Does anyone have any ideas for the removal of the remaining standing water in a tender tank and lowering of humidity in the tank while in storage? A tender I have in mind is for a small 0-6-0 and has about 3/4" of water remaining in it and I would like to get that out of there and somehow keep the interior surface from corroding.

I have thought about mopping up what I can reach inside with a wet dry vac, then placing a dehumidifier inside for a period of time. I know that shipping companies place dessicant bags inside shipping containers to control huimidity while holding cargo, and I am wondering if that might control the humidity. I have also heard of VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) technology which basically is a sponge like substance stuck to the side of a steel box and the sponge will emit a vapor that coats the metal and creates a barrier that will prevent corrosion.

How do others approach this problem in static display locomotives? Or even operational ones?

Thanks.

rickrailrd@aol.com

Hi Rick;

Your idea of starting by mechanically removing the water remaining is great. If the storage area is indoors, ventilation for a period of days with a fan blowing air through a trunk hose into the bottom of the tank will dry out the remaining dampness down to the humidity level of the surrounding air. Heating the air before blowing it down will do even more drying.

Once dry, you will need to consider the interior of the tank surfaces before coating with any of the tank coatings available today. Sandblasting and patching of rusty or pitted areas could be required to make the coating stick.

Just leaving a couple light bulbs burning inside the tank will probably be adquate heat to keep the tank dry through the off season stored indoors otherwise. If the locomotive is stored outdoors, a building will do you more good than all the drying agents put together.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Rent a wilden trash pump. This is an air operated diaphram suction pump. You see them used by street crews when there is a water main break. They have a suction hose that you can use like a vacuum cleaner. Just get in there and suck her dry. A small electric heater or a couple of light bulbs should keep the humidity down.

Robert@trainorders.com

Rick,

Depends on the money you have available. Here is my simple four step plan.

1. Sandblast the entire tender inside and out.

2. Apply fiberglass to the entire inside of the water space.

3. Apply coal tar epoxy to the coal bunker.

4. Apply good primer and oil based paint to the rest of the tender.

Follow these steps and it should last a very long time.

Tom Gears


tgears1@home.com

Sandblasting is good but does not remove the rust from any seams. I don't have a remedy for that one. Coating the tank is important as well. I have heard of boiler apexior being used as well as a coating called POR-15. The later is a rust reformer used in all sorts of rust situations.

Robert@trainorders.com

The tender and entire locomotive for that matter will be placed inside within a year or two for cosmetic restoration, and hopefully will never see the outside again. I am just trying to find some way of drying out the tank for that interim. Once I get her inside a building the tender interior shall be cleaned and coated, but for now I need to rig up something to get the humidity levels down. I am 200 miles away from this loco so my time is limited, and a constantly lit light bulb may also be out of the question for that time period.

rickrailrd@aol.com

> The tender and entire locomotive for that
> matter will be placed inside within a year
> or two for cosmetic restoration, and
> hopefully will never see the outside again.
> I am just trying to find some way of drying
> out the tank for that interim. Once I get
> her inside a building the tender interior
> shall be cleaned and coated, but for now I
> need to rig up something to get the humidity
> levels down. I am 200 miles away from this
> loco so my time is limited, and a constantly
> lit light bulb may also be out of the
> question for that time period.

I think the best approach in your case would be to use a wet-dry vacuum to get rid of the standing water. You may have to empty the vacuum 3 or 4 times, so just position the vac drain over the tender overflow deck drain and open the valve. Hook up a fan, if possible, and have it running while removing the water and as long as possible afterwards, preferably ducted to blow up through one of the tender to engine water hoses, or blow down through the water hatch.
After removing the water, lay down a couple of 2x4 runners on the tank bottom and place 2 or 3- 20 lb. bags of BBQ charcoal on the runners and slit each bag lengthwise and pull open a bit. The next time you visit, replace the charcoal with fresh until the humidity level remains at an acceptable level.
Prop any fill hatches open as much as possible while preventing rain entry. You might tape a couple of 3/4" nuts (or other size) to the underside of the lids to rest on the edge of the hatch opening when closed.
This should bring your humidity problem under control without a lot of expense.
Ron Larson
Southwest Steam Locomotive

swstmloco@familyconnect.com

To anyone working in tender tanks or locomotive boilers. Please make sure you use GFI protection on all electrical devices. Think about the fact that the whole thing is metal, could be damp, and you are inside of it.

Tom Gears

Steam Railroading Message Board