Got smoke? The storied Southern Mikado #4501 bursts out of the west portal of the 19th century Missionary Ridge Tunnel in East Chattanooga, TN on a smokey run-by for photographers, during a March, 2018 Lerro Productions Charter. The cut-stone facade of this tunnel entrance is very much representative of many remaining railroad structures in the south, which date back, in some cases, to the Civil War. Similar masonry can also be seen on the pilings of active bridges and the pilings of bridges that were removed long ago.
Although this was a run-by for the cameras, and the crew was intentionally trying to make a little smoke for the patrons, railroad crews back in the day would normally try to anticipate their arrival at a long tunnel such as this one, and square away the fire in advance to avoid firing during the tunnel transit. As you might imagine, the crew has very little visibility in this situation....not to mention some pretty strong fumes in the cab. Having ridden behind a steam locomotive in an open car inside a tunnel, I can definitely relate to the air quality situation. Firing a steam locomotive definitely was (and is) a skill position, which requires the Fireman to know the line well, and to plan his/her firing to not only provide proper steam pressure when needed, but to work around the hazards, such as this nearly 1,000 ft. long tunnel.
