Reply to "What is a water scoop?"

rattler21 posted:

Sometimes referred to as 'Jerking Water', hence the term Jerk Water Town for a municipality along the right of way which was too small to have a station at which trains stopped for coaling and water but did have on-the-fly pans for picking up water without stopping.  John in Lansing, ILL

Not quite. The perm "jerkwater town" was used LONG before the NYC or PRR ever developed "scooping water" from track pans.