Steam & Excursion > SP Auxiliary Water Tenders

In Robert Chruch's book on the 4300 4-8-2's he makes mention of auxiliary water cars being put in behind engines for extended runs. Does anyone have any photos of this being done or any information on what the water cars were? Extra tenders? Tank cars? both? Was this routine on certain trains or a special case?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/12 08:27 by PhillipJohnson.

This is not exactly a 4300, but it is an auxiliary water tank behind an SP steam engine. The Keeler tank had gone dry by 1959.

JBWX

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I believe the tank car in this photo is currently is part of the train on the narrow gauge trestle on the second floor of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

The picture in Church's book appears to be a tank car as well.

In Phil Serpico's book JAWBONE, I have some nice color
slides published showing two 2300 4-6-0s switching two
aux water cars at Lone Pine in the middle 1950s...

Bob Drenk

2914 used one out of Bakersfield in the early fifties.
Chris

Are any of the SP narrow gauge locomotives restorable?

I think the #18 is getting work done in Independence, CA.

PhillipJohnson Wrote:
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> In Robert Chruch's book on the 4300 4-8-2's he
> makes mention of auxiliary water cars being put in
> behind engines for extended runs. Does anyone
> have any photos of this being done or any
> information on what the water cars were? Extra
> tenders? Tank cars? both? Was this routine on
> certain trains or a special case?

They were routine on the Tucson Division between Yuma and Tucson. The equipment was modified tank cars and the run was not considered extended. Trains were limited in where they could take water, with direction dictating the locations. Water on the Wellton and Picacho Subdivisions were at the following

Yuma
Wellton
Aztec
Sentinel
Gila
Maricopa
Casa Grande
Red Rock
Rillito
Tucson

The critical water area was on the Wellton Subdivision.

Westward trains were instructed to take full tank at Maricopa; eastward trains were instructed to take full tank at Sentinel. In this case most trains did not need water at Gila, where it could be devoted to helpers and yard engines.

For a photo see "Southern Pacific El Paso Route Pictorial -- Southern Pacific Steam series Volume 38" page 54. Book by Jeff Ainsworth.

Thanks BCHelman, thats exactly what I was looking for. I don't own that book, but I'll look into acquiring it.

Does anyone else have any photos of such operations?

PhillipJohnson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks BCHelman, thats exactly what I was looking
> for. I don't own that book, but I'll look into
> acquiring it.
>
> Does anyone else have any photos of such
> operations?


Also "Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 5: Hoppers, Covered Hoppers, Tank Cars," by Anthony W. Thompson, has a photo on page 296 of a westward train at Midlake siding on the Great Salt Lake trestle with an auxiliary water supply. The book doesn't specifically cover auxiliary tanks, but there are other photos showing tank cars in water service. It's possible that some were devoted to domestic water supply for isolated areas, or as auxiliary tenders.

What is clear is that Southern Pacific operated in territories where water was scarce and of poor quality for steam locomotives. Converting to Diesel solved many problems and reduced costs in this regard.