When railroads purchased rotary plows, did they also purchase tenders? I know that in later years various retired tenders were used, but what about the early years?
I would assume that either a tender came with the steam-powered plow or the railroad provided a tender from their own resources.
Tenders were far more likely to either wear out or succumb to crash damage than were the locomotives to which they were attached. Long-serving locomotives, and changing fuel/water supply patterns, led to some locomotives outlasting several tenders. The rotary plows were long-service items, and almost all outlasted their original tenders.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
A steam rotary snowplow would always have a tender, and probably it was purchased or built separately by the railroad at the same time. When working they would be consuming water and fuel at a pretty high rate and definitely needed the capacity of a largish tender. In later years when steam locomotives were being purged from the rosters there may well have been some trading of tenders.
A question that now occurs to me is - how were the tenders connected - with drawbars or standard knuckle couplers? My guess is that it would be a drawbar as used with locomotives but that is only a guess. Can anybody confirm?
John
Not only with drawbars, but stout chains and anchors to prevent seperation in case of derailment, all fuel (if oil) and water connections were insulated wrapped to prevent freezing as well.
Judging by the hodge-podge collection of tenders that sufficed on most rotarys, it seems obvious that salvaged tenders were repurposed, probably when heavy shop work to the tender was required and a better example existed close at hand. SP was surprising for its adhearence to a standard tender normally associated with ceratin classes of cab forwards, note this was applicable to the later Leslie designs, the one ancient cook example that retained wood sheathing and avoided a trip to the backshop for upgrading during its long years of service, served until retirement in 1959 and warranted a turn of the century box design , replete with arch bar trucks and outside brake hangers!
Dave