A water crane is a device used for delivering a large volume of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

into the

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

or tender of a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

. The device is also called a water column in the United States and Australia. As a steam locomotive consumes large quantities of water, water cranes were a vital part of

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

equipment, often situated at the end of a

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

, so that water could be refilled during a stop at the station.

Overview

Generally, water cranes consist of an upright steel

pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...

about in diameter with a horizontal, pivoting pipe connected to its upper end so as to form a swinging arm. The swinging arm is usually designed to rest parallel to the rails when not in use. Water cranes may be able to deliver up to of water per minute.

Water supply

In hilly country, natural streams can be dammed and water fed by gravity to the water crane. In flatter country this arrangement is not always possible, so water may be supplied by a tank next to the crane. Water tanks may vary in volume from to greater than . In some cases a well may be used to supply the water to the tank. Depending on the quality of the water under supply, it may need to be treated chemically to eliminate

hardness In materials science, hardness (antonym: softness) is a measure of the resistance to localized plastic deformation induced by either mechanical indentation or abrasion. In general, different materials differ in their hardness; for example hard ...

which induces scale buildup on the inside of the

locomotive boiler A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating t ...

. The scale which builds up on heat transfer surfaces forms a layer of insulation between the metal of the

firebox Firebox may refer to: *Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine *Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted *Firebox Records, a Finnish 8101705801record label * Firebox.com, an electro ...

and the boiler water. This causes metal to overheat or corrode and eventually fail.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Water Crane Railway buildings and structures Steam locomotive technologies

Overview

Water supply

See also

References