How Were Railroad Water Towers Filled

The water was pumped from the well up into the tower through the 6 inch pipe.

How were railroad water towers filled. The rooftop water towers store 5 000 to 10 000 gallons of water until it is needed in the building below. As i was waiting for 475 to run around the train and hook up to the hello dolly car to pull the 4 o clock train she stopped to fill up with water. This pipe went to an overhead supply system next to the track which swung over the train when filling. One that does exist and is easy to access if you are ever taking a trip on i 57 is in kinmundy il.

With the introduction of tenders a special car containing water and fuel trains could run 100 150 miles 160 240 km without a refill. Water towers are able to supply water even during power outages because they rely on hydrostatic pressure produced by elevation of water due to gravity to push the water into domestic and industrial water distribution systems. The reason we don t see more today is that most of them were made of wood and they have disappeared. Back when they used steam engines railroads got water from whatever source was nearby.

A water tower also serves as a reservoir to help with water needs during peak usage times. Later small steam and gasoline engines were used. Some railroads that ran in the desert like the santa fe had to use tank cars to bring in water since there. To accumulate the water water stops employed water tanks water towers and tank ponds.

It was nestled inbetween the timbers and cross bracing. As the water saturates the wood it swells the gaps close and become impermeable. However they cannot supply the water for a long time without power because a pump is typically required to refill the tower. So there were more water towers than coaling towers.

Water towers were the most common source for filling locomotive tenders. The wooden walls of the water tower are held together with steel cables or straps but leak through the gaps when first filled. Later they were used in larger railroad terminals. Mendocino is famous for its water towers.

The water was initially pumped by windmills watermills or by hand pumps often by the train crew themselves. Before electricity the water was pumped up to the towers by windmills. Windmills were also used. The towers were built at the end of the 19th century and they provided the town with water.

Such pump houses were insulated from the cold to keep the waterpumps from freezing. In early years when locomotives would only go 10 15 miles between fillings water towers were located in almost every town. The pump house was incorporated into the structure when the water tower was built. And the 12 inch pipe which has a valve was used to fill the steam engine boilers.

Unlike fort bragg mendocino has no central water supply to this day so many of the original towers are still in use.