Steam dummy loco?

It's my understanding that steam dummies were more used on street railways and designed like a passenger car in an attempt not to frighten the horses.

Rusty

Thanks Rusty that seems to make sense.
Can`t wait for it to arrive,will take some pictures then. James

It's plausible.

Although there were Fire Horses pulling raging boilers of water, coal and hellfire to the fire asap in Baltimore years ago...

Maybe these fire horses were special somehow.

quote:

Originally posted by Lee 145:
It's plausible.

Although there were Fire Horses pulling raging boilers of water, coal and hellfire to the fire asap in Baltimore years ago...

Maybe these fire horses were special somehow.

The "raging boilers" were behind them...

Rusty

Rusty is correct. Most steam dummies were made for street railways to mask the locomotive as to not frighten the horses on the streets. They were almost always built on a switching loco, i.e. 0-4-0T or 0-6-0T. The limited fuel and water carrying ability made it necessary to keep the "dummy" quite local. There are numerous cases where the dummies were used on short industrial railroads as their use in city applications came to an end (electric streetcars and interurbans). The industrial-built versions were frequently not much more than extending the original loco wooden cab to cover the running gear.

They are a fascinating piece of railroad history! Have fun with yours...

Neil

ps: regarding fire engine horses, yes, they were quite special. They had to be calm enough to perform and durable enough to haul the engine, day or night. BTW, the fire engine was usually kept somewhat warm so that when an alarm sounded, they could get sufficient steam up quickly...usually 3 to 5 minutes. Yes, that quickly.

While steam dummies are known for street railway and elevated lines applications,

some of them got pretty far afield after that era, or when replaced by electric steetcars and interurbans.  "Hercules", the steam dummy that hauled tourists

from the L&N to the cave, on the Mammoth Cave RR, with what looks like a cobbled up in their shops, (outside sliding door) combine coach, is preserved, with a recent restoration, on the grounds of the National Park in Kentucky.  That coach is maybe

a little longer than but similar to a Sierra RY coach.

It, with one or more companions (I think they rostered two dummies), made its way through rural Karst topography (limestone sink cave country).  My brother and I used to climb on it as kids long before it was sheltered and fenced in, and the lodge there was a big old white frame wooden firetrap hotel, probably historical, but now gone.

I just found my kitbashed model of it, using a three rail chassis, while digging through

boxes.

I have read of and have seen one photo of them being used on logging roads as cheaply available power.  I am betting a lot of them went to industries, and probably

were modified.