Water Troughs For Non Stop Steam Running

[Trog]

"It is more likely that these areas having no gradient, are difficult to drain.
Also the troughs would originally have been in a slight dip as the track was made to rise slightly at each end to stop water running out of the ends of the trough. If this feature still remains the natural drainage of such a section will be further reduced."

Railways are not in general drained by natural drainage but use dedicated installed drainage to remove water from the track and formation.

Said drainage naturally tends to contain water that wants to run down hill.

Railway track drainage is constrained in that you can only install it in a quite narrow band. In that you have to be deep enough to allow a ballast cleaner to cut over the lowered pits, but shallow enough that the trench you install it in is not too deep to be safe to work in. So on areas of level track in cuttings installing a drain with a reasonable fall can be almost impossible. Out of cuttings there is less of a problem as the top of the formation can be cut at a one in thirty angle and the natural drainage processes will then take the water away sideways across the cess and away down the bank without the need to install piped drainage.

You will also often find drains that have water running in one part, that dry out as you move downhill, as the water is leaving the drain and soaking away as the drain moves into dryer or more permeable ground.

 

[Welshman]

Autostokers! I know that generally these weren't very good, but if we're talking about on-the-move coaling, surely they could have beeb sorted?

Yes, you're right. Had steam survived long enough, ways would have been found to make these more reliable.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Was there a proposal about 20 years ago to rebuild the troughs at Garsdale so that the Cumbrian Mountain Express wouldn't need to stop for water ?

Do preserved steam engines still have the scoops fitted ?

Several preserved locos have still got scoops fitted to their tenders, although it's impossible to know if it works as the troughs no longer exist! There isn't much point in maintaining this equipment in working order if it can't be used.

New-build A1 Tornado's tender was built without the original scoop to allow more water capacity, the coal bunkering was also reduced slightly for the same reason. On modern steam excursions coal isn't usually a problem, water supply is. Mainline steam locos now mostly fill up from road tankers, a rather awkward procedure compared to the water towers and troughs that once existed.

After steam was phased out, BR became very anti-steam, and actively removed watering and coaling facilities; In most cases there was no urgent need for this, it's as if they were embarrassed by these reminders of their over-long affair with steam and wanted to present themselves as a modern railway.