Fire&Iron

Thank you for the replies, and especially thank you for alerting me that taking scrap from railroads is illegal.  I had absolutely no idea and I definitely don't want to break the law. I always just assumed that things like that and railroad spikes were abandoned and that the company didn't bother picking them up.

My current forge setup uses a hairdryer for air, but I am just using charcoal which doesn't require much air.  I was wondering if it put out enough air so I can use coal, or maybe even coke. (It's my understanding that coke needs more air than coal). I would love it if someone with more experience could give me their opinion.

I found a bunch of these at the railroad track today and wanted to know what this is good for. I also found a pole that I believe is used to push the tracks when they are switched.  Any information about either of these would be appreciated.

So I am trying to decide a fuel source for my forge and I have four questions.

1) How long does coal burn opposed to charcoal?  (The more specific the better)

2) Does coal burn hotter than charcoal and vice versa?

3) Is there a difference between hard and soft coal?

4) Does it matter if you have a mix of hard and soft coal in your forge?

I appreciate any and all help you guys can give me as I am just starting out.  And if you have any advice about blacksmithing in general I would love to hear it.