QUESTION for you LOCOMOTIVE "GURUS"!

This is just a guess, mind you..

Rearward for water.  Forward for oil.

On the ATSF steamers converted to oil, I believe the oil tanks were simply made to fit the original coal hoppers.  In fact, I recall that many of my HO brass ATSF steam with oil tenders had four cable attachment points along the outer upper periphery of the oil tank...probably facilitating installation of the tank into the coal hopper at the time of conversion.  On the top of those tanks, then, were round filler caps, the fill points for the oil.  IOW, oil forward, water (original hatches) rearward.

I don't have any UP pics or info in my limited library.  The only UP steam I have is the MTH Big Boy from the first Dealer Appreciation package...and its tender is for coal.  I'm just going by intuition.  But I seriously doubt the hatches dedicated for water on a coal tender would've been part of the conversion to oil.  If you have photos, a coal version of the centipede tender on another UP Big Boy, Challenger, etc., that could offer a clue.

FWIW, of course...

I'm sure the "gurus" will chime in shortly.   (Yo, Jack!  Where are you?)

KD

The 4014 has oil in the front, water in the back.

Probably the same for the CHALLENGER !!!

@Fredstrains posted:

Probably the same for the CHALLENGER !!!

Correct. In fact ALL oil fired steam locomotives have the oil bunker in the forward portion of the tender, while the larger capacity water portion is rearward.

Thanks for all the help!!! So be it, the water is in the rear portion of the TEnder !!  Thats where the spicket from the Water Tower will be directed!!   Dont know how many of you have heard the "SOUND" from the MTH  Water Tower, but it is "GREAT"!

FREDSTRAINS