MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

Steam locomotives require water to operate - a lot of water. Holding tanks in large steam locomotive tenders sported reservoirs capable of holding 30,000 or more gallons of water, but often that wasn’t enough.

Railroads were forced to provide water access for the locomotives, typically via a large tank next to the track that a tender would align itself under. Such tanks required that the train stop, adding costly time to the railroad’s schedule. To avoid those delays, some railroads built in water troughs between the track rails that the tenders could “scoop” up on the fly via a water scoop located under the tender which literally forced the water into the tender’s holding tanks.

Later, railroads added an extra water tender behind the coal tender. Unlike coal or oil tenders, the water tenders only carried water, effectively doubling or tripling a steam locomotive’s range before more water was needed.

These high quality, all metal die-cast tenders are a perfect complement for RailKing O Gauge steam locomotives like the Union Pacific Challenger or Big Boy.