Full Version: Steam Engines and Tenders.
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Pages: 1 2
Just strictly out of curiosity when looking at how a Steam Engine is connected to its tender are the models prototypical when they use a "tow bar" or did the real thing use a coupler to allow for more flexibilty if swapping out tenders? I imagine that on occasion a tender and loco might be separated, however I'm guessing for the most part that didn't happen too often. How difficult i.e. how much work was it to separate the two if it was required? :? :|
The loco and tender are connected by multiple draw bars (two or three), which are pinned in place. The pins can, and are, pulled to separate the loco and tender. I believe that the UP Bigboys, had to have their tenders disconnected, to allow the loco to be turned on smaller turntables. The tender was then also turned, and re-connected.
If a coupler was ever used, it would have been a rare practice indeed, and one I have never heard mention of. Diesel auxiliary fuel tanks (modified tank cars) could be interpreted as "tenders", and are coupled.
I suppose you could look at the draw bar, as a link and pin coupler.
Sumpter250 Wrote:The loco and tender are connected by multiple draw bars (two or three), which are pinned in place. The pins can, and are, pulled to separate the loco and tender. I believe that the UP Bigboys, had to have their tenders disconnected, to allow the loco to be turned on smaller turntables. The tender was then also turned, and re-connected.
If a coupler was ever used, it would have been a rare practice indeed, and one I have never heard mention of. Diesel auxiliary fuel tanks (modified tank cars) could be interpreted as "tenders", and are coupled.
I suppose you could look at the draw bar, as a link and pin coupler.

Just curious about it. I was thinking about it the other day and tried to look it up on line but couldn't find anything except model train stuff, which just led to further distractions hehehe... must have been asking the wrong question? Thanks for taking the time to answer, much appreciated. Thumbsup
Steam powered rotary plows also required tenders, which had to be hooked up to them via drawbar, which is how I found out how all that worked! I was wondering at the time...while assembling my Tichy Rotary Plow... Confusedhock:
here is a drawing out of the 1947 locomotive cyclopedia showing the draw bar and safety bar this what most loco's had there are variations though..
hope this helps.
Jim
There are a couple of locos and tenders on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation that are connected via draw bar, and there are others that have regular knuckle couplers. I suppose it depended on what the particular railroad wanted.
The drawbar height wasn't standardized, but any railroad probably had a limited number of options.
Lots of railroads did switch tenders around when locos were reassigned or repurposed. It was eventually noticed that locos spent longer in the shops than tenders so some RRs would have fewer tenders than locos and they would be switched around at the shops. (This was after they stopped painting the loco number on the tender.)
Interestingly enough when the PRR built locos new they shared a number with the tender. But as tenders were switched around and locos renumbered the loco and tender would/could have close/similar numbers but not necessarily the same number. I believe the tender kept it's original number regardless of loco assignment.

If you look at the locos at the PA RR museum they do not all share a common number with their tender.

Dave
This is getting more interesting. Thanks gents!
so were tenders considered seperate cars? or as part of the loco if they could be switched around.--josh
I know that tenders were switched around as needed on the PRR. I always considered the tender as part of the locomotive, but I imagine the RR considered otherwise. Sometimes it would have been a matter of convenience, other times there could be an operational reason, such as placing a long-haul tender on a recently reassigned locomotive to a long mileage division on the RR. I saw a photo once of a train on horseshoe curve, 2 I1sa (2-10-0) up front with long haul tenders, 2 I1sa pushing the caboose, identical to the road engines except for their short tenders. When built all of these had the same tenders.

dave
Despite the fact that the tenders could be uncoupled and switched, this was not something that was done like regular switching of cars...

There are a myriad of other connections: Water, fuel (coal stoker for those so equipped, or oil line), heating lines for oil burners, steam lines for passenger trains, air lines for brakes, electrical connections, and so on.

The mention of diesel tenders reminds me that some steamers ran with auxillary water tenders too. They may have been equipped with standard couplers to mate with the business end of the regular tender, but would also have had water line and other connections.

In case you're wondering what a coal stoker is, check out the attachment... This "mechanical shovel" was required on the bigger engines where the fuel consumption exceeded one man's ability to shovel.

Andrew
here are two photos showing the engine and tender though they are from two different engines.
you can see the draw bar and safety bar on the engine and some of the connections on the tender.
Jim
jim currie Wrote:here are two photos showing the engine and tender though they are from two different engines.
you can see the draw bar and safety bar on the engine and some of the connections on the tender.
Jim

I think that round tube above the drawbar is the stoker in the picture. Every pic I've seen of Santa Fe steam shows the Engine number on the tender. I've never seen a picture of a Santa Fe steamer with a tender whose number didn't match, or a picture of a tender for the Santa Fe that didn't have an engine number on it. The Santa Fe did change out tenders from time to time. Usually a particular locomotive might be re-assigned from long haul to helper service. When it went into helper service, depending on the length of the grade, a locomotive might receive a smaller tender than it would use in long haul service.
Russ Bellinis Wrote:I think that round tube above the drawbar is the stoker in the picture.

Yup... that's it! Wink

Andrew
Pages: 1 2