The original tank house was demolished circa 1968 and the current structure is a modern replacement that was constructed in 1991. It is similar in design to the original, but slightly smaller (e.g. there is just one window in the front wall of the base, rather than two).
The brick base was a new build, but the tank panels are re-used Midland Railway Company originals. (They are believed to be 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall and current information suggests that they were reclaimed from a site somewhere in the Carnforth or Milnthorpe area of Cumbria (now Westmorland & Furness).
A commemorative plaque fixed to the front wall states that the current structure was:
BUILT 1991
BY
APPLEBY ROUND TABLE
TO COMMEMORATE
ITS
SILVER JUBILEE
The tank house is a functional structure and it supplies the adjacent water crane at the south end of the 'Up' platform (Location ID 277230). (This water crane was relocated from Lazonby, see Location ID 292630.) There is currently no water crane beside the 'Down' line. As a consequence, some northbound steam locomotives are refilled with water via road tankers parked in the station car-park. However, manouvering these vehicles in the tight confines of the station forecourt can be challenging.
The modern tank house and adjacent water crane were first used on 24th August 1991 (following a brief opening ceremony) when LMS 8P no. 46203 'Princess Margaret Rose' took-on water during a round-trip run of the Cumbrian Mountain Express charter service.