Crews Called It The 'Widowmaker' - But It Was The Only Beast That Could Burn 'Garbage' Coal

Описание: To the railroad barons, it was a masterpiece of efficiency. To the crews who operated it, it was a death trap.

Railroaders called it the "Widowmaker." It was a machine where the engineer sat perched directly on top of the boiling steam boiler, isolated from his fireman, with massive steel driving rods spinning just inches beneath his seat. If a rod snapped at speed, it would slice through the floor of the cab—and the engineer—like a giant knife.

But this deadly design wasn't a mistake. It was a calculated risk. The Camelback Locomotive was the only machine capable of burning "culm"—mountains of waste anthracite coal that cost pennies per ton.

This is the dark story of the locomotive that powered the American Industrial Revolution by sacrificing safety for profit.

In this video: 🚂 The Crisis: Why railroads were sitting on mountains of unburnable "trash" fuel. 🚂 The Design: The massive Wootten Firebox that forced the cab to move. 🚂 The Danger: Why the "Camelback" was the most feared job on the rails. 🚂 The Ban: How the government finally stepped in to stop the carnage.

👇 The Verdict: Was it an engineering marvel or a crime against worker safety? Let us know in the comments.

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