Solid Fuel Internal Combustion Engine

[Eugbug]

Has anyone ever built an internal combustion engine which runs on solid fuel? A system would have to use waste heat or a mechanical friction device or whatever to heat the fuel and produce vapor which would be burnt in the cylinder (similar to the way coal gas was produced). Of course the vapor would be extremely dirty when burned because of all the heavy compounds involved. In the 1930's, a train was developed in Britain which ran on coal dust.

 

[Jobrag]

My father told me that when he was at UMIST there was an engine that ran on any flammable dust coal, flour etc.