A fireman, stoker or watertender is a person whose occupation it is to tend the fire for the running of a boiler, heating a building, or powering a steam engine. Much of the job is hard physical labor, such as shoveling fuel, typically coal, into the boiler's firebox.

What does a stoker do?

stoker, machine for feeding coal or other solid fuel into a furnace, usually supporting the fuel during combustion. A good stoker also supplies air for combustion and regulates the rate of burning and, in large installations, disposes of the ashes.

What is a railroad fireman?

Railroad firemen actually stoke the fires! That means they build it and keep it hot by adding wood or coal to the firebox! They do lots of other jobs, too, to help the engineer keep the locomotive running safely. ... The fireman and engineer operate a steam locomotive as a team. The fireman controls the steam.

How does a mechanical stoker work?

A mechanical stoker is a mechanical system that feeds solid fuel like coal, coke or anthracite into the furnace of a steam boiler. ... The under feeder pushes fresh coal into the bottom of the furnace and then advances it upwards so that it mixes with the burning coal above.

Who invented the coal shovel?

William Smith Otis, credited with having invented the world's first land-based “steam shovel”-type excavator in 1835, patented it four years later.

On the Railroad

What is a steam shovel called today?

Steam excavators, also known as steam shovels, are large machines that are designed to excavate, lift and move material such as soil for engineering purposes. Steam excavators were invented in 1839 by the American inventor William Otis.

What does a coal shovel look like?

Coal shovels can be used to scoop up coal. A coal shovel is a type of square point shovel. They have heavy-duty blades designed for scooping, so while the scooping edge is square and flat, the body of the blade is curved like a shallow bowl with raised edges along each side.

What are the two types of stoker fired boiler?

• Also called Mechanical Stokers.
• Travelling Grate Stoker.
• Chain Grate Stoker.
• Spreader Stoker.
• Vibrating Stoker.
• Underfeed Stoker.

What is chain grate stoker?

: a wide endless traveling chain that feeds and supports the fuel in a boiler furnace.

How coal is pulverized?

Pieces of coal are crushed between balls or cylindrical rollers that move between two tracks or "races." The raw coal is then fed into the pulverizer along with air heated to about 650 °F (340 °C) from the boiler. ... The powdered coal from the pulverizer is directly blown to a burner in the boiler.

Where do you put coal in a train?

Coal is carried in the tender of the locomotive and is hand-shoveled by the fireman into the firebox. Water is carried in the tender in a tank surrounding the coal. The water passes to the locomotive through a device called an injector.

What is a boiler fireman?

A fireman, stoker or watertender is a person whose occupation it is to tend the fire for the running of a boiler, heating a building, or powering a steam engine. Much of the job is hard physical labor, such as shoveling fuel, typically coal, into the boiler's firebox.

What is a coal tender?

A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing its fuel (wood, coal, or oil) and water. ... A locomotive that pulls a tender is called a tender locomotive.

What does the name Stoker mean?

Dutch: occupational name for a stoker, Middle Dutch stokere, or from the same word in the sense 'fire raiser', 'arsonist'. ... Scottish: occupational name for a trumpeter, Gaelic stocaire, an agent derivative of stoc 'Gaelic trumpet'.

What is Stoker means in Tagalog?

Translation for word Stoker in Tagalog is : tagabigwas.

What is multi retort Stoker?

Conventional multiple retort stokers comprise a number of retorts and tuyeres extending longitudinally of the furnace and arranged in alternation across the width of the furnace. ... The tuyeres adjacent each retort deliver air for combustion into the burning mass of fuel being moved along the retort.

What is CFBC boiler?

CFBC boiler is circulating fluidized bed boiler and the CFBC boiler is becoming more and more popular in the world. ... Boiler in which coal or biomass is burnt in an environment of high concentration of bed material (mineral matter) derived from combustion of coal retained by using cyclone / other means.

What is grate furnace?

A furnace grate is provided in a steam boiler furnace for supporting the solid fuel in the furnace. Grate is so designed that it can also allow air to admit air in the solid fuel for combustion.

What type of stoker is spreader?

What type of stoker is spreader/sprinkler stoker? Explanation: Spreader stoker is an over feed type of stoker. The coal burned on this stoker remains partly in suspension and partly on the grate.

What is stoker firing?

Mechanical Stoker Firing. When fuel i.e. coal is put into the steam boiler furnace by means of a mechanical stoker, the firing of boiler method is referred as mechanical stoker firing. There are mainly two types of mechanical stoker firing systems.

What is a garden shovel called?

These shovels go by a variety of names, including garden shovel, garden trowel, hand shovel, hand trowel, and garden spade (though calling this a spade would be inaccurate). ... The blade of a handheld shovel is usually convex, making for better scooping.

What is a plumbers shovel?

It is a narrow shovel that can used for laying pipe, and for general shifting and spreading. ...

What Is a Number 2 shovel?

First, size. Once, round point shovels came in many sizes: 0, 00, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. Today only the four smallest – 0 through 2 – are made, of which the No. 2 (with a head of about 9”x12”) is most common.