UP's Heritage Steam Auxiliary Water Cars
This page was last updated on August 8, 2008.
Union Pacific has used three retired GTE tenders as water cars to extend the range of the road's two operating steam locomotives, 844 and 3985.
Two different types of tenders were used on the GTEL-8500 locomotives, as follows:
- Uninsulated, classified as 23-C-GTE, and was rebuilt from 19-C tenders from retired 3800-class Challengers.
- Insulated, classified as 24-C-GTE, and was rebuilt from 20-C tenders from retired FEF-1 class 800-series 4-8-4 Northerns. While in service as GTE fuel tenders, the cars were insulated and smooth-sided, with round covers along the bottom curve of the GTE tender that provided access to large, cylindrical electric heaters. UPP 809 and 814 started as this type.
The two current water cars, as of August 2008, are UPP 809 and UPP 814, and have been converted from their GTE fuel tender configuration, back to their original steam tender configuration. UPP 814 was completed in July 2006 (work began in December 2005), and UPP 809 is planned for completion in August or September 2008 (work began in late 2006).
Capacity was 24,000 gallons in the GTE fuel tender configuration, and 28,000 gallons in the "restored" steam tender configuration, due to the removal of heater elements and associated metal structure.
After UPP 814 was stripped in late December 2005 in preparation for conversion, two numbers were visible in white on the original black-painted tender body: 812 and 80x. At the time, observers were pretty sure that the second number was 807, with 812 painted over the previous number.
The following comes from comments by Nathan Beauheim, posted to Trainorders.com on January 21, 2006:
This tender probably was never behind the 814 (despite its most recent number of UPP 814). One possible reason that this tender was thought to be the 814 is that its badge number is 20-C-214.
Other information to further bust the myth of welding two tanks together. The drawings of the turbine conversion (which were not completely followed) show two different types of baffles. In the original tank portion, the baffles are staggered, alternating between a two-thirds height baffle attached to the bottom and a one-third height baffle attached to the top. This rivet pattern can be seen in photographs showing the old "Union Pacific" lettering. In the fuel bunker portion of the tender, the baffles are all full height. Again, the rivet patterns reflect this. The guys working on the tender report that the drawings are accurate in this regard.
There's not a lot of greyhound paint visible, it's just little spots. It can be confirmed that this tender was in the yellow striped version of greyhound. This appears to be consistent with the assignment information, though it's rather difficult to distinguish striping color in a black & white photo.
Water Car — 2 cars
UP, 1960
| Car Number |
Previous Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| UPP 809 | UP 907856 | From UP 907856 in early May 2003 (photo on May 13, 2003); official renumber date is August 1, 2003 |
| UPP 814 | UP 907857 | From UP 907857 on July 30, 2003 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: 46'-5" |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: 23'-5" |
| Truck Style: 6 wheel (10'-0" wheelbase) |
General Notes:
| a. | Converted from retired GTEL-8500 insulated, smooth-sided tender, class 24-C-GTE |
| b. | In December 2005 work began to convert UPP 814 from GTE fuel configuration, to a restored steam tender configuration for dedicated water service. Work was completed in July 2006 with the car being fully painted in UP's standard yellow and gray scheme and named for Joe Jordan, a much respected member of UP's "Steam Team". He was the team's pipefitter, until his retirement from the steam shop in 1993. Work was performed by Wasatch Railroad Contractors. (click here for photos) |
| c. | Work began in late 2006 to complete a similar effort on UPP 809. (click here for photos) |
Water Car — 3 cars
UP, 1960
| Car Number |
Notes and Disposition |
| UP 907853 | Assigned to steam service and painted black in late 1973; used with Expo 74 train to Spokane in July 1974; donated in about 1981 to Kansas Railroad Museum; to Illinois Railroad Museum in (?) |
| UP 907856 | To UP 907856 in 2001; renumbered to UPP 809 in early May 2003; official renumber date is August 1, 2003 |
| UP 907857 | To UP 907857 in 2001; renumbered to UPP 814 on July 30, 2003 |
Description:
| Length, Over Buffers: |
| Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: 46'-5" |
| Length, Over End Sills: |
| Length, Inside: |
| Truck Centers: 23'-5" |
| Truck Style: 6 wheel (10'-0" wheelbase) |
General Notes:
| a. | 24,000 gallons capacity |
| b. | Converted from retired GTEL-8500 insulated, smooth-sided tender, class 24-C-GTE |
| c. | Examination of painted-over lettering on UP 907853 found that it had been assigned to both GTE 11 and 23 at various times in its career (UP 11 was retired in June 1969, and UP 23 was retired in February 1970). |
| d. | UP 907853, ex turbine tender, painted black, traveled with SP 4449 from Birmingham, Ala., back to Portland, Ore. in April 1977. Donated to the now-defunct Kansas Railroad Museum in about 1981 to go with their GTEL-8500 18, 18B. Later moved along with GTEL 18, 18B to Illinois Railroad Museum at Union, Ill. (still in black paint). |
| e. | UP 907856 and 907857 were moved from stationary fuel storage cars at Los Angeles to Cheyenne in 1988. |
