Friday, January 06, 2006

Wood or Coal Consumption

From: Alice_Friedemann@apl.com

... I'd like to know more about how much wood and coal it took to operate steam trains (and ships).
Did we ever reach a point where wood wasn't available?
How much cargo could be pulled by a steam train burning x amount of wood or coal for how many miles?

And now – what are the same figures for diesel engines?

I work for a large shipping company, so I have some idea of what it takes to run ships, but I don't know much about trains and the old steam ships.

—Alice J. Friedemann

BERNARD H. VON BODEN and GEORGE B. VON BODEN

From: "CHARLIE HOPKINS" TWINCOACH@AOL.COM

Looking for information on the following SPCo. men:

MR. BERNARD H. VON BODEN, Foreman MOTIVE POWER DEPT.

MR. GEORGE B. VON BODEN, Fuel expert SPCo.

both men lived in SAN JOSE and worked in San Francisco before 1900.

When I was working steam I remember working on fuel oil burners on locomotives made of brass with the name VON BODEN cast on top

Anyone know the history?

—CHARLIE HOPKINS