Railroad Fireman Shoveling Coal inside Steam Locomotive, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, November 1926

01

Artifact Overview

The fireman tended the fire on a steam locomotive. It took skill and practice. Shovel too little coal and there wasn't enough heat to produce the necessary steam. Shovel too much and you wasted fuel and money. Adoption of the mechanical stoker, which fed coal into the firebox with a screw conveyor, eased the fireman's job after World War I.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

08 November 1926

Subject Date

08 November 1926

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

64.167.548.P.833.47908

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.875 in (book)
Width: 11.25 in (book)