I have a Mantua (?) heavyweight Vanderbilt Short Tender with the GN logo on the front sides. The top shows rivet detail and what looks like a fill cap molded into the top of the flat front portion (coal area). In researching relevant images on Google I came across a Southrtn Pacific version that showed a coal load on the front top area.
So- was the real thing a coal or an oil tender? Or either/ or?
And what locomotives was this most commonly paired with?
Cedarwoodron
I have a Bachmann short Vandy with a coal load and extra part to cover the coat, with a fill cap.
The real thing came in both flavors too and was used by the B&O, C&O, UP, SP, CN, GTR, GN although I suspect an indivdual railroad would use one or the other, oil being more of a West Coast thing.
Tenders got swapped around between locos too, so google your railroad of interest and see what you find.
Some pictures here
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
The CNR was a big user of Vanderbilt tenders, especially on their Mountains and Northerns, but they used them on other types, too, including for an order of new Consolidations. When delivered, the tenders were assigned to the S-2-a class of Mikados, with the old tenders from the Mikes going to the new 2-8-0s.
I painted this brass model of an S-2-a Mike for a friend, who wanted it as a coal burner, even though most of the S-2s operated in western Canada, and were oil burners....
A CNR Northern, with a Vanderbilt tender...
There were a number of coal-burning 2-10-2s operating in Ontario which had Vanderbilts, too....
All five of CNR's Hudsons, also coal burners, had Vanderbuilt tenders, as did the U-2-f class of Mountains....
The latter were later converted to oil burners (CN often moved locomotives around their vast system, either swapping-out tenders as necessary or, in many cases, dropping oil tanks into former coal bunkers or removing such tanks and returning the locos to coal burners).
This U-2-f was one of those converted from coal to oil, and it was used in regular service on the Toronto-Niagara Falls, Ontario route in the mid-'70s, replacing one of the usual RDC trains on that route, during the summer months, on Wednesdays and Saturdays...
Wayne
Thanks, fellas- I'm going to leave the bunker alone as an oil tender and just tune it up with the short ladders I seem to be missing.
doctorwayneThe latter were later converted to oil burners (CN often moved locomotives around their vast system, either swapping-out tenders as necessary or, in many cases, dropping oil tanks into former coal bunkers or removing such tanks and returning the locos to coal burners).
Exactly one year ago, Brent (Batman) posted a link to a fascinating panorama view of Drake St. Roundhouse in Vancouver, BC taken 19 Aug. 1916.
Here is a crop from that photo showing the oil tank suspended from the gantry either being repaired or ready to lower into a coal bin of a tender, just as Wayne describes. Imagine, if you will, how the salt-spreading machines are set into or removed from the large dump trucks for snow removal. Similar process.
CPR_Drake-St-RH by Edmund, on Flickr
It takes a little while for the photo to load if you have a slower connection but you can zoom in to uncover a wealth of modeling details from this amazing photo:
https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/view-of-east-false-creek-showing-c-p-r-drake-street-roundhouse-and-coal-trestle-and-cambie-street-bridge
It appears the tender of the 6011 was brought in for the painters to apply some weathering streaks to the numbers on the side
Regards, Ed
Thanks for posting that photo, Ed, and the link to the panoramic view. I had saved the latter one when Brent first posted it, but couldn't locate it.
Glad you found it helpful, Wayne. I spent another two-hours or so at the site again last night. There's some real photographic treasures there
gmpullmanWow, Ed, that panaramic view is a wonderful photo! Anyone modeling the steam era should look it over to get an idea of what an engine yard--and other areas, too--looked like. When I went in close I found a wealth of details I'd never seen before, and I have a pretty big collection of prototype railroad books besides MR bound volumes from 1945 through 1961. I particularly liked the rows and rows of spare locomotive driver tires against the wall of the roundhouse and those neatly arranged pilot wheelsets, both disc and spoked, with their journal boxes, near the turntable, along with the usual truck wheelsets, which is what you usually see. As someone else said, these old photos are worth studying again and again to get the feel of real railroading in the Age of Steel Wheels and Iron Men! Deano doctorwayne The latter were later converted to oil burners (CN often moved locomotives around their vast system, either swapping-out tenders as necessary or, in many cases, dropping oil tanks into former coal bunkers or removing such tanks and returning the locos to coal burners). Exactly one year ago, Brent (Batman) posted a link to a fascinating panorama view of Drake St. Roundhouse in Vancouver, BC taken 19 Aug. 1916. Here is a crop from that photo showing the oil tank suspended from the gantry either being repaired or ready to lower into a coal bin of a tender, just as Wayne describes. Imagine, if you will, how the salt-spreading machines are set into or removed from the large dump trucks for snow removal. Similar process. CPR_Drake-St-RH by Edmund, on Flickr It takes a little while for the photo to load if you have a slower connection but you can zoom in to uncover a wealth of modeling details from this amazing photo: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/view-of-east-false-creek-showing-c-p-r-drake-street-roundhouse-and-coal-trestle-and-cambie-street-bridge It appears the tender of the 6011 was brought in for the painters to apply some weathering streaks to the numbers on the side Regards, Ed
Deano
doctorwayne The latter were later converted to oil burners (CN often moved locomotives around their vast system, either swapping-out tenders as necessary or, in many cases, dropping oil tanks into former coal bunkers or removing such tanks and returning the locos to coal burners).
I suspect what you have is an MDC/Roundhouse tender. Mantua's Vanderbilt tender was very long and had six wheel trucks. Back before DCC when wiring was simpler, it was quite easy to swap tenders between Mantua and MDC engines; for a while I had a Mantua 2-8-2 with a short MDC Vanderbilt tender that worked well together, and I still use an old Mantua 4-8-0 with a short MDC tender.
Vandy tenders could be used for coal or oil. Great Northern had some engines with Vanderbilt long tenders that were converted from coal to oil - and sometimes back to coal!