Tender (rail)
![Sierra Railway #3 Tender](/Images/godic/202502/15/Sierra_Railway_3_Tender2655.jpg")
![A British SECR O1 class runs tender-first at the Bluebell Railway](/Images/godic/202502/15/65_SECR_O1_class_22656.jpg")
![Cutaway cross section showing a Spanish tender designed for fuel oil. Green areas hold water and brown areas hold fuel oil. There is a special arrangement to prevent sloshing around during the movement of the train.](/Images/godic/202502/15/Tender-Dampflok2656.JPG")
![SNCF 241P Class with 34P bogie tender, being filled from a water crane (Nantes Blotterau, France, August 1969)](/Images/godic/202502/15/SNCF_241P_Class_with_34P_tender2656.jpg")
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing its fuel (wood, coal, or oil) and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so their tenders are necessary to keep them running over long distances. A locomotive that pulls a tender is called a tender locomotive. Locomotives that do not have tenders and carry all their fuel and water on board the locomotive (itself) instead are called tank locomotives.