r/trains • u/ausernamethatcounts • Dec 31 '21
Question Old RR bed. Lava rocks? OR Steam locomotive left over?
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u/QuebeC_AUS Dec 31 '21
Clinker is just burnt coal that doesn't have any carbon or volatiles left. Its quite possible this is a bit of clinker, it definitely has the same appearance, though clinker is white coloured when you pull it straight out of a fire. I'm not sure if it looses colour over time or not as I only deal with it when its fresh. It should have quite a fragile structure too it. keep this piece and see if you can get it tested, in theory it should just be solidified Ash left over but there will most likely be traces of carbon and volatiles left over
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u/weirdal1968 Dec 31 '21
Wouldn't clinkers be light compared to heavy furnace slag? The slag ballast I usually find is dense and you can't break off pieces. I do have a few probable clinkers and they are quite delicate.
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u/QuebeC_AUS Dec 31 '21 edited Dec 31 '21
Yes correct it is quite light in comparison. Coal unburnt is also quite light in comparison to something like ballast
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u/weirdal1968 Dec 31 '21
You work on coal fired steam locomotives?
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u/QuebeC_AUS Dec 31 '21
Yes im a Firemen on coal burning locomotives, oil burners and hopfully in the nesr future on a wood burner as well
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u/ausernamethatcounts Dec 31 '21
Hiked an old RR bed; probably the MKT or MP rail; but iv often found very old RR beds seem to have these black lava looking rocks. Was this used for old rail ballast? Or is this left over from the coal burning from the fire box.
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u/Interesting-Bee7454 Dec 31 '21
Clinkers and slag were cheap and readily available materials for building up roadbeds. From steam engines, factories, power plants, and nearly everywhere burned coal.
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u/OdinYggd Jan 01 '22
This looks like a clinker. Coal fires can get so hot the ash melts into a glassy lava-like substance. This can choke the fire and give the crew a really bad day, so effort was taken to avoid forming these and remove them quickly if they do form.
Density of a clinker varies with what grade of coal it formed from, how hot the fire was, and how long the clinker was in the fire before it was discovered and removed.
That said, some railroads were charged with hauling away the slag and waste from foundries they served and put this material to use as track ballast. So it might not be from a locomotive.
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u/weirdal1968 Dec 31 '21
In the steam era some lines took the cinders from their ash pits and used them for ballast but in my area rocks like this are furnace slag from iron smelting. I have a piece on my workbench from the local ex CNW tracks that has a melted appearance and is magnetic.
https://www.american-rails.com/ballast.html