fire iron

fire iron (plural fire irons)

1. Any of a set of metal tools kept beside the fireplace, used to keep the fire burning as required. The set usually consists of fire tongs, a poker, a spade, and a brush for the ashes.
2. (rail transport) One of a set of tools kept on a steam locomotive for a similar purpose.
   • 1944 March and April, E. S. Waterhouse, “Two Footplate Rides on "Merchant Navy" Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:

     No. 21C9 was in need of a boiler washout and though she was carefully and assiduously fired and use made of the fire-irons during the run, it was not possible to maintain steam, which often fell as low as 210 lb.

   • 1956 April, “"Merchant Navy" Class Pacific Modified”, in Railway Magazine, page 212:

     The superstructure of the tender is modified by the removal of the side raves, and compartments for the fire-irons are formed on each side of the coal bunker.

   • 1961 February, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 112:

     There was no need to use the fire-irons after we pulled out of Calais, for the fire was well burnt through and came to life at once.

• slice bar

• “fire iron”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

• fire iron on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• inferior