Tank locomotive

A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries

its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more
traditional tender. A tank engine may also have a bunker (or oil tank)
to hold fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive,
distinguished by the position and style of the water tanks and fuel
bunkers. The most common type has tanks mounted either side of the
boiler. This type originated about 1840 and quickly became popular
for industrial tasks, and later for shunting and shorter distance main
line duties. Tank locomotives have advantages and disadvantages
compared to traditionaltender locomotives.
LB&SCR J1 class

Contents
Origins
Types of tank locomotive
Side tank
Saddle tank
Pannier tank
Well tank
Rear tank (or back tank)
Wing tank
Inverted saddle tank
Combinations
Wheel arrangement
Fuel bunker
Other types of tank locomotive
Garratt locomotive
Crane tank
Streamlined tank locomotives
Contractor's locomotive
Fireless locomotive
Steam tram engines
Vertical boiler locomotives
Pros and cons
Popularity
Preservation
See also
References

Origins
The first tank locomotive was the Novelty that ran at the Rainhill Trials in 1829. It
was an example of a Well Tank. However, the more common form of Side tank date
from the 1840s; one of the first of these was supplied by George England and Co. of
New Cross to the contractors building the Newhaven, Sussex branch line for the
London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1848.[1] In spite of the early belief
that such locomotives were inherently unsafe,[2] the idea quickly caught on,
particularly for industrial use and five manufacturers exhibited designs at The Great
Exhibition in 1851. These were E. B. Wilson and Company, William Fairbairn &
Sons, George England, Kitson Thompson and Hewitson and William Bridges
Adams.[3] By the mid-1850s tank locomotives were to be found performing a variety A modern replica of Novelty, the first
of main line and industrial roles, particularly those involving shorter journeys or tank locomotive
frequent changes in direction.

Types of tank locomotive

There are a number of types of tank locomotive, based on the location and style of the water tanks. These include the side tank, the
saddle tank, the pannier tank, the well tank and others.

Side tank
A configuration very common in
the U.K. The water is contained in
rectangular tanks mounted on either
side of the locomotive, near to the
boiler but not quite touching. The
tank sides extend down to the
running platform, if such is present,
for at least part of their length.
A typical side tank locomotive from
An example with a tapered front and
1897 The length of side tanks was often an access aperture
limited in order to give access to
the inside motion. If it was desired
to extend them to the front of the locomotive for greater capacity, access could be facilitated by apertures provided at the appropriate
location. With larger side tanks it was sometimes necessary to taper the tanks slightly at the front end to improve forward visibility.
Side tanks almost all stopped at, or before, the end of the boiler barrel, with the smokebox protruding ahead. A few designs did reach
to the front of the smokebox and these were termed 'flatirons'.

Saddle tank
The water tank sits on top of the boiler like a saddle sits atop a horse. Usually the
tank is curved in cross-section, although in some cases there were straight sides
surmounted by a curve (like an inverted 'U'), or even an ogee shape (a concave arc
flowing into a convex arc). Saddle tanks were a popular arrangement especially for
smaller locomotives in industrial use. It gave a greater water supply, but limited the
size of the boiler and restricted access to it for cleaning. However, the locomotive
has a higher centre of gravity and hence must operate at lower speeds. The driver's
vision may also be restricted, again restricting the safe speed.
A typical curved saddle tank
Water in the tank is slightly pre-heated by the boiler, which reduces the loss of
pressure found when cold feedwater is injected into the boiler. However, if the water
becomes too hot, injectors lose efficiency and can fail. For this reason, the tanks
often stopped short of the hotter and uninsulatedsmokebox.

The squared-off shape of the

Belpaire firebox does not fit easily
beneath a saddle tank, and so most
saddle tanks retained the older
round-topped boiler instead. A few
A saddle tank with both straight sides
American locomotives used saddle
and a protruding smokebox
tanks that only covered the boiler
barrel, forward of the firebox.

Large USA 2-8-2T saddle tank. Note

the short tank, avoiding both firebox
and smokebox

Pannier tank
Pannier tanks, in Britain used almost exclusively by the Great Western Railway, and
also common in Belgium, are box-shaped tanks carried on the sides of the boiler like
a pannier is carried by pack animal. Unlike the side tank, they do not go all the way
down and there is space between the tank and the running plate. The pannier
arrangement lowers the centre of gravity compared to a saddle tank, whilst still
allowing easy access to the inside motion that the latter gave. The first Great
Western pannier tanks were actually converted from saddle tank locomotives[4]
when these were being rebuilt in the early 1900s with the Belpaire firebox. There
were difficulties in accommodating the flat top of the latter within an encircling Pannier tank: GWR 57xx class

saddle tank which cut down capacity and increased the tendency to overheat the
water in the tank.[5] In Belgium, pannier tanks were in use at least since 1866, once
again in conjunction with Belpaire firebox locomotives built for the Belgian State and for la Société Générale d'Exploitatation
[6] Pannier tank locomotives are often seen as iconic of the GWR.
(SGE), a private company grouping smaller secondary lines.

