Originally Posted by
Handyjack
Nice smoke box door and ring.
Any ideal if you are fitting the "smoke box door" with plain handles, or a handle and wheel? That is assuming the door has not got buttons all the way around which would be a pain to remove to open the door.
The "smoke box door" provides access to the smoke box to allow for cleaning of spark arresters and fire tubes, and removal of ashes.
While this engine is probably wood burning, on a coal burning engine, depending on the coal, the smoke box can fill up with ashes and require frequent cleaning (multiple times a shift) so access is important.