This industrial-use locomotive from Conrock illustrates one of the many ‘options’ offered by locomotive builders to meet the specialized needs of individual businesses.  Most locomotives you will see around Travel Town pulled “tenders” – large trailing cars which carried a supply of water and fuel for the boiler;  however, locomotives used in industrial plants to haul equipment, supplies, and products around the facility didn’t need large tenders because they were never far from their source of water and fuel.  Such locomotives also needed to be small or shorter in order to maneuvers in tight industrial yards.   A separate tender just added unnecessary length to the locomotive.  The placement of the tank, directly over the boiler and driving wheels, also allowed the weight of the water to add traction to the engine, helping the locomotive pull heavy loads without spinning its wheels.  This configuration made the tank engine more appropriate for use in hauling cars full of gravel just a few miles from quarry to crusher.