[spoiler alert] April Fool's Column: Now Where'd They Get the Inspiration?

[PennCentral99]

At least you received yours. Sent an email today wanting to know where my magazine was...

[rrinker]

Black foam lumps is what they have in a kid's exhibit at the RR Museum of PA, along with plastic shovels so the kids can fire the simulated loco.

         --Randy

 

[tomikawaTT]

Before I read the words I looked at the picture - and thought that it was a takeoff on an automated fireman that appeared in Tetsudo Mokei Shumi half a century ago.

After I read the article, I had a little list of obvious flaws:

1. Hand-firing a locomotive isn't just a matter of shoveling coal through a hole.  That coal has to be distributed evenly across the grates.  A single scale doesn't hack it.  There should be at least five, plus a computer to integrate their readings and adjust power output accordingly.
2. Most modern steam was stoker fired, at least in the United States.  How do you take that into account?
3. The fireman operates the boiler - including the water side.  Where are the injector and feed pump controls?
4. Using real coal would generate a lot of coal dust, which is nasty stuff.  Maybe black foam lumps with weights in the middle...

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head - and, yes, I know I'm a month early...

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with coalburners, without 1:1 scale firemen)

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

yawn

[mlehman]

OK, you've been warned. Don't read this unless you've already had the chance to peruse the April 2012 issue yourself, if it's going to spoil your enjoyment fo finding it yourself....

OK, the premise of this year's April Fool's article is that people need some way to occupy extra operators. So you build a a "fireman's work station." There your extra guests can break a sweat, trying to keep shoveling a constantly replenished supply of coal into a faked-up plywood firebox. Somehow this communicates with your DCC command station. Maybe a loco will quit running if the "fireman" doesn't shovel hard enough?

I guess I don't see this as very plausible. In 1:1, who wants to shovel coal on a layout visit?

Better yet, what would be a real trick would be to do this in 1:87.  Now that would be cool.

But wait! Someone already HAS done this in 1:87. Australia's own Laurie McLean has little animated firemen shoveling away in various locos. Makes sense to me. If I was to go all the way to Australia to visit him, I'd much rather see his little animated fireman, than have to shovel coal myself.

Don't believe me? Here's video:

watch?feature=playerdetailpage&list=UULNfr5kmK6WiDLaKPbajKg&v=w4JyAxLDcuw

watch?list=UULNfr5kmK6WiDLaKPbajKg&feature=playerdetailpage&v=mIaCDldCspo

Laurie will be attending the 2012 National Narrow Gauge Convention in Seattle and presenting clinics on this and some of his other animations, in case you'd like to talk with him in person.