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Question:My great great grandfather was one


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My great great grandfather was one

Hello Leanne, have a look at this site, I love this one, it doesn't give the definition of a railway stoker, just a stoker,

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/s.html
Stockinger Knitter, weaver or seller of stockings
Stock Turner Turned the wooden stocks used in guns
Stoker Tended and fed coal to boilers in mills and aboard ship
Stoker - Refuse Destructor Fed refuse to an incinerator
hope this helps.

Sounds to me like a dude that shovelled coal.

when the original trains were built they ran on steam. to keep the train moving that to keep creating steam in a fire. to keep it going they had to "stoke" or feed the fire. so your great great grandfather sholved coal into the fire to keep the train going. my grandfather was also a stoker!


gamejock829

A fireman on a steam locomotive, loading coal into the boiler and assisting the driver/engineer with other duties as required.

He maintained the fire on a steam engine

A stoker was someone who tended to the fire in a steam engine, checking it was burning hot enough to create enough steam and putting more coal in if not.

In the old days with the R/R a Stoker was the second man in the train engine compartment that shoveled the coal in to the fire box from the coal tender hooked on the back of the engine, I use engine here as being a locomotive. A coal fired,water steam.boiler, steam driven, power unit that pulls a train.

The correct term is/was fireman.
Duties included maintaining full head of steam in the boiler,maintaining water level in the boiler via the injectors,steam heat apparatus (winter only) Cylinder lubrication etc.
The list is,of course longer but space does not permit.
The fireman was also tested as to his knowledge of signalling rules and engine working.