Water on the Fly!

[normneuberger]

When I was a youngster my father would take us to visit relatives around Sandusky, Ohio. Later in the day he woulkd take me to see the steam trains pick up water on the fly. I believe this was the Big Four between Sandusky and Cleveland. It was quite exciting to see the water fly and then when the tender filled the water shot up out of the overflow. I wish a had pictures of this.

This was in the 1940's.
Was this common back then?

[Anonymous]

I have never heard of steam locomotives taking water on the fly and would like to hear how it was done. I have seen many take water, but it was always at a stand pipe.

[REDDYK]

It never was a widespread practice, because of the expense of the track pan installation and maintenance, train pick-up equipment, and most of all what winter weather did to the installation. I have a video of the NYC taking water on the fly. Impressive. I think some other railroads used this practice, but I dont know which ones or where. Anyone else know?

[Anonymous]

The Pennsy was the other big user of trackpans. I am aware of a few other roads that made limited use them, also but I can't recall who they were, just now. I believe the B&O was one, though.
The justification for the expense of the pans is the traffic density on the NYC and PRR. Steamers needed to stop for water more frequently than coal so if they could pick up water on the fly, traffic could flow more freely with fewer stops.
The Central really made an art out of the practice and could run a train much longer without engine changes by using tenders with massive coal bunkers and deminutive (relatively) water tanks.
The Pennsy got the most out of their track pans by placing them on flat spots on the grades on either side of Horseshoe Curve. This was a tremendous help in keeping traffic flowing on one of the busiest mainlines in the world.
I have a video (Sunday River, I think) that shows Pennsy trains taking water on the fly. In one scene the fireman was a little slow in getting the scoop down and the train was forced to reverse direction and do it all over again. Fortunately, it was a lowly mail train and not the Broadway Limited - but I'm sure there were a lot of questions asked once the Super caught up with the crew! Pennsy management did not like to see trains stop on the hill, much less back up.
Jim, Roseau MN

[Anonymous]

I believe I read one time of the Reading using this technique between Philadelphia and Jersey City on trains like the Crusader and Wall Street.

[BR60103]

The use of water troughs was quite common in Britain, especially on the LMS and LNER lines from London to Scotland. You just have to look at those little 6-wheel tenders and realise that they might have to run 400 miles non-stop.
There were problems with picking up water. The railroad had to find a mile or so of straight, level track. The scoop was unliftable when picking up water, so the ends of the trough were slanted up to reduce the water level. Overflow pipes were provided in case too much water was picked up. I think at least one engineman was killed when the overfow from the next track blew in the cab windows. Lots of passengers got soaked for having the windows open at the wrong time.

David the Platelayer

[Anonymous]

NYC used trackpans on the Michigan Central, Canada Southern and Lake Shore lines in several places; this practice also enabled steam engines to use tenders with larger coal capacity for longer distances between stops, resulting in faster schedules. This was when the passenger train was still #1 priority. Sadly, those days are long gone in the USA.

[Valleyline]

The following is a quote from "Connecticut Railroads" by Turner and Jacobus in their discussion of the New York and New England RR c.1880.

"The track pans were another novelty. The New England Limited covered 213 miles in the then remarkable time of just six hours, because it did not have to stop for water between Boston and Willimatic (CT)- some 86 miles. Clark himself made this timesaver possible by having special pans filled with water installed between the rails at Putnam (CT). Locomotive tenders fitted beneath with scoops could collect twenty five hundred gallons in about thirty seconds, while trains glided along at forty-five miles per hour.Track pans were pioneered by an ingenious Englishman, John Ramsbottom, in 1859, and were used on the London and Northwestern Railway. Clark saw them in use while in England, and his pans may have been the first in America: they antidate those on the New York Central by about twenty five years. Each pan measured fifteen hundred feet in length, and was twenty-eight inches wide by seven inches deep. Steam pipes were included in the trough to prevent winter freeze-ups."

[normneuberger]

Thanks for all the great information. It brings back a lot of memories.