Steam locomotive question.

[Bellow]

Someone here will surely know the answer to this.

In the days of steam locomotives, how was the water carried on the train prevented from freezing in winter?

 

[Dryce]

Someone here will surely know the answer to this.

In the days of steam locomotives, how was the water carried on the train prevented from freezing in winter?

It's probably not an issue as long as the engine is working or kept in light steam.

Typically more water fillups are required than coal (water tends to be the range limiter) - so the water isn't kept in the tanks for very long. There's rather a lot of it so the total energy dissipation required from the tanks in the engine or the tender is likely to be quite great.

If it gets really bad you'd keep the engines in sheds and burn coal to keep the sheds warm.

Water troughs between the rails would be a problem though. Out in the open and providing a surface area to freeze.

 

[Cabe]

"Tank Engines" are called because they have the water tanks carried on the sides of the boiler, so that's not an issue

As for tendered loco's the mass of the water is so great that it would never freeze solid under normal usage and once you get the engine up to temperature the latent heat transfer though the pipes is enough to keep it moving. If they were going to leave a tender unused for any length of time I suspect they would store them dry.

SDRM How to Boot a Steam Locomotive an excellent read if you like this sort of thing.

 

[Dryce]

Someone here will surely know the answer to this.

In the days of steam locomotives, how was the water carried on the train prevented from freezing in winter?

Damn. You piqued my further interest in this.

Not a direct answer but related.

Shap Cumbria Community Website

"The hard winter of 1962-3 was recalled when he along with 30 men spent weeks continually breaking the ice on Dillicar water troughs, frost fires were kept burning in the sheds to prevent the boiler in the engines freezing and braziers were burned at the foot of the water columns."

And a US based answer.

How did they keep water from freezing in tender?

 

[MercMan1]

I didn't know MB made trains??

 

[Bellow]

Thanks all.
The sheer volume of water seems to be the main factor on the locomotive that held freezing at bay.
I would imagine the steel work never full cooled down either, especially if kept in a shed.
Ice clearing the troughs sounds a real - not to mention dangerous! - chore.

 

[Dryce]

"Tank Engines" are called because they have the water tanks carried on the sides of the boiler, so that's not an issue

Typically side or saddle mounting of the tanks.

But the tank may be at the rear or underneath.

And I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that the BR Standard Class 4 have a small tank at the rear at the back of the bunker in addition to the side tanks.