Well tank
In this design, used in earlier and smaller locomotives, the water is stored in a 'well'
on the underside of the locomotive, generally between the locomotive's frames. This
does not restrict access to the boiler, but space is limited there, and the design is
therefore not suitable for locomotives that need a good usable range before refilling.
The arrangement does, however, have the advantage of creating a low centre of
gravity, creating greater stability on poorly laid or narrow gauge tracks. The original
tank locomotive, Novelty, was a well tank.

A well tank
 A well tank formerly used on London
suburban services

Rear tank (or back tank)

In this design, the tank is placed behind the cab, usually over a supporting bogie.
This removes the weight of the water from the driving wheels, giving the locomotive
a constant tractive weight. The disadvantage is a reduction in water carrying
capacity. A rear tank is an essential component of the American Forney type of loco,
which is essentially a 4-4-0 American-type with wheels reversed.

A rear tank

Wing tank
Wing tanks are side tanks that run the length of the smokebox, instead of the full length of the boiler. They were mainly used on
narrow gauge industrial locomotives that could be frequently re-filled with water and where side or saddle tanks would restrict access
to inside valve gear. See Kerry Tramway Excelsior which has been described, by various sources, as both a wing tank and an inverted
saddle tank.

Inverted saddle tank

The inverted saddle tank was a variation of the Wing Tank where the two tanks were joined underneath the smokebox and supported
it. This rare design was used for the same reasons as the wing tank but provided slightly greater water capacity. The Brill Tramway
locomotive Wotton is believed to have had an inverted saddle tank. The inverted saddle tank seems to have been a speciality of
W.G.Bagnall.

Combinations
Large side tank engines might also have an additional rear tank (under the coal bunker), or a well tank (between the frames). This
may have been to increase the water capacity, to equalise the weight distribution, or else improve the stability by lowering the centre
of gravity.

A tank locomotive may also haul a tender behind it. This is usually found on narrow gauge railways where the small size of the
locomotive restricts the space available for fuel and water. Where a tender was used it usually carried only fuel with the locomotive's
water tanks remaining in place. The tender offered greater fuel capacity than a bunker on the locomotive and often the water capacity
could be increased by converting redundant bunker space into a water tank.
Wheel arrangement
While a tender engine might be described as an 0-6-0, the matching tank engine
would be described as an 0-6-0T for a plain tank, an 0-6-0ST for a saddle tank, and
so on ('PT' indicating a pannier tank, 'WT' a well tank, and 'CT' a crane tank, etc.)

Because tank locomotives are capable of running equally fast in both directions (see
below) they usually have symmetrical wheel arrangements to ensure the same ride
and stability characteristics regardless of the direction travelled, producing
arrangements with only driving wheels (0-4-0T and 0-6-0T) or equal numbers of
leading and trailing wheels (2-4-2T, 4-6-4T etc.). However other requirements, such The LSWR 415 class combined side
tanks and a well tank
as the need to support a large bunker, would require a non-symmetrical layout such
as 2-6-4T.

Exceptionally, when many of the surplus New South Wales 30 class locomotive were converted from tank engines to tender engines,
the tender engines were described as30T class.

Fuel bunker

A side bunker.
A rear bunker.
On a tank locomotive the fuel (most often coal) is carried in a bunker the
location of which can vary. On a locomotive with a trailing carrying axle or a
trailing bogie the bunker is generally situated to the rear of the cab, but in cases where the firebox overhangs the rear driving axle, it
has been common practice to situate the bunker on top of and to one side of the firebox; this concentrates the weight and stabilises the
locomotive.

Other types of tank locomotive

There are several other specialised types of steam locomotive which carry their own fuel but which are usually categorised for
different reasons.

