Fire iron

[1] A slice bar has a flatter tip and can be used to stir up the fire or to clear the grates of ashes.

As a steam locomotive runs, by-products are produced by the coal fire such as ash and clinker.

If these waste products are allowed to build up in the fire, there would be an adverse effect on the performance of the locomotive.

Below is a list of different types of fire iron that would typically be carried aboard a locomotive during operation.

Note: not all the fire irons listed would be carried at once, only the ones needed: The earliest and most primitive pokers were likely made from the same material as the fuel (that is, wood in the form of a hefty branch).