Photos & Videos Photo of the Day Vanderbilt tender

Vanderbilt tender

By Brian Schmidt | February 14, 2024

A Southern Pacific 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive with a Vanderbilt oil tender is seen in a 1916 builder’s photo — Vanderbilt tenders, like the one in the 1916 Alco builder’s photo of Southern Pacific 2-8-2 Mikado no. 786, may look inefficient, but there’s a reason Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks: they’re stronger than rectangular ones. Fuel oil was carried in the smaller, squared forward section. David P. Morgan Memorial Library collection

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