So I got an email recently regarding hobos and steam trains and unfortunately I know nothing about those days.

"How did the engineers and conductor overcome the coal smoke in a tunnel, also at that distance from the stack wouldn't a great portion of the tunnel back from the stack and boiler blowoff be filled with 200 - 600 or so degree smoke and steam?

Did they have some kind of cabin that isolated them from the deadly vapors outside? I mean the common STEAM train from pictures and movies from that era appear to be open as a San Francisco trolleys."

Can anyone on here help me enlighten this fine gentleman?








Ill include a train pic for the hell of it.. unfortunately not a steamer


This was taken via cell phone a few years back. We where getting ready to catch out of MTL when this GM train pulled in. It was rolling its way into CP's St. Luc yard when it slowed to a stop with this autorack right in front of us.


To our amazement this guy comes running up happy as shit and clearly high as a kite, or just plain nuts. He goes on to tell us that hes ridding the train to New York, despite the fact of me telling him this is the end of the line and its just going into the yard.
I asked him how he got on and he said he jumped of a bridge onto the roof a ways back. He also kept going on and on about how "he didn't do anything and "why are people so mean". I then noticed he had one of the temp hospital bands on his arm. we tried to figure out what the fuck this guys deal was with no avail.
I cant remember if we called CP or they just showed up but eventually a worker showed up and together we got him down and sent him on his way..in hind sight probably should have had him picked up

WH

I'm not an expert on the tunnel question, but I would guess that the temperature wouldn't be so much of a problem. Steam cools very rapidly. I'm sure the temp would go up some, but say 100 yards back in the tunnel I doubt it would be any where close to 200 degrees, much less 600. Half the stuff in the train would be melted if it did.

I would think the bigger question would be just plain ole' breathable air from the smoke and ash. I can see that being an issue if they were in a long tunnel.