Railway Water Columns
The water columns in the railway are provided to supply water to the locomotives. Two or more water columns may be installed for a single station, it depends on their importance and requirements.
The water columns should be placed in such a way that traffic is not obstructed by them. The water columns bring water from an overhead tank.
The various parts of a water column are shown in the above picture. A horizontal pipe can be located around the vertical pipe, in a horizontal plane, and a foot valve is fitted with the verticle pipe to regulate the quantity of water. The bag hose directs the water to fall into the tank of the locomotive.
The water columns are usually installed near ash-pits so that ashes can be removed from the engine when it is taking water from the water column. The height of the water column is about 4.42 m from the ground level, and its projection from the verticle pipe is about 2.55 m.
Read More: