Tanks and Cast Iron Legs

[Rick Steele]

Another gumball to throw into the discussion mix.

I was reading the book Buildings and Structures of American Railroads by Walter Gilman Berg, Copyright 1893.

On Page 129 he mentioned 16 ft x 24 ft circular Water-Tank, Union Pacific Railway-- He said that it was described and illustrated in the Railroad Gazette, issue of September 5, 1890.

So, over to Google I go, see that 1890 is a freebie year from Google. On page 614 - 615, lo and behold it is a Union Pacific tank supported by what are described as "Eight ornamental cast columns, bedded on stone piers".

Does the term "Ornamental cast columns" ring a bell? As in Idaho Springs tank and others? For the detectives among us, I think that I have found the culprit for the cast water tank legs used by the Late UPD&G and early C&S....

The casting design is a dead ringer for the columns used on the C&S.

Rick

[Jeff Ramsey]

Another one of these 10 iron legs base for a tank can be seen today at the site of Platte River near Antero Reservoir.

[Robert McFarland]

You can see them on Google maps

[Chris Walker]

Rick,

a time ago I was looking at this, but drew a blank, meant to get into the patents and have a look there. But as usual I went off another tangent and didn't return.  There just isn't enough time left.

I think I had drawn a conclusion those Castiron columns might have been from a commercial supplier rather than the UP (umbrella) Railroad water dept.
I say this because the D&RG S.G. line had same at Malta, Tennessee Pass, Pando and Rifle, also B.V. had "similar" without the rings. Walsenburg was also another.  
The D&RG N.G. lines: Only one that I've seen so far, that was at Cedar Creek.

Pando, Salida Regional Library Photo


Rifle, Barriger Library Photo


Tennessee Pass, Barriger Library Photo


Malta, Barriger Library Photo


I've seen the photo of the U.P. Shops tank you speak of, that was dated on the print Sept 27/90.  
The U.P. line that diagonals across the NE corner of Colorado had CI columns(but knee braced like Elk Cr.) at Orchard and Snyder.

Boulder also had one, not that they are readily apparent in these pictures.

Paddock Collection. Boulder Library Photos




I didn't mark it down as it was a S.G image but if I can find my way back to what I saw in passing, an unknown location shot of a Tank, which I'm dead certain is at Boulder close up.

D&RG
Rifle
Tennessee Pass
Malta
Buena Vista(no rings)
Walsenburg
Cedar Cr.

UP + Subsidiary lines
U.P. Shops Denver
Boulder
Snyder(elk cr style bracing)
Orchard(elk cr style bracing)
Elk Cr.
3Mile
Idaho Springs(uptown)
Silver Plume(?)

[Dave Eggleston]

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[Dave Eggleston]

Here are the call letters for those last two Boulder tank shots. First shot below is Boulder Historical Society site, BHS 225-2-4. I only have a fuzzy thumbnail. Yours is cropped just as the 3-rail becomes visible out of the water.



The other shot you posted is BHS 715-2-51



And the third below is 225-2-11 which shows the legs a little better:



Detail from this:



These three shots are all from the 1894 flood that wiped the GSL&P off the map permanently.