True or False History Question

[W. Gray]

True or False?

Railroads could fill thirsty steam locomotive tenders with thousands of gallons of water while the train was speeding down the track trying to keep on schedule.

[frawin]

True Waldo, iI have seen them do it in the old Western Movies, when I was watching them in the Plaza Theater in Howard. Those Early day movies cost 12 cents to get in and a Nickle for Popcorn, and a Nickle for a Coke. My how times have changed, my brother Neil had the Grocery Store in Howard then and I Worked there after School almost everyday. He paid me 50 cents a week, that was a lot of money to me back then, in the Mid 40s. I saved the rest of the Money and would go to McKees Dime store and buy Kits on Monday with it, McKees were really nice People. He gave me the 50cents on Friday Friday evening so I could go to the Movie then as I had to be at the store on Saturday Night to work. Saturday was the big shopping day in Howard then, all of the Farmers came to town to shop and visit. There were Benches up and down Main Street and they were always Full, Weather  Permitting. They would come in the Store and do thir shopping , leave their Groceries at the Store and comeback later to get them, sometimes it was Midnight before they got thru visiting and came to pick them up. Believe it or not there were 4 Grocery Sores , 3 Automobile Dealers , 3 implement dealers, 2 Doctors, 4 Service Station in the Downtown area,, and several other businesses. Times have really changed, it is sad to see what has happened to the Rural America. My Mom and Dad started a Grocery store in Howard in the Mid 30 s, he was a butcher and when he sold his Store after the War he kept his Meat Block, I have that Meat Block setting in my Kitchen, it is a treasure I will leave to my kids. It weighs over 100 pounds. We use it and every time I do it brings back Fond memories. Enough of my Rambling again hope you all have a great day.

[Bullwinkle]

     So how did they do that? Was there another tank car with water?

     Splain it to me Lucy.

[W. Gray]

True or False?

Railroads could fill thirsty steam locomotive tenders with thousands of gallons of water while the train was speeding down the track trying to keep on schedule.

True.

Where there was a financial advantage to the railroad, steam trains could fill their tenders with externally supplied water without stopping.

In other words, a locomotive tender would fill up on the fly.

In most cases, the engineer had to slow to 50 mph.

Only one line, the New York Central Railroad had sufficiently modified tender equipment that would enable a train to take on water at 80 mph.

The tender needed a heavy-duty retractable water scoop that was about 12 inches wide. The scoop would be lowered by the engineer from under the tender to reach down almost to the bottom of a 19-inch wide by 8-inch deep pan that was located between the rails.

The pan was made of three-eighths inch riveted steel and was anywhere from a quarter mile to a half mile long. The track rails and the pan between them had to be level to an nth degree for that distance. The pan was heated in the wintertime.

The process wasted a lot of water and did not always fill the tender to the maximum. The tender had an overflow pipe and water flew everywhere from the overflow and from underneath the track. Perhaps more water was sprayed on the right of way than was taken aboard, but time was saved.

The on the fly process was expensive and could only be used where a name train could not afford to waste time. Not very many railroads adopted the process.

The process was invented in England and spread to the US. Major railroads in the east used this watering scheme from the 1890s until the death of the steam engine.

Some trains did pull an extra water tender that had a pipeline connected to the principal tender.

Frank, can you remember what you saw in the movies?

[frawin]

Waldo, I remember quite a few of the Movie Stars I saw in those days. Roy Rogers, and his Famous Horse Trigger, his close girlfriend, Dale Evans and his German Sheperd, Bullet, his sidekick, Gabby Hayes. Roy and Dale sung  together in their Movies. Then there was Gene Autry and his Famous Horse Champ, I think he to was a singing Cowboy, I don't remember much about a Women Star with Gene. Waldo, when I was Crude Oil Director in Midland, Texas, there was a real Elderly Gentlemen that  worked for Navojo Refiining Company, he was basically retired but they kept him on because everyone liked him so much. He came by my office almost everyday to visit. He and Gene had worked together on the Railroad, the town was in NE Texas, seemed like it was Cyuoga or something close to that. He said Gene would set on the bench at the Train Station and play his Guitar  and  sing all the time. People coming in or waiting to leave loved it. I think Genes horse was Champ. Bob would get letters from Gene and he would bring them by and read them to me. Gene was raised on a Ranch in Southern Oklahoma, so he really could ride a Horse , I think his Horse was Champ. Some others I recall were Rex Allen and his Horse Cocoa, Hopalong Cassidy and his big white Horse, I think it was Topper, not sure about that. Jimmy Wakely, all I remember about him was he was a singing Cowboy. Then there was Smiley Burnett, I think his Horse was Frog, he might have been Gene Autrys sidekick, again I am not sure. One year for Christmas the Howard Chamber of Commerece brought Smiley to Howard and he rode his Horse Frog in the Christmas Parade and thru Candy to the Kids. There was Tom Mix, he was actually a real Rooting Tooting old West Gunslinging Cowboy, he was the Town Marshall in Dewey Oklahoma, Dewey had a very interesting Musuem with His Twin Six guns and his Horse I think Topper Stuffed in the Musuem. There was Rex Allen and his Horse Cocoa. Then there was the Long Ranger and his Indian sidekick Tonto, the Long Rangers Horse was Silver and his Indian Sidekick was Tonto, his Horse I think was Scout, the Long Rangers famous words were"Hi O Silver Away" and Tonoto would always say"getup up Scout.That is most of the ones I remember, John Wayne was one of the best , and Clint Eastwood the best right along with John Wayne, Clint was later years I think. That is enough for now. Waldo it has been 65 years plus since those days in the Plaza Theater,  one thing I do remember well was Babe Morris walking up and down the Aisles getting after the kids for talking during the movie. The Morris' had the Theatre in Howard and the one in Moline. Byron Passed away and Babe Married a friend of my Brother Dwights, Freddie Jo Rhoades, he was 30 or so years younger than Babe. Babe bought Freddie a Yellow Buick Convertiblle, he was uptown in that, car, big Problem was Freddie had an Alcohol problem and he would Wreck the cars. Freddie lost his Drivers license for Drunk Driving and he couldn't get to the Liquor store, the Store downtown had closed and the only place to buy Liquor was the Store out by where Toots is now. Freddie kept after me to go buy him some Alccohol, I kept telling him NO, he finally talked me into it, I went and got it and Freddie waited in the Alley behind the Theater. I delivered it and left. Then Babe found out he had it and she was madder than an old wet  Hen, that Darn Freddie told her I went after it for him, Babe gave me a bad chewing out, I never did that again. Well I have some Crude Oil Marketing to work on ether get to it.

[W. Gray]

I saved the rest of the Money and would go to McKees Dime store and buy Kits on Monday with it, McKees were really nice People. He gave me the 50cents on Friday Friday evening so I could go to the Movie then as I had to be at the store on Saturday Night to work.

When we drove to Howard from Missouri, McKee was the first person I would go see from my grandparents (my father's side) apartment above their store.

I was always glad to see him and he always appeared glad to see me. We would talk until he had a customer to attend to. I cannot remember what about. I called him "Fibber" because originally I thought his name was "McGee" and the "Fibber McGee and Molly" was a popular radio show at the time. He always had a smile and a cigar.

I guess my grand folks owned that store. At some point, he had to move two or three doors north and my aunt and uncle put in a Ben Franklin dime store where his store was.

So, I would trot up to his new place when we came into town.

I cannot recall when his store went out or what happened to him. I just vaguely remember his "Molly."