White and Black Smoke

[NW Mailing List]

(Writing from Scotland) I recently watched a 1947 training film made by one of the "Big Four" British railway companies, the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS).  It was called "Little and Often" and was made to instruct firemen in the art of firing a steam locomotive.  It was detailed in the scientific explanation of combustion: such as exhaust gases being fed back on to the fire to fully consume the combustible materials.  So the answer to the question (I think!) is that black smoke indicates poor stoking: it means that the fuel is not being completely turned in to energy and the wasted carbon and gasses are being exhausted through the chimney instead.  White or thin, gray smoke indicates efficient firing.
 
In fact did I not read that the N&W authorities gave O Winston Link permission to take his superb photos....but on the proviso that he did not take pictures of locos belching out black smoke???
 
Best regards to all my friends on your side of the pond from a fan of the N&W in the UK.
 
Phil Taylor
Stirlingshire
Scotland


To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.orgSubject: RE: White and Black SmokeDate: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:54:17 -0400From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org




I remember reading somewhere that the railroads could be fined if they produced excessive black smoke in populated areas; a “smoke density” chart was used to gauge the extent of the violation. Does anybody know more about how that worked or any stories of “repeat offenders”? I remember reading somewhere that you never wanted to leave Roanoke past the N&W office buildings with black smoke because you might get spotted by the president of the N&W and really catch an earful.
 
Mike Weeks
Charlotte, NC
 
-----Original Message-----From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing ListSent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 8:27 AMTo: NW Mailing ListSubject: White and Black Smoke
 

Good morning.

 

I am not worried about my Arrow not arriving yet and will not be posting when it arrives.

 

The purpose of my post this morning is to inquire as to why on many of the programs that I watch on RFD TV (Trains and Locomotives) some of the smoke is black and some is white.  What is the cause of this? Have a great weekend and thank you in advance for any responses.
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