Re: Silverton train question

Mike: it is amazing what a sanitary society we have become. The canvas water bag is a good example. Everybody that worked out on the farm or woods etc. in the old days had one. A great many water bags adorned the side of the cabs of locomotives or on the tender. Most old SVRy loco photos show them. I suppose it invited the growth of some kind of bacteria, but none of us that drank out of one died from it I bet. My dad always carried one in front of the radiator on his truck when I was a kid. The air flow speeded evaporation and kept it cool. It tasted a little dusty sometimes. A couple years back Jerry asked me to find a new one to hang on the engine for a photo special. I run a retail store among other endeavors where I have lots of catolog resources. I couldn't find one. On the internet I finally found Canvas Specialties Co. which turns out is one of the original mfgrs. They used to make a variety of sizes, but when the military quit buying them (presumably they had been a huge customer) they quit making them. Now they make them again more as a novelty I think based on the price.
Thanks for the Silverton info!