Coal

[sjtown]

Hello all,

I currently buy welsh steam coal form Maxitrak as its local'ish and its supplied by signal fuels, I'm not convinced by the quality of this!

Can I have some suggestions for coal types and suppliers for my 5" loco please!?

Many Thanks,

Steve

[gwrfan]

Hi Steve,

Firstly, congratulations on your first steaming, and run. Great photos!

My 5 inch 'Pansy' creates similar size ash in the smokebox, but it doesn't seem to have any affect in her steaming qualities. I use 'Welsh Anthracite', bought from my local coal merchant. I think that the type and size of coal is usually 'trial and error'. What suits one loco/driver may not suit another. I think you'll have to just do that, try different coals and size of bean. I know some folk who use the 'Homefire' types, that is the soft, ovals, but I think most of us prefer the harder steam coals.

Geoff

[the_viffer]

You'll see me with a bag of the same coal direct from the original supplier at many events picking bits out and muttering that I was sure I'd paid for coal not shale.

A couple of years it was splendid but the last two loads I've had are distinctly iffy.

I've heard of people sending it back and very promptly being supplied with better stuff.

I tried Coalite a while back. Running with no load it was great with a really hot fire but put a load on and it died. I think I was slightly redder than the fire.

Some people can burn anthracite but since my ancestors come from round the corner from gwrfan none of my locos will look at anyhting other tha nsteam coal.

I think Doug Hewson burns household coal to get the proper smoky look.

If you find a sutiable fuel I'd be glad to hear of it.

[gwrfan]

You'll burn no more Coalite, t-v, as the Company went out of business, and it's no longer available. And, yes, ordinary house coal makes really good smoke, but I find it doesn't burn hot enough - unless mixed with harder coal.

Pity it's not the running season as I work in a place where we have a dozen or more different coals, Phurnacite, Anthracite, house coals, and so on. I'll get hold of a few samples of each and whenever I run my loco (next Spring), I'll conduct some sort of test. But, unfortunately you'll all have to wait until next year.

Right now, I'm putting the coal on the house fire, as it's a bit white outside tonight!

Geoff

[3405jimmy]

Well not coal as we know it Jim but I have been using a briquette called five star in my 4.5” traction engine with good results. That’s if you don’t want loads of smoke, soot and ash

[denis M]

Our society used to buy coal from this supplier but the last lot we had would have been better on a roof but fair play to the chap he changed it but not for much better.

We now buy Welsh Steam from J.H.Smart and Sons on 01453 882282 and it very good, my Romulus steams a treat.

They deliver all over the country I believe and supply to Traction engine rallies etc.

Usual disclaimer here, no connection with the company just a happy customer.

[KeithW]

As J.H Smart & Sons are local I've always bought my coal here and found they are most obliging.(usual disclaimer) I use their soft coal to raise steam and follow on with anthacite beans. Never had any problems.
Keith

[chris vine]

I used to burn house coal occasionally to get the smoke to entertain the kids. But I wondered if the sulpur content, (it would produce yellow smoke if the blower was turned off) might damage the silver solder in the superheater, or worse, the firebox??

Anyone any ideas on this??

Cheers
Chris.

[Shawki Shlemon]

Hi All
I joined in August and going through old threads and if I feel it is necessary to make a remark I may do so ,forgive me for being late . In Australia we are using (mainly) what is called CHAR , it is a compressed product of coal . It is clean and easy to brake to small pieces .It almost burns completely and produce small amount of ash .Its heat value is good . A test was carried out by one of the clubs using a number of fuels ( coals ) and char was found to be the best all over .I certainly use it .

[Tony K]

Shawki, this sounds a bit like phurnacite.
Not sure how it breaks up or where to get it. Has anyone in UK tried phurnacite?
Regards, Tony. ;D

[Noddy]

I've no experience at model scale, but here's this for what it's worth:
Steam Coals are named because they stay in big lumps and the ash has a high melting point, so that they don't clinker up large size boilers. both are probably irrelevant at model scale.

ordinary bituminous house coal is probably ok.

I'm not sure what effects vayring sulphur (often visible as fools gold and noticable from smell in the smoke) and chloride contents (invisible) will have on copper and solders.


Comercial coal is sold on ash content and calorific value. The more anthracitic coals having lower volatile content (more difficult lighting) and correspondingly higher calorific value.

Ash content is variable and can vary over a few yards horizontally and fractions of an inch vertically in the same seam.

Most collieries have some sort of washing plant that removes the denser rock from the low density coal (coal even floats on muddy water). So a merchant selling something full of shale should have no excuse, unless he was swindled too.

hope this is value for money....

[steamjohn248]

We've tried anthracite, 'stove esses' which seems to be a sort of anthracite and cheapo house coal. The anthracite type fuels clinker badly, produce lots of hot cinders up the chimney and half a smokebox full of char and an ash pan full of what looks like unburned fuel, after a few miles. Slow to ignite, though not much smoke and therefor no sooty tubes.
Conversly.
Cheapo house coal, (clean, graded, no dust and walnut size lumps) Catches alight quickly, has quite a long flame, very hot if the engine is working, (or if regulator shut put the blower on). Hardly any char, ditto ash. and it does'nt make lots of black smoke if you fire properly. i.e control the secondary air. (all our engines we fit with sliding firedoors for this reason.) In other words if you fire right it will do the job. Just like in the full size version. Pictures of 12" /foot engines belching black smoke are either very poor firing or more often at the behest of the person(s) taking the pictures. "Give us nice bit of 'clag' driver is a standard request if you are firing for a photo shoot but it does'nt get many brownie points when you are in the station waiting the 'right away'

Steamjohn

[Shawki Shlemon]

Hi All
It looks people don,t know what I am talking about , to be honest I don,t either as the club provided and I am not involved in this matter . Wherever I go in Australia all clubs use the same stuff .Next time I go to the club I will inquire about this and if I find useful info I will post it here .

[Lee]

Australian char is manufactured from Victorian brown coal by www.auschar.com.au/ The web site states that they export to Europe.

Lee

[Shawki Shlemon]

Hi Lee
Thank you, I don't need to research it any more . The char matter is resolved .