File:Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, 1915 - Chesterton, Indiana (4155549314).jpg

Water Trough on the L. S. & M. S. Ry. Chesterton, Ind.

Date: 1915 Source Type: Postcard Publisher, Printer, Photographer: C. R. Childs Company (#33327) Postmark: September 24, 1915, Chesterton, Indiana Collection: Steven R. Shook Remark: The water in the in-track water tank was scooped up by the passing train. These particular tanks were located just east of the present day crossing on Calumet Road.

These track pans were originally located at Burdick, five miles east of Chesterton. They were first used at Burdick in May 1893. just prior to the opening of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The pans were 1,400 feet long and rains could scoop up the water at a speed up to 40 mph. Initially not heated, the track pans had to be closed in the winter; heaters were installed during the winter of 1897-98. In 1907, the track pans were moved to Chesterton where they remained until the end of steam power.

The following news item was published in the July 26, 1906, issue of The Chesterton Tribune:

RAILWAY NOTES The Lake Shore Company Will Make Many Changes Here Before the Summer is Over.

The Lake Shore railway is contemplating some extensive changes in improvements on their right of way through Chesterton. As soon as the bridge gang gets through with the Bailleytown [sic, Baillytown] bridge they pill [sic, will] come up here and put in a water trough in both the tracks, just east of the Coffee creek bridge. The trough will be a mile long and will be made of cement and concrete, and all trains of every description will take water without stopping. The pump house, it is said, will be moved to a point almost opposite the paint factory and the water tank will also be taken down and a much larger one built near the pumping station site. Unusually heavy rails have been laid on the east-bound track and the west-bound track will be fitted out with like material.

It is understood that the company has placed orders for a large number of freight engines, much heavier than those now in use, and nearly all freight trains will be made through freights. It is thought that when the new engines are placed in commission on this division the pusher engine will be put out of commission.

The moving of the pumping station away from the road crossing is a move that will please the farmers who have come to town over this crossing, as the plant as it is now located obstructs the view of the tracks from the east altogether, and up to the time a watchman was placed there was a very dangerous place. With the buildings removed a clear view of the tracks can be had for over a mile in each direction.

The bridge being built at Baillytown is of the very latest design, and is expressly built for the heavier thrains [sic, trains] that the company is putting on. In the event that the company four-tracked its right of way the abutments can be easily extended and the additional track put on.

The company last week erected several sheds just north of the organ factory to house their Italian help who will do all the heavy work on these improvements., quite a number being here now unloading stone and other material for the erection of the water trough.

The following news item was published in the August 2, 1906, issue of The Chesterton Tribune:

LOCAL NEWS OF THE WEEK The Lake Shore company is building several shanties across Coffee creek to be occupied by about two hundred Italians who are coming here to put in the water troughs and build the new pumping station. The work train is at work unloading crushed stone along the right of way for the troughs and work will begin in a few days. It is said the company expects to spend $80,000 on their property here this season, and whether this includes a new depot or not has not been given out. The citizens sincerely hope that a part of this amount will be expended in new buildings, as they are badly needed.

The following news item was published in the December 12, 1907, issue of The Chesterton Tribune:

TROUGHS ARE COSTLY LAKE SHORE AND MICHIGAN SOUTHERN SPENDS FORTUNE SAVING TIME. Water Troughs Enable Trains to Travel Long Distances Without Stops or Delays.

More than $1,000,000 has been spent by the Lake Shore this year to enable trains to take water between Buffalo and Chicago without stopping. This Vanderbilt line now has eleven places between those cities at which water may be scooped by the passenger trains traveling at from forty to seventy-five miles an hour. Every fifty miles troughs have been built between the rails. Each trough is 2,000 feet long and costs over $100,000 to install.

"If it were not for the necessary station stops," said D. C. Moon, assistant general manager of the Lake Shore, "a train could be run from Buffalo to Chicago, 525 miles, without stopping." A few do make 183 miles now.

"The extremely high cost of the troughs is due to several causes. Ground must be excavated from six to eight feet. The bottom is first filled with large stones and smaller stones are used nearing the top. Fine broken pebbles finish the subgrade under the track ties. This is to insure a perfectly level track both winder and summer, as so much water is thrown out of the troughs when scooping that the ground becomes soft in warm weather and freezes in cold weather.

"The water is supplied by gravity from large tanks. The water must be warmed through a boiler in the winter to prevent freezing in the troughs. The supply pipes are large and are equipped with automatic valves which shut off the supply when the trough is filled."

Sources: The Chesterton Tribune, Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana; July 26, 1906; Volume 23, Number 17, Page 1, Column 6.

The Chesterton Tribune, Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana; August 2, 1906; Volume 23, Number 18, Page 5, Column 4.

The Chesterton Tribune, Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana; December 12, 1907; Volume 24, Number 37, Page 1, Column 3.

McLellan, David, and Bill Warrick. 1989. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails. 208 p. [see p. 152]