[meyer]

I would say that with steam locomotives, a fireman on the railroad would be up front with the engineer, ensuring that the fire was hot and well-fed with coal to keep the steam pressure up in the proper range.

[Melian]

Roseanne Barr tells truth to power on the Ukraine!

https://gab.com/IamOrlando/posts/110699119912437095

[OldWarBaby]

How long? The steamers were pretty much all out of service by 1960. I remember the water towers gradually coming down. And, yup, the fireman was the boiler tender, keeping the fire hot with an occasional shovel full of coal. Early on the coal was chunky so he could just pitch big pieces. But in the last few decades they used crushed coal so he needed a shovel. If the Grandad got started about WW I he could have had a good career up thru WW II.

[defconw]

I heard a story that grandma had to really scrub his back because his job was so dirty.

[defconw]

Thanks for the info. I wish I knew which railroad. I know he went out of Toledo, so not sure if he went east or north.