I don't know how brake tests work with couplings where the air pipes and electrics are all integral to the coupler. Maybe there are electronic sensors incorporated into it which monitor the brakes, a bit like the telemetry devices found at the back of modern South African trains?
As for my firing gloves, well they were quite white-ish when they were first bought. First trip on the footplate, they tuned black. Although wearing gloves while actually firing is looked down upon; you're supposed to move fast enough and skilfully enough that your hands don't burn, and handling the shovel without gloves certainly gives you a better feel for it. One old driver likened it to wearing a condom. We put the gloves on for other non-firing tasks, like certain cleaning and maintenance jobs where we're likely to touch hot things. I've noticed US steam drivers wearing gloves, hard hats and steel toecap boots. The steel toecap boots are the only compulsory safety item on a South African footplate. I once had to fire wearing shorts. I was not rostered for any duty and had only turned up to wave good-bye to the train, when the rostered fireman had to withdraw suddenly and since I was the only other fireman around I was press-ganged into service. Fortunately I had my navvy boots on, but on that trip I really learned why the fireman has to literally dance in front of the firehole. Never again!
When I was learning to fire there were still some of the old inspectors who would know which parts of the footplate it was easy for the fireman to overlook when cleaning. The inspector would casually rest his hand on some obscure part of the footplate and then you would get a bollocking from him if he found any dirt on his hand. There are tales of old drivers who used to wear white shirts and even white jackets, and woe betide the poor fireman if there were any dirty marks on the driver's clothes at the end of the shift.
