alan2525

At the Model Engineering exhibition there was an O Gauge Loco steaming up, it had a blower on the funnel, I thought you only needed these on coal fired locos - Is this right? I thought in O Gauge it was mainly meths and butane. Otherwise would need a coal shovel the size of a coffee stirrer and tiny fingers!

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Bunkerbarge

I always thought the blowers were to get the coals ignited and burning. I have seen some pretty small coal fired boilers though so maybe it was.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

kevingambrell

HI
No O gauge and gauge 1 are as a rule fired on meths this still requires a blower to draw a draft throu the firebox. Once the boiler has a little pressure the steam raising blower can be opened and the fan taken away.

Some gauge 1 locos are coal fired and indeed there was a gauge 1 coal fired at Ali Pali. Its hard keeping acoal fire in a box that small and a long way from being practicle. That said some do it and do it well but its a lot of work. In general spirit is the fuel of choice as once the boiler runs out of steam and water the spirit burner goes out. Wih a gas burner the fire will keep going risking damage to a dry boiler.

Cheers kevin