Garratt locomotive
A Garratt type of locomotive is articulated in three parts. The boiler is mounted on the centre frame without wheels, and two sets of
driving wheels (4 cylinders total) carrying fuel bunkers and water tanks are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the
boiler. Articulation is used so larger locomotives can go around curves which would otherwise restrict the size of rigid framed
locomotives. One of the major advantages of the Garratt form of articulation is the maintenance of the locomotive's centre-of-gravity
over or inside the track centre-line when rounding curves. Some other forms of articulation, notably the Mallet, tend to move the
centre-of-gravity outside the centre-line on tight curves, leading to problems with traction and stability
.
 South African Railways NGG16 class
Garratt, preserved in Wales.

Crane tank
A Crane tank (CT) is a steam tank locomotive fitted with a crane for working in
railway workshops or other industrial environments. The crane may be fitted at the
front, centre or rear.

A crane tank preserved as a static

exhibit at Bressingham.

Streamlined tank locomotives

During the 1930s, there was a fashion for express passenger locomotives to be streamlined by enclosed bodyshells. As express
locomotives, these were nearly all tender locomotives. A few examples of fast tank engines were streamlined though. These were
used on high-speed, but shorter, services where turn-around time was important and the tank engine's independence from turntables
was useful. Examples included the GermanClass 61 and the Hungarian Class 242.

Contractor's locomotive
The contractor's locomotive was a small tank locomotive specially adapted for use by civil engineering contractor firms engaged in
the building of railways. The locomotives would be used for hauling men, equipment and building materials over temporary railway
networks built at the worksite that were frequently re-laid or taken up and moved elsewhere as building work progressed. Contractor's
locomotives were usually saddle or well tank types (see above) but required several adaptations to make them suitable for their task.
They were built to be as light as possible so they could run over the lightly built temporary rails and had deeply flanged wheels so
they did not de-rail on the tracks which were often very uneven. At the same time they had to be very powerful with good traction as
they would often have to haul trains of wagons up very steep gradients, such as the sides of railway embankments or spoil heaps.
Many were designed so that large iron ballast blocks could be fitted to the frames when extra weight and traction was required, then
removed when it was not. Most had sanding gear fitted to all wheels for maximum traction. Some method of keeping mud and dust
from clogging the wheels and brake shoes was also required – this either took the form of scraper bars fitted to the leading edge of
the wheels or wheel washer jets supplied from the water tank. To handle long trains of loose-coupled (and often un-sprung) wagons,
contractor's locomotives usually had very effective steam-powered brakes. Most lacked a full cab, often only having a front 'spectacle
plate'. If a cab was provided it was usually removable along with the chimney, and sometimes the dome, so that the locomotive could
be loaded onto a flatbed wagon for transport to new locations by rail whilst remaining within the
loading gauge.
Fireless locomotive
Fireless locomotives are tank locomotives insofar as they carry their "fuel" (steam)
on board in a reservoir, known as a steam accumulator. The reservoir is filled from
an external source of steam. Some types of fireless locomotives are powered by
pressurized air, rather than steam.

Bethlehem Steel Company Fireless

Locomotive built by Heisler
Locomotive Works, USA.

Steam tram engines

Steam tram engines, which were built, or modified, to work on a street, or roadside,
tramway were almost universally also tank engines.

Tram engines had their wheels and motion enclosed to avoid accidents in traffic.
They also had cow catchers to avoid road debris causing a derailment. Some tram
engines were fitted with a roof and enclosed sides, giving them an appearance more
like a goods wagon than a locomotive. To save weight, this side cladding could be of
either metal or wood. A well-known fictional example of such a wooden-bodied
tram is Toby the Tram Engine.
Steam tram locomotive of
Geldersche Tramwegen, Netherlands
Vertical boiler locomotives
Railway locomotives with vertical boilers were also tank engines. This enabled the
use of a smaller, cheaper-to-operate machine.

Pros and cons

The benefits of tank locomotives include:

