Ash Pits at Hanover Junction

According to Robert Schaffer the Hanover Branch Railroad had an ash pit at Hanover prior to the civil war. http://www.hanoverjunction.net/stories/Hanover_Branch.htm

The Hanover Branch Railroad facilities at Hanover Junction before the Civil War era were rather extensive. A hotel built by the railroad housed railroad office facilities. There was also a turntable, an ash pit, and various smaller buildings used for railroad activities. However, the Gettysburg Campaign of the Civil War brought Rebel soldiers to the area who were responsible for destruction by fire of the wooden bridge and all railroad facilities except the hotel building.

The Hanover Junction Valley Junction rails were removed during the period 1928 34, bringing the end of service to an area that was highly dependent on the railroad. And this was the "Hanover Branch Railroad."

R.E.S.

1999

Why no ash pits?

I asked this question last week and got a couple replies that indicated ash pits were not common in the early rail era. I did a little digging and John White in his book "American Locomotives: An Engineering History 1830-1880" has a possible explanation on why.


Grates were a simple, trouble-free mechanism in the days of wood-burning. Cast-iron bars, often T- or V-shaped, answered construction needs very well. Each bar was about five-eighths of an inch thick, four inches deep, and as long as the firebox required. The bars were set about one inch apart. Because the wood was all but entirely consumed in burning, rocking grates were not required. The small amount of ash that was not thrown out through the stack filtered through the grate bars to the ashpan.


Coal presented many more problems and required a more elaborate grate. It produced a hotter fire, and cast-iron bars burned out quickly.


So what happened to the small amount of ash produced? Probably dropped on the ground and shoveled up or blown by the wind.


White's book on locomotives is an essential reference for early steam locomotives. It's not an easy read, but contains an exhaustive amount of information.

Wood Rick for Falmouth Engine Terminal

I ballasted the area around the wood rick before gluing it in place to make it easier to get an even ground cover.

I built a simple wood rick for the Falmouth engine terminal. What is a rick anyway? The Apple dictionary says,

a stack of hay, corn, straw, or similar material, esp. one built into a regular shape and thatched.

• a pile of firewood somewhat smaller than a cord.

• a set of shelving for storing barrels.

ORIGIN Old English hrēac, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rook.

Anyway, my model is a open platform design made with strip wood. I situated it between the turntable lead and a storage track. The photos show a flat car in the process of being unloaded. The loaded wood car is spotted on the turntable lead as there is no way to use the loco to spot a wood car on the storage track. In the prototype, the crews could use ropes and poles to switch a car off the turntable and on to the storage track. Or they would assign 50 men to quickly unload it while the engines waited.  My operators may have to 0-5-0 it into place on the storage track.


The model firewood logs are twigs from the backyard that I cut and split when green, and set aside to dry. Just like real firewood  :)   I used  Crepe Myrtle and Azalea twigs.


Now where to site the ash pit? The most logical place is on the turntable lead. Perhaps near the water tank just in case some ashes flare up?


Speaking of water tanks,  how do you think the water tank got filled? Bucket Brigade from Clairborne Creek that is just a 100 yards or so away? Or did they use pumps?  I did find a message from the Virginia Central that mentioned a water tank and pumps were destroyed at a station by Union cavalry raiders in 1862. Can I assume that they used pumps to fill water tanks when artesian wells or creeks were not available?