Last updated: September 28, 2026
Place
Water Tank Foundations
NPS
Quick Facts
Significance:
Historic Location
Thurmond Walking Tour Stop 3
Thurmond was more than a railroad town, it was a steam town. The steam locomotives of Thurmond constantly needed water. Four versions of the water towers existed, and the first one was built in 1989. That water tower stood about where the Commissary building is today. A larger water tower was built in 1905 to the left of the 1898 tower.
In 1914, the C&O Railway built an elevated steel tower water tank with a 100,000 gallon capacity. The 1898 tower was removed at this time. In 1927, they added a steel standpipe water tank that held 210,000 gallons of water. This tower was built on the foundations of the 1905 water tower. Water tanks served five water columns, pipes used to fill steam locomotives with water. The tanks also provided water to the engine house and the fire hose house.
Many railways began switching from steam locomotives to diesel locomotives in the 1940s. Diesel locomotives do not have the water requirements of their steam counterparts, although they do require a small amount of water. Water columns were no longer needed. CSX Transportation, modern-day C&O Railway, removed the tanks in 1998. All that remains of the water tanks are the cement foundations.