XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: gossg@gossg.org   
      
   "J. Clarke"  wrote:   
      
   >Lots of towns came into existence because of the railroad.  Steam trains   
   >needed watering stops every so many miles and there was a station with a   
   >water tower at each of those locations.  The people who worked there   
   >brought their families and there had to be services sufficient to   
   >provide for their needs so towns grew up.  But few of them became large.   
   >The railroads weren't built to service them, they were built to service   
   >the railroads.   
      
   How much staff does it take to service a watering stop?   
      
   One of BC's major freeways is across the coast range along the   
   Coquihalla River.  The freeway was built along the path of a   
   now-defunct former steam train line.   
      
   There are "station names" announced along the highway, with various   
   shakespearean names.  I presume that these were water stops.  As a   
   very steep run, I expect that the Kettle Valley Railway over this   
   route needed a LOT of water, and I presume that these names reflect   
   former watering stops.  But there is no sign of a town or former town.   
   Would these stops need ANY staff, or would someone just have to come   
   by and check the water feed into the tanks every couple of weeks?   
   --   
   We are geeks.  Resistance is voltage over current.   
      
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