After reading in the current issue of TRAINS about how people would cook their meals on a clean shovel put inside the firebox of a coal-fired steam locomotive, I really have to ask this questions: how did engineers and other people in the locomotive cab cook their meals while on assignment in the old days?
I remember reading in a recent TRAINS issue about someone at Canadian National jury-rigging a baby-bottle warmer to boil water (though a bit slowly) using the 78-volt electrical outlet on a locomotive; I wonder what other jury-rigged contraptions were used to cook food on the locomotive cab.
After all, many of today’s locomotives have such niceties as hotplates, refrigerators and microwave ovens, or the train crew can call someone to order food from a local fast-food outlet. [:)]
Some of them had the good fortune to have a conductor in the caboose that was a decent cook.
But there were also many times of just cold sandwiches until you got to the other end of the line. Then the beaneries were open or would open 24/7 since the railroad paid them to be open for the crews.
I read that article too…The bacon and eggs sure made me hungry…What surprised me was the practice of using the same shovel that was used to shovel coal with as the item to place the food on, after simply wiping it with cotton waste…
If I remember correctly, there’s a restaurant in Portola, CA very close to the UP railroad yard there that is open 24 hours–it’s the only 24-hour restaurant in that little mountain town! I believe that UP pays the restaurant to stay open 24 hours a day because Portola is a crew change point for train crews coming up from Oakland, CA.
well… this isnt so much the the old days…but haveing had some persoanl experince fireing a steam locomotive on the weekends for a tourest railroad about 8 years ago…i use to reheat food that i wanted to eat warm by putting in foil and letting it sit on the firebox itself…in no time it was warm and ready to eat…
and also…give you some insight into what we crews do today… on almost all locomotives (execpt the new 70-80 and im guessing 90macs)… have electric restistance sidewall heaters that are GREAT for cooking as well as reheating (as long as its cold outside)…i would make myself hot fre***ea and aothers would make hot water for coffee by just setting a water bottel on the sidewall heater to heat it up… as far as food…i would bring a can of spegettie Os or raveolies or soup and heat it up on the side wall heater…i carred a spoon…fork and can opener in my grip to use for just such things… and in the summer months when its to warm outside to turn on the sidewalls in the cab… a great place to warm things up…is on the water expantion tank or the exhost manifold in the engin room… also… all locomotives have a 74 volt DC outlet someplace on them… i work with a guy that use to carry a cheep knock off of a george forman grill in his grip…and a cooler with some steaks and what not in it… he would cook steak dinners while we where working in the cab by useing the grill…
csx engineer
…Now, I hesitate to mention it but…Cooking on the shovel…reminds me of reading about the crew using the coal pile in the tender to relieve themselves…{at times}, so I hope some method of using a different shovel or some other thought occurred when doing their cooking in above mentioned manner…Wow…!
I read a magazine today that detailed how some troops who were operating wartime steam train in Europe would use a few moments of shovel time while loading troops at depots so they can have a hot meal of meat and taters etc. If I recall the article the shovel was Qoute “18 Inches Square” End Qoute…
perhaps the engine crew traded the cooking for something else useful like smokes etc.
Modelcar, I dont think the tender was a problem… they had to go and cannot stop. Im sure after a time the deposits got burned in the firebox.
It is the thought more than the reality, don’t forget the shovel would get heated above ‘sterlizing termperarure’ after a very short time in the fire box.
In the '82 TRAINS issue dealing with the demise of the Rock Island, there was a story about the Peoria/Quad Cites “Rocket” in the final years. The regular engineer of the Peoria “Rocket” used to send out cards at X-Mas signed the “Manifold Chef”, as he had perfected the art of cooking full meals on the E-unit’s exhaust manifold.[8D]
…More than once I put c-rations of beans, etc…on the manifold /engine of a half-track {they had a White flat head engine}, while in Korea to get some hot food…I wouldn’t consider myself any kind of cook but that did get some heat in the food…
We still cook on the side walls. Tin foil, bread pans and mess kits. My favorite is shrimp scampi, takes just a few minutes. I’ve tried some pretty tasty meals off of those heaters. I’m thinking about publishing a cook book.[:)]
I smell a show on the Food Network BAM. Until a few years there was beanery in Scott City Mo. that MoPac/UP crews used to catch food on the fly. The beanery would place each crews dinner in a basket and place it on a stand. The Crews would slow down to grab the basket and retrieve dinner. This used to be fun to watch especially when they had cabooses. But all is gone now…[:(]