Is it true that coal was whitewashed on royal trains?

Question

Is it true that coal was whitewashed on royal trains?

Answer 1

A friend of mine at work was a fireman on the Royal Train several times when the train was travelling over the Midland region of BR. He says the coal was never "White Washed", although the loco's were specially cleaned for the job. There's plenty of pictures on the internet to prove this.

Also, steam engines are fitted with "Slacking Pipes" that spray water onto the coal to keep the dust down. If the coal was white washed, this hot water would wash off the white wash in no time, so why bother.

Answer 2

Who on Earth is selling you this garbage? Use your brains and think it out for yourself.

Answer 3

All coal was washed with water to reduce dust, and the engine often cleaned everyday prior to the journey and (on some railways) the cab roof was whitewashed (the GWR occasionally did this).

However, "Whitewashing" was only utilised on short journeys, and the whitewashed coal was only a couple of pieces thick (it was whitewashed after water washed)

Answer 4

I don't know for sure. I'm in the U.S.  It's possible that whitewash (because it's cheap) was sprayed over loaded coal cars to reduce the coal dust coming off, especially through populated areas. Here, the loaded cars are sprayed with a low grade, biodegradable plastic film for the same purpose.

Answer 5

i think on one of the royal engines that pulled the royal train,the cab roof was painted white,a duchess i believe,someone correct me!

Answer 6

Nope. It would be very time wasting to white wash coal on a Steam train, firstly the dust and soot would quickly turn it dark, also the fumes from the then lead oxide paint would have overwhelmed the Fireman and Train Driver when it was burned in the firebox.

Answer 7

No.

Answer 8

u joking

Answer 9

Of course not! Had they just whitewashed the top it would have disappeared very quickly. To have whitewashed every lump of coal would have been a gargantuan and pointless task.

Answer 10

only the top layer

Answer 11

YES!!

and the butlers cleans old lizzy's rear end!

Answer 12

no! how silly!!

Answer 13

Not on Royal Trains.

Stags breath is right, coal was whitewashed on Army camps to prevent not exactly theft but to prevent the squaddies from taking extra after the days ration for the barrack room coal fires had been issued.

Secondly it gave the poor conscripts something to do.

Answer 14

Coal used to be whitewashed on army bases at one time.  It used to be said that it was to show up whether any coal had been stolen.  Presumably it would have been stolen by someone who thought a bucket of stolen coal was important enough to risk the armed guard at the gates.