page_title: Bahnbetriebswerk (steam locomotives)
section_title: Water points
hierarchical_section_title: Bahnbetriebswerk (steam locomotives) / Facilities / Operating facilities / Water points
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Schmalspurlokomotive der Baureihe 99 beim Wassernehmen auf dem Bahnhof Dippoldiswalde (Weißeritztalbahn) beim Sonderverkehr nach dem Jahrhunderthochwasser
context_page_description: A Bahnbetriebswerk is a German railway depot where the maintenance of locomotives and other rolling stock is carried out. It is roughly equivalent to a locomotive shed, running shed or motive power depot. These were of great importance during the steam locomotive era to ensure the smooth running of locomotive-hauled services. Bahnbetriebswerke had a large number of facilities in order to be able to carry out their various maintenance tasks. As a result, they needed a lot of staff and were often the largest employers in the area.
  The history and present-day importance of such depots is covered in the Bahnbetriebswerk article.
context_section_description: The running of steam locomotives required water as well as coal. As a result, the water supply of a Betriebswerk played an important role. In order to guarantee the supply, almost all Bahnbetriebswerk had their own railway waterworks. These waterworks were equipped with various systems for delivering water (pumps, pipes, water containers and take-off points). Many Bahnbetriebswerke had two different waterworks: one railway waterworks that provided water for the engines and a drinking waterworks that supplied water for the employees of the depot. When Betriebswerke were eventually connected to the regional water network, their drinking waterworks was usually closed down. 
  The water was extracted from springs, wells and ponds and then cleaned. Industrial water for the running the steam locomotives had to have a high level of quality. As a result, the railway waterworks developed their own filtering systems, where the water for operations was made usable. Especially important were the salt content and the hardness of the water.
  After cleaning, the industrial water was pumped into a water tower and drawn from there. These facilities had various designs; there was no standard type. All water towers had several up and down pipes. The water towers supplied all areas with industrial water, including the water cranes used to replenish the water supplies of steam locomotives (whether they had tenders or water tanks). Water cranes were usually located near the inspection pits or at coaling points. They, too, came in various shapes and sizes, although these were gradually replaced by standard types of water crane.
  Large and medium-sized Bahnbetriebswerke had their own laboratory that continuously monitored the water processing; in particularly checking the preparation of the boiler feedwater which was tested regularly. The laboratory specified the salt content, the pH value and the composition of the feedwater. The enginemen had to bring samples of feedwater to the laboratory at specified intervals. In addition to testing the water, the laboratory was also responsible for checking oils and greases delivered to the depot.
caption: Steam engine filling up from a water crane
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