Ten Ton Toots - Coleman, AB
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T0SHEA
N 49° 38.189 W 114° 30.261
11U E 680191 N 5501205
Ten Ton Toots is a tiny 0-4-0 locomotive which spent its working life underground, hauling coal to the surface in a coal mine, quite likely that of the International Coal and Coke Company, owned by by A. C. Flumerfelt, after whom the park is named.
Waymark Code: WMPC7V
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 08/07/2015
Views: 10
Above the locomotive is a large sign proclaiming Ten Ton Toots to be the World's Largest Piggy Bank. The placement of the locomotive in Flumerfelt Park in Coleman was, again according to the sign, a project of the Coleman Lions Club. A small slot has been cut in the side of the air tank, allowing visitors to deposit money in the piggy bank. Hard as we looked, we didn't see an obvious way of removing the contents, apparently making this a fairly secure bank.
"Toots" is a compressed air powered locomotive driven by 7X7X14 compound cylinders under 800 PSI of air pressure. Air from above ground compressors was always available in the mines for powering drills, winches, etc., hence its use for motive power in this locomotive.
A plaque mounted on "Toots" goes on to inform us that "Toots", from 1904 to 1954, hauled 5,000,000 tons of coal to the surface, travelling 180,000 miles in that time. It was capable of pulling a maximum of 200 tons at a time.
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