Do steam trains reuse water?

Steam locomotives exhausted to the atmosphere so water had to be constantly replenished. Over the course of a route, considerable variations in water quality were found, creating different types of incrustation. The problems were less with land boilers as the feedwater was constantly recycled.



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The water consumption varied from 24.32 lb per drawbar horsepower hour (about 4.11 kg/drawbar MJ) for the ex-LNER class A4 Pacific to 32.64 lb per drawbar horsepower hour for the ex-Southern Railway West Country class Pacific.

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Water Troughs These troughs allowed train crews to replenish the water supplies of their locomotives without having to stop the train. As the locomotive reached the start of the water trough (usually indicated by a track side marker board), the fireman would lower a scoop into the trough.

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Steam locomotives are no longer used to transport passengers or products because electric and diesel locomotives are faster, more efficient, and easier to maintain. The locomotives that are still running are a piece of history dating back to the 1800's that really put into perspective just how far we've come!

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Some trains may have composting toilet tanks, which use bacterial action to break down solid and liquid waste. Only the broken down clean liquid is released to the trackbed after sterilisation. The solid waste only has to be emptied every half year.

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On most steam locomotives the fuel and water are carried in a separate car, the tender, behind the locomotive. Usually the tender is semi-permanently coupled to the engine. Lindy's tender, which originally carried coal as the fuel, has been converted to carry oil.

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  • A steam engine is huge and heavy. ...
  • Steam engine has low efficiency.
  • Steam engine does not start at once.
  • Before a steam engine can start, one has to build a coal fire to get steam which takes a long time.


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Of course they do! Trains have windshield wipers the same as cars do, and generally speaking, the rain isn't enough to short the electrical motors on their own. The worst case scenario is that if the rains are hurting visibility, the trains might slow down so to not over run a signal.

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So they err on the side of caution, and instruct you not to drink the water, because they can't guarantee that it's potable. Even if the water is great when it goes in, it sits around in an unrefrigerated tank that doesn't get a thorough cleaning every day. That alone is enough to disqualify it for drinking.

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While modern trains won't litter the tracks with human excrement, the traditional method did just that. This is what was known as a hopper toilet. It could either be a simple hole in the floor (also known as a drop chute toilet) or a full-flush system.

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True, there is little or no chance of steam trains replacing electric and diesel trains on our modern rail network. But if steam remains history, it is an unusually active and extensive variety of history. Steam has made an impressive comeback under the guise of heritage, to become an enormous national asset.

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You can find small and large steam engines for sale on eBay. Look for a modern steam engine for sale in two-cylinder, three-cylinder, or six-cylinder builds. A two-cylinder steam engine produces 10 horsepower, and a three-cylinder generates 15 horsepower.

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