Normally we put the tank out of service as soon as the few work trains to Silverton are done after the regular passenger service ends to that part of the line. The first thing we do is go up to the intake pipe, which is inside a wooden box filled with water, and attach a bent PVC pipe that is aimed up and above the water line which thus cuts off water from going into the tank below. (The Needleton Tank reservoir isn't visible from the tracks, and is located about 100 feet above the new tank.) After cutting off the water supply, the box is covered for the winter to keep out leaves and other debris. At the bottom of the reservoir is another pipe which we open to free up the flow of water coming down the creek. While we do this, we also use the current to pull down all the silt and sludge which get dammed up over the summer, and let it wash downstream through this pipe. Now that all of the components above the tank are taken care of, one lucky person gets to climb to the top of the tank itself and open the valve to drain the whole tank of water. After this is done, two plugs on the bottom of the tank are opened to try and remove the sludge that collects in the bottom of the tank and clean it out. This year we took a water wagon and firepump to hose everything out and insure that it is clean for the next season. The last thing you do is call the dispatcher and have it noted that the tank is out of service, thus avoiding any problems with steam locomotive you might run into therefore.
As for Tank Creek, if you ride the train and look closely you can see the reservoir up above the woods about 50 feet back. Since we run trains year round on this portion of the line, the tank is only serviced in early November when the schedule allows us a few days without seeing any trains. Normally all that is done is maybe a draining and a cleaning with the same methods I mentioned above. The nice thing about this tank is the reservoir was designed to be a bit more permanent, with a concrete dam wall, floodgates, a screen around the intake pipe to prevent leaves entering, and heated metal piping to ensure a good flow of water in the dead of winter. In the morning, patrolmen are assigned to make sure that water is flowing into, and out of the tank through the overflow pipes. This morning the ice was so thick it appeared no water was flowing through, but upon further inspection we found that ice has just formed an arched tunnel down to the creek bed. On extremely cold days, if the intake pipe is frozen, we soak a rope line underneath the intake pipe with diesel and light it up, and try to free up the ice by hitting the line with picks.
This is my first winter season working on the railroad, much less maintenance of way. If you have any questions or something was unclear, feel free to ask.
