Mechanical stoker

Known now as a spreader stoker they remain in use today especially in furnaces fueled by wood pellets or refuse.

The mechanical means used are, depending on design, combinations of the screw feed, the conveyor belt, the bucket chain, the paddle and the ram.

[2][3][4] The confined working conditions of a locomotive cab meant that the earliest development of the stoker took place in this application.

Designers sought to maximize power output in the locomotive by feeding coal at a rate faster than the fireman could shovel.

Later designs also mechanised the retrieval of the coal from the tender using steam ram powered pushers and/or a helical screw.