Rail Fan Net trivia for July 13 2006
First the question from this weeks net.
Who was the “wreck master” and what was his job?
Check back next week for the answer.
And now, here is the answer to last weeks question.
When you ride an excursion train with a steam locomotive they are usually supplied water by local fire department pumper. This lead to tonights trivia question.
Why do they call the fire hydrants “fire plugs”?
In the early days of fire fighting in England an underground water distribution system was installed using wooden pipes buried far enough below the surface so as not to freeze in the winter. When the firemen arrived with a pumper, usually hand operated and sometimes hand drawn, they would locate the nearest “water pipe”, dig down to it and drill a hole to which they would attach a hose. When the fire was out or the building burned down which ever came first they would remove the hose and drive a wooden plug, called a “fire plug”, into the hole. Eventually they began to place markers at the places where past holes had been bored into the pipes making them easy to find. When an above ground device was made to access the pipe below the term “fire plug” stuck and remains until this day.
You just never know what you are going to learn on the weekly Rail Fan Net now do you?
Who was the “wreck master” and what was his job?
Check back next week for the answer.
And now, here is the answer to last weeks question.
When you ride an excursion train with a steam locomotive they are usually supplied water by local fire department pumper. This lead to tonights trivia question.
Why do they call the fire hydrants “fire plugs”?
In the early days of fire fighting in England an underground water distribution system was installed using wooden pipes buried far enough below the surface so as not to freeze in the winter. When the firemen arrived with a pumper, usually hand operated and sometimes hand drawn, they would locate the nearest “water pipe”, dig down to it and drill a hole to which they would attach a hose. When the fire was out or the building burned down which ever came first they would remove the hose and drive a wooden plug, called a “fire plug”, into the hole. Eventually they began to place markers at the places where past holes had been bored into the pipes making them easy to find. When an above ground device was made to access the pipe below the term “fire plug” stuck and remains until this day.
You just never know what you are going to learn on the weekly Rail Fan Net now do you?
posted by Ken / WA3FKG at 8:16 PM
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