electrical fuses, headlight bulbs, etc. in specialized holders. some of which are incorperated in the two tool boxes on the ceiling of the cab. Then of course there is even more storage space under the cab seats.

Most of the larger CNR engines only had one single tool box on the fireman's side of the tender which would have held rereailing frogs, tow chains, probably the Alemite pneumatic grease gun, and so forth...

CN applied a second (usually smaller) toolbox to the engineer's side of the tender on some engines.

So I'll stick with my earlier suggestion of Coal Scoop, and some kind of rod to move the sliding covers on the stoker trough around.

Thanks Joe, forgot about the sliding plate on the stoker trough

from my firing steam traction engines you had a poker probably made from metal rod, formed around, a handle made on the end (bending the rod around) it had to reach far into the firebox, something like this might stash longways across the tender or wherever practical so you could grab it fast. The end rod was pointed and had a 90 degree rod jutting out near the end also pointed, you could poke the fire and hammer on it as well.

Coal scoop...



you need a grasping handle to help control where your heaving the coal and control it while its scooped full of coal and not go turning off dumping the coal, as surely any scoop you make is not perfectly balanced.

765 has grate shakers and so do steam traction engines.

Every so often while firing you will shake the grates to drop the ashes and open up air movement.

I wonder if the fireman/engineer might stash a coat or wearable on them as well, the cab seats often open up for a stash spot as well like fusees and other railroad paraphenalia.

I don't know where you would buy pokers, they're probably easily made if you know how to weld, heat metal and bend it, and grind the ends to points.

The ash shakers only had a short extended "knob" I'll call it to pop the slotted lever on to shake them, the steam traction engines I knew didnt need that tho.

Thanks Dinwitty, I can't say I have seen one first hand. Something to have made down the road eventually then :)

You may like to have a look at www.heritagesteamsupplies.co.uk under "shovels" for generic examples of footplate tools.

Tim