Thanks. So it was a "gag". Harry On Mon, Jan 3, 2022 at 12:58 PM MSF <foster...@protonmail.com> wrote:
> > I take it I'm the only Vort with first-hand experience with these old > beasts. My grandfather was a brakeman on the Union Pacific railroad when I > was a little boy. Back then, while all the passenger trains were > diesel-electric, a lot of the freight haulers were still steam. Old Gramps > would take me down to the yard and have one of his engineer friends let me > ride in one of the steam locomotives once in while. > I can't tell you how much fun that was. > > There is no steam where Buster Keaton appears to light his cigarette. > That's the smoke box, the least hot part of the boiler where the exhaust > from the coal fire goes. I'm sure the cigarette was already lit. I know > from trying, if you touch the side of a steam locomotive, it's about as hot > as clothing iron. You can wet your finger and make it go kssst. > > After this long nostalgic preamble, the answer to your question is no. > > ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ > On Sunday, January 2nd, 2022 at 11:55 PM, H LV <hveeder...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > In this short clip Buster Keaton lights a cigarette by pressing it against > the boiler of a steam locomotive. > Would the surface of the boiler get hot enough to do that? > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AIyB_-HYcs > > Harry > > >
