Branchline Water works

Member Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 97

How was the water prepared for the Branch lines for steam locomotives?

The running of steam locomotives required water as well as coal. Industrial water for the running the steam locomotives should to have a high level of quality. Especially important were the salt content and the hardness of the water. As a result the mainline railway Bahnbetriebswerk would have a railway waterwork. These waterwerks incorporated their own filtering systems, where the water for operations was made usable.

The water was extracted from springs, wells and ponds and then cleaned. After cleaning the industrial water was pumped into a water tower and drawn from there. These facilities had various designs; there was no standard type. All water towers had several up and down pipes. The water towers supplied all areas with industrial water including the water cranes.

At branchlines â€“ was the water cleaned and demineralized as thoroughly as the Mainline locomotives?

Member Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Posts: 45 Location: Beverly,MA

Hi Eddie,all,
I would guess,and I will be corrected, that maybe railways did not have the luxury of that. When looking at the vorbild/prototype photos of dampfloks a thin(or thick) white film appears.To me this means 'hard' water,high mineral/line content,which leave the stain.Most prevalent is on tenders or water hatches,yet also many other places,...

Dr D

Member Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 76 Location: Leeds, UK

Water treatment was often, if not usually, done "on board". I have seen photographs of water cranes where the degree of water hardness was written on the standpipe. I suppose if it wasn't written on, the crews were told about it otherwise.
Some chemicals were carried on the locomotives that were added to the water according to its chemical properties and the quantity of water drawn (they called it "dosieren" in German"). This caused the offending matters to form insoluble compounds which precipitated without forming the feared limescale, and the resulting sludge was washed out when necessary. Of course, this description is highly simplified.

Jan-Martin

Member Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Posts: 45 Location: Beverly,MA

Hi Jan-Martin,all,

Jan-Martin Hertzsch wrote:

Water treatment was often, if not usually, done "on board". I have seen photographs of water cranes where the degree of water hardness was written on the standpipe. I suppose if it wasn't written on, the crews were told about it otherwise.
Some chemicals were carried on the locomotives that were added to the water according to its chemical properties and the quantity of water drawn (they called it "dosieren" in German"). This caused the offending matters to form insoluble compounds which precipitated without forming the feared limescale, and the resulting sludge was washed out when necessary. Of course, this description is highly simplified.

Jan-Martin

OK,I buy that.But where was it done?

Dr D

Member Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 76 Location: Leeds, UK

Quote:

But where was it done?

Maybe I should have been more specific when I wrote "on board". The chemicals (such as sodium (hydrogen) carbonate and a foam inhibitor) were added to the water in the tender or tank when it was refilled.

A lengthy discussion of this topic can be found at http://www.swr.de/forum/read.php?5,36846,36846 (in German).

Jan-Martin

Member Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 124 Location: Europe

The old VHS tape 'Traktion mit Tradition', a tape from about twenty years ago, shows the additives going into the tender . Poured out of what seems to be a DR tin cup!

Member Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 97

Thanks, Both Kevin and Jan-Martin's responses appear accurate. If the water is not pur any overflow would show on the sides of the locomotive as deposits.

The cost of in-situ water purification would be additional boiler cleaning and draining of the sludge.