News 2023.11 - Water Cranes

Witnesses to a lost epoch!

A water crane is used to supply steam locomotives with large quantities of water for steam generation. As the steam is continuously ejected into the atmosphere, the water supply must be topped up regularly during operation. The normal water crane consists of a vertical pipe with a jib pipe that can be swivelled sideways over the tank filler opening of the locomotive or tender.

Halling

© Halling Modelle

Water Cranes

Each railway company of the 19th century had its own design, so that there were quite different types. Water cranes with an additional joint on the boom (Prussian) or with a movable water tank (Bavarian) became very popular. It made it possible to move the outlet of the water crane to the inlet opening of the water tank. The exact braking of a train is not easy and shunting time could be saved.

Today, there are only a few water cranes left and they are primarily used for museum purposes. The water supply of steam locomotives is therefore often topped up using fire hoses for special journeys, which means that the filling times are significantly longer than with a water crane. The flow rate of a water crane was 1-2 m³/min at less important water stations, but could also be 5 m³/min and even 10 m³/min towards the end of the period.

to the product