In case anyone wanted to know, the tank car right behind the engine is full of oil, they don't use coal anymore. And the yellow tank car behind that is water.

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
In case anyone wanted to know, the tank car right behind the engine is full of oil, they don't use coal anymore. And the yellow tank car behind that is water.

The tender car still has an intact water compartment. The oil only occupies the space once used for coal. The additional water cars are needed because steam locomotives are hardly used anymore and most of the water replenishment systems across the country have be removed.

Meanwhile, up here in Calgary AB a few months ago. a octogenarian Canadian Pacific Hudson steam locomotive, #2816, dubbed, 'The Empress', started off out of Ogden Yard on a 10,000 mile round trip to Mexico City, using TWO water tenders - we call 'em canteens.

There are hundreds of videos of this epic trip on YouTube.

Of course, being Canadian, hardly anybody here would have known about it. Nevertheless, an American movie company has made a DVD of the entire trip, since it had to pass through the entire USA from North to South. Sales are expected to reach well into double figures

I saw Big Boy go by in Martin City, Missouri this afternoon. Saw it static at Union Station in Kansas City a couple of years ago. It was impressive to see it go by but maybe I like being able to peruse details when it was sitting better. I went with a train enthusiast, and found out there are really nutty levels of train nerds. He's been around some really immersed and he finds them tiring real quick.