Filling Water Tanks

[rich19]

I'm modelling Louisiana in the 1880's in On30- I do realise that my question, however, is not limited to this scale.

Does anyone know how water tanks were filled in this era and in a country as flat as LA? Electricity for powering a water pump, although known, was still future so the only way I can think of is a steam powered pump. This, however, must have been very cumbersome to operate so maybe someone must have been assigned to operate it? How was the water purified in those years?

Your help is appreciated, Richard, Austria

[amdaylight]

Richard,

I am not sure about Louisiana, but out west the use of a "wind motor" aka a wind mill was used quite allot. The other method was to find a water source that was higher than the water tank but in Louisiana that would have been a problem. In Louisiana I would think that most of the water tanks would have been in the shop area where some one watching a steam pump would not have been a problem, out on the railroad they probably would have had tanks, creeks and such at ground level and used a steam siphon on the locomotive to get the water into the tender. Mostly the water was not purified, the sediment would settle somewhat in either the tank or the tender. This is what the the blow down valves were for on the "mud ring" of the boiler. Every so often when running a steam locomotive the engineer will "blow down" the boiler and what he is doing is getting the crud that builds up in a locomotive out of the lowest point on the boiler. Bad water in this era also leads to another dirty job, re-fluing the boiler where the bad flues are removed, the inside of the boiler is scraped down to re-move the scale and crud that has cooked itself to the boiler shell. River steam boats had the very same problem as most of them took their water straight from the mud water that they floated in - on.

Andre

[ebtnut]

Andre's answer is pretty comprehensive.  On the EBT, they generally used electric pumps since power was relatively close by, but the water itself was drawn from nearby creeks, or from springs up on the ridge.  In that case the water was piped down to a cistern under the tank and then pumped up.  For a tank far from electricty, a small steam pump would be the answer.  Usually these would be operated by hooking up a hose from the loco and running loco steam into the pump to operate it.  Otherwise, it would be the responsibility of the section crew to check the tank periodically and fill it up as needed. 

After labor costs, water supply might be the biggest expense on a steam-era railroad.  Consider building and maintaining all those tanks, the supply systems, the cost of the water if it came from a municipal supply, etc.  Most railroads of any size had tanks about every 25-30 miles, since water is used up at about 6 to 7 times the rate of fuel.  A large main line steam loco might cover a hundred mile division with one load of coal, but they might have to stop for water 2 or 3 times along the way.

[Royce Wilson]

What about using a steam engine syphon to fill the tank from the swamp water close by.               Royce

[rich19]

well guys, if that's how it was done back then, there's another structure to be omitted from my layout.......

many thanks for your help

merry xmas to all

richard - austria (yes, we already went skiing...)

[Ken]

Richard

  depending on the amount of traffic on the line. You could do away with the tank and just build a pumphouse with a steam driven vertical deep well
pump and add a standpipe to fill the tender. A steam hose from the engine
to an outside connection on the pumphouse would supply the power to run the pump.

  A bit later(1900) gas pumps were starting to be used for refilling of tanks.

  Ken
   GWN

[rich19]

well, at least that requires some kind of structure.....

I was already contemplating a treadmill with a donkey or so....

thanks! Richard

[wade]

I think Royce is right. Syphon pumps (aka induction pumps) mounted on the engine were the norm in locations other than the main shops at that time on short lines in flat lands at that time.
Wade

[ebtnut]

Cass Scenic RR still uses the steam syphons on their Shays to tank up on the run up to Bald Knob.  An old tank car body was plunked down by a stream that runs under the tracks to collect the water.  Takes about 15-20 minutes to fill the tender tank.  The preference in cases of syphons was to use as clean water as possible.  Sucking out the swamp water was to be avoided if possible, but done if necessary.  Note that the hoses used for this purpose usually had some kind of screen on the end to keep out the branches, turtles, fish, etc.  You may have seen old RR cartoons showing some braking with a fishing line down the in the tender.  Apparently, getting fish in the tank was not unheard of !:o

[japasha]

Richard,

The D&RGW narrow gauge had a number of steam orpeated pumps along the narrow gauge to pump water from nearby rivbers and creeks. They also had wells with the same kind of pump thaough the pump head was different. Some spots used  gravity to fill the tanks depending on year around flow levels. Siphons were very common on logging roads when out in the woods. One of the pictures used some years ago by Bachmann showed a shay dipping into a creek for a load up. That means a length of hose and a steam operated pump on the deck of the tender or locomotive with the required piping.

After the 1920s electric pumps were used in place of the steam units. Shortline and Narrow Gauge Gazette had a few articles on a Rio Grande pump house and plumbing to the tank. The usual reason to change was that the steam pump needed someone to man it 24/7. The tanks usually had an enclosed area, sometimes the entire tank to prevent the fill pipes from freezing. The Westside Lumbercompany had a simple gravity feed tank. Plans are available for many types. A couple of nice, squre tanks similar to the Westside are available in kit form

[rich19]

Many thanks for the very fruitful information so far.

Question:
- were siphons already in use around 1880?
- is a siphon a "visible" appliance on a steam locomotive?
- does anyone have a photograph of a siphon in use?

Richard

[Ken]

Richard

   Eductors (Siphon) were in general use for various applications.
   An Injector was used to supply water to the boiler.

  If you have a Bachmann Climax 0n2½<G>) take a look at bottom of tank
left rear, and you will see a small T shaped black object which is the Eductor. Steam connection to bottom, siphon hose would be attached to
the  side of fitting. Steam used would be condensed by water in tank
so no venting of steam would be see.

   I have used eductors to pump sumps and remove chemicals from
pressure vessels where I worked (retired) Still! have a small one in the basement you never know, when it may come in handy.<G>.

  Likly a photo or two in the NG&SLG but as to which issue?, if I come across one will let you know. Not positive, but believe one of the covers had a scene with an engine taking water from a stream.

  Ken
   GWN

 

[japasha]

Siphons were in use during the civil war as many tanks were destroyed in the fighting.  The siphon is a logging or shortline operation for obvious reasons. So if you had a small railroad in the 1880s a siphon could be used.