UP Heritage Steam Tenders

UP's Heritage Fleet Auxiliary Water Cars

This page was last updated on September 21, 2008.

Union Pacific has used three retired GTE tenders as water cars to extend the range of the road's two operating steam locomotives, 844 and 3985.

Two different types of tenders were used on the GTEL-8500 locomotives, as follows:

Uninsulated, classified as 23-C-GTE, and was rebuilt from 19-C tenders from retired 3800-class Challengers.
Insulated, classified as 24-C-GTE, and was rebuilt from 20-C tenders from retired FEF-1 class 800-series 4-8-4 Northerns. While in service as GTE fuel tenders, the cars were insulated and smooth-sided, with round covers along the bottom curve of the GTE tender that provided access to large, cylindrical electric heaters. UPP 809 and 814 started as this type.

Capacity was 24,000 gallons in the GTE fuel tender configuration, and 28,000 gallons in the "restored" steam tender configuration, due to the removal of heater elements and associated metal structure.

UPP 809 and UPP 814

The two current water cars, as of August 2008, are UPP 809 and UPP 814. Both have been converted from their GTE fuel tender configuration, back to their original steam tender configuration. UPP 814 was completed in July 2006 (work began in December 2005), and UPP 809 was completed in August 2008 (work began in late 2006).

After UPP 814 was stripped in late December 2005 in preparation for conversion, two numbers were visible in white on the original black-painted tender body: 812 and 80x. At the time, observers were pretty sure that the second number was 807, with 812 painted over the previous number.

The following comes from comments by Nathan Beauheim, posted to Trainorders.com on January 21, 2006:

This tender probably was never behind the 814 (despite its most recent number of UPP 814). One possible reason that this tender was thought to be the 814 is that its badge number is 20-C-214.

Other information to further bust the myth of welding two tanks together. The drawings of the turbine conversion (which were not completely followed) show two different types of baffles. In the original tank portion, the baffles are staggered, alternating between a two-thirds height baffle attached to the bottom and a one-third height baffle attached to the top. This rivet pattern can be seen in photographs showing the old "Union Pacific" lettering. In the fuel bunker portion of the tender, the baffles are all full height. Again, the rivet patterns reflect this. The guys working on the tender report that the drawings are accurate in this regard.

There's not a lot of greyhound paint visible, it's just little spots. It can be confirmed that this tender was in the yellow striped version of greyhound. This appears to be consistent with the assignment information, though it's rather difficult to distinguish striping color in a black & white photo.

Water Car — 2 cars
UP, 1960

Car Number	Name	Previous Number	Date To UPP 800 Series	Date Converted From GTE Tender	Notes
UPP 809	Jim Adams	UP 907856	May 2003	Aug 2008	1, 2
UPP 814	Joe Jordan	UP 907857	30 Jul 2003	Jul 2006	3, 4

Description:

Length, Over Buffers:

Length, Over Coupler Pulling Faces: 46'-5"

Length, Over End Sills:

Length, Inside:

Truck Centers: 23'-5"

Truck Style: 6 wheel (10'-0" wheelbase)

General Notes:

a.	Both cars first came to Heritage Fleet water car service in 1989 as retired GTEL-8500 insulated, smooth-sided tenders, class 24-C-GTE. After being retired in 1970 and separated from their GTE locomotives, both cars were moved to Los Angeles and used as temporary storage tanks, at which time they received their 907000 series numbers.
b.	Both cars converted from GTE fuel tender configuration, to a restored steam tender configuration for dedicated Heritage Fleet water service; UPP 809 completed in August 2008; UPP 814 completed in July 2006..

Notes:

1.	UPP 809, named "Jim Adams" in August 2008, was renumbered from UP 907856 in early May 2003 (photo on May 13, 2003); official renumber date is August 1, 2003.
2.	For UPP 809, conversion work began in late 2006, and was completed in late August 2008, in time to accompany UP 3985 on its trip to the upper Midwest in mid September 2008. Upon completion, in addition to receiving its yellow and gray paint scheme, UPP 809 received a U. S. flag. Work was performed by Wasatch Railroad Contractors. (click here for photos of conversion in process)
3.	UPP 814, named "Joe Jordan" in July 2006, was renumbered from UP 907857 on July 30, 2003.
4.	For UPP 814, conversion work began in December 2005 to convert the GTE fuel configuration to a restored steam tender configuration for dedicated water service. Work was completed in July 2006 with the car being fully painted in UP's standard yellow and gray scheme and named for Joe Jordan, a much respected member of UP's "Steam Team". He was the team's pipefitter, until his retirement from the steam shop in 1993. Work was performed by Wasatch Railroad Contractors. (click here for photos)

Water Car — 3 cars
UP, 1960

Car Number	Notes and Disposition
UP 907853	Assigned to steam service and painted black in late 1973; used with Expo 74 train to Spokane in July 1974; donated in about 1981 to Kansas Railroad Museum; to Illinois Railroad Museum in (?)
UP 907856	To UP 907856 in 2001; renumbered to UPP 809 in early May 2003; official renumber date is August 1, 2003
UP 907857	To UP 907857 in 2001; renumbered to UPP 814 on July 30, 2003