Ok, so it is a rather morbid question but curiosity go the better of me. I heard that Southern Pacific got the cabforward the so the crew wouldn’t be choked by the smoke. Did any engine crews actually die from the smoke in any tunnels?
I read that many engine crews in areas with long tunnels or snow sheds were issued military style gas masks to use while in these tunnels. Hadn’t heard about any deaths. It only stands to reason that the smoke caused visibility problems, too.
Well, it’s been a while, but I don’t believe a “military style” gas mask would do much good against smoke. IIRC we had charcoal filters which were supposed to clean the poison gas out of the air before we breathed it. They let the oxygen through. (We also had charcoal filter clothing. At Ft. McCoy, WI, in 50 degree weather, we took a heat casulty during training when a soldier was dressed in that clothing and wearing the mask.)
If the atmosphere is all smoke and carbon monoxide, I don’t think those masks will let you breath.
What I recall seeing on steamers were masks hooked up with a hose to an air tank. The crew breathed compressed clean air and prayed they got though the tunnel without incident.
and that one guy is grumblin about a safety walkabout… the nerve!
N&W Pocahontas Division crews died in the old Elkhorn Tunnel from gas when trains stalled in the hole, leading to its electrification in the mid 1910s.
There are sure to have been many more elsewhere.
Old Timer
I’d guess that there were many crewmen who suffered from respiratory problems later in life too - breathing coal smoke for any length of time is not going to do your lungs any favours.