I came across this 1905 short film on the Empire State Express steam train taking on water. Nothing special about that is there, we all can picture a steam train stopping at and getting filled from a trackside water tower. Two methods are shown in this picture. A typical water tower is in the background just ahead of the engine and two tracks over. In this video it shows how the express train picks up a water supply without stopping, saving time . Leading edge technology for it's day, and a method that was rediscovered 50 years later as a method for airplanes to quickly reload water tanks to fight forest fires. A method basically unchanged that is still in use over 100 years later !

A clip from a 1938 French movie showing the procedure taken from inside the locomotive cab.

http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org/archive/the-best-steam-trains-movie-i-have-ever-seen__o_t__t_28618.html

The comments posted give more information and a link to the complete film.