Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Preserved 0-4-0 T industrial fireless steam locomotive. Tinley Park Illinois USA. August 2006.

I took this late night photo in South Suburban Tinley Park Illinois. This preserved example of industrial steam locomotive design from the 1920's and 30's era, is on display adjacent to the Tinley Park Metra commuter rail station on the east side of South Oak Park Avenue.

Fireless steam locomotives were a unique design, and were manufactured by the Porter and Davenport Locomotive company's in the 1900's.
They did not burn fuel, hence the term "Fireless". The locomotive would have a steam hose connected from the factory boiler house on the site they worked at. The boiler would be charged with hot steam, and the next few could be spent spotting freight cars on that same charge of steam. These locomotives were utilized at industrial operations where fires were too much of a hazzard. A number of these have been preserved in many North American museums.

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