I think it was Great Northern Railway engineer Henry Ivatt who said, “The efficiency and reliability of a locomotive is measured by its capacity to boil water.”
Quite. The ability to provide steam by boiling water is fundamental to the working of a steam locomotive. However, the supply of copious amounts of water is an aspect of the steam age that is rarely commented on.
‘Put the bag in’ may be a well-known phrase. Photographs of locomotives taking water are common. But have you ever considered how all that water got to the tanks and columns?
Photographs of locomotives taking water are often taken in locations without a domestic water supply. In some cases, the locomotive water supply pre-dated any attempt to supply running water to the railway buildings, be that the station master’s