Bi-directionality: Most tank locomotives are capable of running at full

speed in either direction (although this depends of the wheel
arrangement; for example, a 2-6-0T will not be able to run as fast in
reverse, due to lack of a trailing truck). Most tender locomotives are Vertical boiler locomotive "Taffy".
unable to do this, because the heavy tender is not designed to be
pushed and may become unstable at higher speeds. eTnder
locomotives generally require turning facilities, such as aturntable or
wye, at each end of the run. A tank locomotive, on the other hand, can
simply run around the train (provided there is a siding) and pull it back in
the other direction. The crew of a tank engine generally have a better
view in the reverse direction than for a tender engine and are protected
from the weather.
Fuel and water add to adhesive weight: The usable tractive weight of
a locomotive is the product of the weight on itsdrivers multiplied by the
factor of adhesion. Therefore, up to the limits of the maximum
permissible axle loading, and other loading limits, the more weight on
600 mm (1 ft 115⁄8 in) gauge tank
the driving wheels the better. In a tank locomotive the weight of its own
fuel and water increase the available tractive weight. locomotive Tx26-423 inPoznań,
Compactness: A tank locomotive is shorter than the equivalent tender Poland
locomotive. This is important in environments with limited space for
locomotives, such as theheadshunt of a run-round loop.
 Efficiency: Many train tanks are designed to be in contact with, and be heated by , the boiler. Pre-heated water will
reach boiling point faster than the colder water available from a tender
. On the other hand, excessively hot water can
interfere with steam injector operation and is to be avoided.
There are corresponding disadvantages:

Limited fuel and water capacity: A tender can typically contain far more of both than is available on a tank
locomotive. This restricts the range of tank locomotives between fueling and watering points. This is one reason why
tank engines were so much more popular in Europe and the UK than in America or other places, because the
distances were much shorter between refueling stations and water towers.
Varying adhesive weight: Use of the fuel and water for the purposes of adhesive weight means that the adhesive
weight of the locomotive decreases as they are used up,which also typically makes the ride much more
uncomfortable.

Instability: Water surging inside large side tanks can cause the
locomotive to become unstable and prone toderailment, as was the
case with the LB&SCR L class 4-6-4T before they were modified.
Axle loading limits a problem: For larger tank locomotives, it is hard to
put much fuel and water aboard without requiring more axles than a rigid
frame can handle.
LB&SCR L class locomotives were
Limit of boiler diameter: The boiler and water tanks must fit within the
fitted with well tanks and part of the
loading gauge of the railway being run on. Above a certain diameter of
boiler there is little or no room for water tanks to be added and still fit side tanks were blanked off to
within the loading gauge. improve stability

Popularity
Worldwide, tank engines varied in popularity. They were more common in areas where the length of run was short, a quick turn
around time was needed or turning facilities were not available, mostly in Europe. With their limited fuel and water capacity, they
were not favoured in areas where long runs between stops were the norm.

They were very common in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. In the United Kingdom, they were frequently used for
shunting and piloting duties, suburban passenger and local freight. The GWR was famous for its Prairie tanks (such as the "61xx"
class), used for many things including very heavy trains on the Welsh valley coal mining lines, so successfully that the big "42xx" 2-
8-0 class were designed for[7] this. In Germany, too, examples of large tank locomotives were built. In the United States they tended
to be restricted to push-pull suburban service, always the tank engine's forte, and also for switching service in terminals and
locomotive shops. They were also popular in logging, mining and industrial service.

The term tank engine has entered popular culture viaWilbert Awdry's famous fictional character, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Preservation
Tank locomotives are popular with heritage railways for a number of reasons. They
are usually cheaper to purchase than a tender locomotive due to their smaller size.
This is also an advantage when working out the cost of transportation to the heritage
line, many of which are isolated from thenational rail network.

Most heritage railways only have short lines and do not often have turntables at both
ends of the line. A tank locomotive has good visibility for the driver in both
directions. As the trains being hauled are usually light, the tank locomotive is more
fuel efficient than a large tender locomotive.
Polish-built side tank locomotive
Add to this the lower cost of maintaining the engine and the lower amount of wear 7646 "Northampton" at its naming
and tear on the track. Another fact to consider is that many tank locomotives were ceremony in 2001
bought from former industrial railways rather than the national network. Due to the
higher availability, it would be easier to secure a suitable locomotive for a reasonable
price.
See also
Steam locomotive components

References
1. The Industrial Locomotive Society (1967),Steam locomotives in industry, Newton Abbot: David and Charles, pp. 9–
10
2. "Calamitous fire", Daily News, London, England (No.1975), September 20, 1852
.
3. "The Great Exhibition",The Morning Chronicle, London, England (26429), August 29, 1851
4. myweb.tiscali.co.uk (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/kevin.dare/general%20info.html)
5. Holcroft, H: "An outline of Great Western locomotive practice 1837-1947" Locomotive Publishing Company, London,
U.K. (1957), p. 42
6. Dambly, Phil: "Nos inoubliables 'Vapeur'. Editions LE RAIL, Brussels (1968)
7. greatwestern.org.uk (http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_280_4200.htm) The 4200 class GWR Tank locomotives

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T

ank_locomotive&oldid=818037876"

This page was last edited on 1 January 2018, at 04:02.

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.