How often did steam locomotives need water?

During the very early days of steam locomotives, water stops were necessary every 7–10 miles (11–16 km) and consumed much travel time. With the introduction of tenders (a special car containing water and fuel), trains could run 100–150 miles (160–240 km) without a refill.



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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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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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In the earliest years of steam railways trains did stop frequently, so all the facilities could be found at the station: Toilets, refreshments, sale of meals into the train. As the trains went on longer distances with fewer, shorter stops, they also had toilets installed.

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Steam trains were indeed faster than wagons, and steam ships faster and stronger than sailing ships. But the smoke they sent into the air polluted the air. Then diesel and electric trains came, and they were somewhat cleaner. However, to make the electricity that trains use; large amounts of coal have to be burned.

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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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Yes, locomotive engines typically have a toilet, also known as a lavatory or restroom, for the use of the crew members who operate the train.

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An A4 Pacific locomotive running uphill with an express train was generating a drawbar horsepower of between about 1200 to 1300 horsepower. (Allen, 1950, Table 50, p xl). So an A4 Pacific running under these conditions was using between about 30000 and 32000 lb of water per hour (13.6 to 14.5 tonnes per hour).

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Many locomotives can last 30–40 years, depending on the maintenance done on them. Our GG1 Lasted 41 years, but many of the steam locomotives were retired early. So they had years left in them, but the company did not want to run steam anymore, so they were retired early.

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1000 miles between refuellings would not be unreasonable for a road locomotive with a 4000 gallon tank averaging 40 mph on a line with a maximum grade of 1%. However I would want refuel before I am running on the bottom third of the tank, so perhaps 700 miles is more realistic.

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By the late steam era (1930s-1940s) a locomotive used in main line service could run anywhere between 75 to 150 miles before needing to refuel, which typically coincided with a train crew's district/territory.

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For customers seeking plenty of comfort and room, Bedrooms provide twice the space as a Roomette and feature a sofa and armchair by day and upper and lower berths by night. Each room includes a big picture window, fresh towels and linens, and an in-room sink, restroom, and shower.

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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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Coal fired steam locomotives do produce a lot of CO2 emissions but also aerosols which has a cooling effect (global dimming), which cancels out some of the warming produced by CO2. Diesel locos probably produce less CO2 but also less aerosols that would cancel out the CO2.

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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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Black locomotives became common beginning in 1880, after coal burning engines made grime commonplace. Black was chosen because black locomotives didn't show all the dirt and grime that covered the locomotive during normal use.

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Crews on the road typicaly start at there home terminal when they are called and work a particular route to the away terminal where they rest and wait for there call for a train headded back to it's home terminal. At the away terminal the railroad supplys houseing either in a motel or sometimes in a company dorm.

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