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A water stop or water station on a rail transport is a place where Steam locomotive stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as a "water stop". The term originates from the times of when large amounts of water were essential. Also known as wood and water stops or coal and water stops, since it was reasonable to replenish engines with fuel as well when adding water to the tender.
To accumulate the water, water stops employed , and tank ponds. The water was initially pumped by , , or by often by the train crew themselves. Later, small steam and gasoline engines were used.Maury Klein (2000) "The Life & Legend of E.H. Harriman", UNC Press, p. 142
As the U.S. railroad system expanded, large numbers of tank ponds were built by damming various small Stream that intersected the tracks in order to provide water for water stops. Largemouth bass were often stocked in tank ponds.Waterman, Charles F., Black Bass & the Fly Rod, Stackpole Books (1993)Ryan, Will, Smallmouth Strategies for the Fly Rod, Lyons & Burford Publishers (1996)
Many water stops along new railways evolved into new settlements. When a train stopped for water and was positioned by a water tower, a member of the engine crew, usually the fireman, swung out the spigot arm over the water tender and "jerked" the chain to begin watering. This gave rise to a 19th-century slang term "Jerkwater town" for towns too insignificant to have a regular train station.Irving Lewis Allen (1993) "The City in Slang: New York Life and Popular Speech", Oxford University Press, p. 254 Some water stops grew into established settlements: for example, the town of Coalinga, California, formerly, Coaling Station A, gets its name from the original coal stop at this location. On the other hand, with the replacement of steam engines by diesel locomotives many of the then obsolete water stops, especially in deserted areas, became ghost towns.
During the days of the Wild West, isolated water stops were among the favorite ambush places for .Roy R. Roberg, Jack L. Kuykendall (1993) "Police & Society", Wadsworth Pub. Co. , p. 81
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