Locomotive Firemen: Supermen!

I have today an interesting post. Earlier I was digging a big trench for a drainpipe before filling it in again. That has nothing to do with railways. But it got me thinking...

Every shovelful of dirt would have been half as heavy as a shovelful of coal. I wasn't standing in front of a boiling hot firebox, but could at least stop and have a breather and a quick cuppa. Firemen would be lucky on some runs to even think about tea let alone a breather. I had five others helping me- a fireman might not even get help from their driver on occasion.

I was not working to a specific schedule and it took us longer than expected. A fireman...well, he and his driver would have been 'on the carpet' if they took any extra time.

Add to it the fact that we had the luxury of stopping for lunch and dinner, washing our hands etc...

The age of steam was a grimy one as well as being' romantic'.

Hats off to all of you firemen who fired in regular service; you and the other unsung heroes from the age of steam deserve as much congratulation as the Engineers and others who get all the glory.