Hi there, I was wondering if anyone knows of any other places or countries that used water troughs to scoop up water for steam engine tenders at speed? The only places I know of is the Northeastern USA and Great Briton and also some NYC lines in Canada (CASO). I also heard that in England the deisel “Deltics” picked up water this way in the 70’s for steam heating the train.
So I’m wondering if troughs ever existed in the West or on the European Continent, USSR, Africa or Australia or anywhere else? Thanks to anyone who might answer.
The PRR used Trackpans in several locations, one notably in Wilmore, Pennsylvania which is located on the West Slope about 14 miles East of Johnstown. The grade around Wilmore was minor, a flat spot in the West Slope, so pans were installed, and water was supplied by a reservoir built in Wilmore by the PRR which still exists today. Water in the pans was heated by steam heat in the Winter to avoid freezeups.The engineer dropped a scoop to pick up the water. Maintenace of the pans included ash removal,from trains passing over the pans, which would otherwise clog the pans. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown
NYC had several pans along the Water Level Route. Good place for the rookie railfan to set up for a picture, not realizing just how far that water would travel… (read about it - never actually saw one)
On the Pennsy through Altoona, the pans werre primarily for Freight, but I believe Passenger Trains used them too. I have seen pictures of Freights taking on water at Wilmore and they filled the tenders in short order…Huge spills and sprays of water out the rear of the tenders were observed in some pictures. Freights needed frequent water replenishment, to the point that a watering point was built midway up the East Slope at Horseshoe Curve at Kittanning Point, where the Signals on the East end are. There is a huge water tank still in place there on the hillside near that Signalbridge.I have hiked in along a Jeep Trail there and have gotten up next to that tank.which is next to that trail. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown
I don’t know of any - but that does mean that pans weren’t used. Water of steam quality was scarce in many areas of the west and the spills and sprays from the track pan would have wasted a lot of water. From my observation, western RRs tended to use larger tenders than eastern RRs because of the scarcity of water.
…I can’t tell you exactly where the water pans were located here in Indiana but I believe it is a fact the Pennsylvania RR used them on their east - west route across this state possibly in the Ft. Wayne area. I’m sure some fans on here know just where.
SP might have used them for fast passenger trains, worth doing some research on but I remember reading about SP Atlantics operating with water pans out in the deserts.
BTW Woe to the poor head end baggage car attendant that left the vestibule door open when the tender scooped water, when the tank was full, the excess water would flood over the back of the tender and if the door was open, flooding right into the head end car!
Yes you are correct - diesels did pick up water from troughs for their steam heat boilers in the UK. – I can attest to that fact by getting wet from overflow on the Western mainline at Goring troughs – the loco was a Hymek (if you are familiar with UK loco’s ) – also travelled behind Casle class steam locos at the same spot - but closed the window ahead of time – the diesel caught me by surprise.!
The end of the pan gets knocked flat ruining the day for the next train and the MOW crews, and if the scoop catches a tie after that, the shop crews are on overtime…
Track pans were used extensively in England in the days of steam. The operation is described, and equipment illustrated, in the recent book HOW A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WORKS.
Pennsy had a track pan in Dola, Ohio, in the middle of a long, flat, and generally tangent stretch about halfway between Upper Sandusky and Lima. Likely if they had one there, they had them in Indiana as well, on the way to Chicago.
there was a pan on the nyc along hiway 30 in northern indiana, between plymouth and valpo. when i was a young boy we were on our way to the dunes state park for vacation and a nyc passenger was comming. my dad stoped the car so we could watch it pick up water on the fly. that was a sight that i will never forget.
I remember a picture, or was it a painting, in Trains many years ago that showed a high speed pan pick up on the Michigan Central between Ypsilanti (Yip-sell-an-tee) and Dearborn, MI. I lived nearby at the time (10 or 20 years ago) and found the remnants of a water tower that might have been used to supply the pans just west of Beck Rd.