Seaching for New York Central Info

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Greetings

I have read about how the on certain lines of the NYC there was the capability of filling tenders with water “on the fly” through water troughs on the tracks. My questions are:

  1. What was this type of construction or process called?

2.How did the tender pick up the water ?

  1. Was it successful?

Thanks

John

2

They are called “track pans”.

There was a scoop in the tender to pick up the water. This had to be manually lowered (to take on water) and then raised afterward. If left lowered (as they sometimes were), the scoops could be damaged or destroyed at the next grade crossing or switchwork. That, along with the fact that steam engines were replaced by diesels, is probably why they weren’t used more.

The weather is another thing to consider – in cold areas, the water in the pans would freeze unless heated (see the link below for the huge engineering effort and manpower needed to keep the water liquid).

An internet search for track pans will provide some interesting reading and photos.

Here’s a link for a PRR installation of track plans, which the article claims was the world’s largest.

3

Thank you for the quick reply and the link.

John

4

Thanks for a very interesting article. It’s something most of us out here don’t really get into, since PRR and NYC were the only US railroads with track pans (correction gratefully requested).

I wonder if a lowered scoop would have blown out the end of the pan and dumped “all” the water. I suppose there could have been some sort of “removing ramp” at the ends of the pan, though in the picture there doesn’t appear to be. As for the “next grade crossing or switchwork”, I’m surprised they didn’t put some sort of alarm in after the pan to warn the crew to pick up the scoop.

Ed

5

Track pans were also found on the B&O, at least, and possibly others.

And yes, I suppose that they were more often damaged by not being lifted before the far end of the track pan, although I have read of them being damaged on trackwork and grade crossings, too.

6

There was an interesting article on “Scooping Water in the Age of Steam” in the May 1993 issue of Trains magazine, with photos and a drawing, and another in the July 1979 issue of Trains, detailing a derailment caused by a water scoop.

The Central scooped water at a rate of three gallons per foot at up to 80mph (once they ironed out a few “bugs”) but the first use of water scoops was in England, in 1860. England, in 1968, was also the site of the last occurrence of a steam loco scooping water, although pans on the East Coast Main Line were used for an additional decade by Deltic diesels scooping water for their steam generators for passenger car heating.

Wayne

7

Thank You.

8

One web page I found states the NYC had mid-level signals for the fireman to raise and lower the scoop for track pans.

Another says one benefit was the tender’s coal capacity was increased, having to carry less water.

Another says Norfolk & Western’s answer to the watering/coaling problem was to carry an auxiliary tender. Stopping on a grade for coal and water would require another engine to help the train get under way.

Some films I’ve watched show a large amount of the water being sprayed out of track pans, pretty much wasted, except for dousing the photographer.

I didn’t realize the B&O used them too. Where was that, in the midwest or coastal region?

9

The water troughs had a sloped end to prevent the scoop from crashing into the blunt end of the trough. If a fireman couldn’t get the scoop up in time, the sloped end would direct the scoop out.