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.