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A track pan (American terminology) or water trough (British terminology) is a device to enable a steam railway locomotive to replenish its water supply while in motion. It consists of a long trough filled with water, lying along a flat stretch of railroad/railway track between the rails. When a steam locomotive passes at speed over the trough, its water scoop can be lowered, and the speed of forward motion forces water into the scoop, up the scoop pipe and into the tanks or locomotive tender. ==Track equipment== Main line steam locomotives consume considerable volumes of water, and the tender or side tanks need to be replenished at intervals. To travel long distances non-stop, water must be replenished without stopping. In 1860 John Ramsbottom, a Victorian locomotive engineer, devised the water trough/track pan to meet this need.〔Acworth, J M, The Railways of England, 1889, John Murray, London〕 It is a very long (several hundred yards) open-ended shallow trough laid between the rails. A nearby water source is needed to recharge the trough as passing trains take water. The entire length of the installation must be on level track, with a short section of rising track at each end to ensure that the water is retained. As trains needed to be moving at some speed to pick up enough water, a suitable separation between trough locations and commercial stopping points is essential. The first installation was brought into use on 23 June 1860 at Mochdre, Conwy, on the North Wales main line of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) about mid way between Chester and Holyhead.〔 The siting of the troughs requires a long enough length of straight and level track (although very large radius curves could be accommodated). There must be a good water supply nearby. In hard water areas, water softening plant may have been considered necessary.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「track pan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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