A selection of GWR water cranes
by Dave Harvey
![Watering at Witney](water-cranes/witney-water-crane.jpg)
Taking water at Witney. The hopper is positioned at the rear of the platform. Picture by Ben Brooksbank, and reproduced by Creative Commons Licence
![Metro tank 1499 at Marlborough, 23 May 1929](water-cranes/1499-marlborough-23may1929.jpg)
Metro tank 1499 running round a train at Marlborough, 23 May 1929. There is no hopper, just a grated drain. (An H C Casserley picture)
These pictures illustrate some variations, and show relative heights of crane arms and locos:
- Column: short (platform mounting) or tall (ground level mounting)
- Arm: straight (original) or cranked (later)
- Arm length: short (between tracks) long (serving both sides of a platform)
- Bracing rods: single (front stay only) or double (additional backstay) I suspect that the backstay is mainly used with the longer arms.
- Air vent at the bag end of arm (original) on ball at top of column (later?). Sometimes both are fitted. *
- There are also variations in the size of the flange between ball and arm, which I haven't seen a pattern in yet.
* Vents allow the water in the pipe and bag to drain drain more quickly. This would help keep the arm empty – an advantage in freezing weather. Provision of vents could therefore help do away with the need for fire devils. From a perusal of engine shed books, and irrespective of era, it seems there were more water cranes with both vent and devil than there are with only one, and there are a few with neither.
![](water-cranes/water-crane05.jpg) 1 Tall, short straight arm. Oxford shed September 1965 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane02.jpg) 2 Tall, long straight arm. Oxford shed September 1965 |
3 Tall, short(?) straight arm. Oxford shed 1963 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane03.jpg) |
4 Tall, long cranked arm. Banbury station 1963 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane01.jpg) |
5 Tall, short straight arm, no bracing. Didcot Railway Centre November 2012 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane04.jpg)
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![](water-cranes/water-crane07.jpg) 6 Tall, short cranked arm, both vents. Bicester North June 1964 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane06.jpg) 7 Tall, short straight arm, centre vent. Princes Risborough 1964 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane08.jpg) 8 Short, long cranked arm large flanges. Oxford station May 1965 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane09.jpg) 9 Thame Station December 1965
![](water-cranes/water-crane10.jpg) 10 Thame Station, December 1965
![](water-cranes/water-crane14.jpg) 11 Hereford station, May 1964 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane11.jpg) 12 Princes Risborough, January 1965 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane13.jpg) 13 Oxford station March 1965
![](water-cranes/water-crane12.jpg) 14 Gloucester March 1965 |
![](water-cranes/water-crane15.jpg) 15 |
Further references
Detailed drawings of standard GWR 8" water crane, hopper and fire crane, 1911
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