diff --git a/src/ol/imagetile.js b/src/ol/imagetile.js
index 883bfe071b..3022a3e7f6 100644
--- a/src/ol/imagetile.js
+++ b/src/ol/imagetile.js
@@ -152,3 +152,66 @@ ol.ImageTile.prototype.unlistenImage_ = function() {
   this.imageListenerKeys_.forEach(ol.events.unlistenByKey);
   this.imageListenerKeys_ = null;
 };
+
+/**
+ * Get the interim tile most suitable for rendering using the chain of interim tiles.
+ * This corresponds to the  most recent tile that has been loaded, if no such
+ * tile exists, the original tile is returned.
+ * @return {!ol.Tile} Best tile for rendering.
+ */
+ol.ImageTile.prototype.getInterimTile = function() {
+  if (!this.interimTile) {
+    //empty chain
+    return this;
+  }
+  var tile = this.interimTile;
+
+  //find the first loaded tile and return it. Since the chain is sorted in decreasing
+  //order of creation time, there is no need to search the remaineder of the list (all those
+  //tiles correspond to older requests and will be cleaned up by refreshInterimChain)
+  do {
+    if (tile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
+      return tile;
+    }
+    tile = tile.interimTile;
+  } while (tile);
+
+  //we can not find a better tile
+  return this;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Goes through the chain of interim tiles starting and discards
+ * sections of the chain that are no longer relevant.
+ * @return {void}
+ * @private
+ */
+ol.ImageTile.prototype.refreshInterimChain = function() {
+  if (!this.interimTile) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  var tile = this.interimTile;
+  var prev = this;
+
+  do {
+    if (tile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
+      //we have a loaded tile, we can discard the rest of the list
+      //we would could abort any LOADING tile request
+      //older than this tile (i.e. any LOADING tile following this entry in the chain)
+      tile.interimTile = null;
+      break;
+    } else if (tile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADING) {
+      //keep this LOADING tile any loaded tiles later in the chain are
+      //older than this tile, so we're still interested in the request
+      prev = tile;
+    } else if (tile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.IDLE) {
+      //the head of the list is the most current tile, we don't need
+      //to start any other requests for this chain
+      prev.interimTile = tile.interimTile;
+    } else {
+      prev = tile;
+    }
+    tile = prev.interimTile;
+  } while (tile);
+};
diff --git a/src/ol/renderer/canvas/tilelayer.js b/src/ol/renderer/canvas/tilelayer.js
index 2f94b6920e..a512ee8592 100644
--- a/src/ol/renderer/canvas/tilelayer.js
+++ b/src/ol/renderer/canvas/tilelayer.js
@@ -139,8 +139,8 @@ ol.renderer.canvas.TileLayer.prototype.prepareFrame = function(
   for (x = tileRange.minX; x <= tileRange.maxX; ++x) {
     for (y = tileRange.minY; y <= tileRange.maxY; ++y) {
       tile = tileSource.getTile(z, x, y, pixelRatio, projection);
-      if (!drawableTile(tile) && tile.interimTile) {
-        tile = tile.interimTile;
+      if (!drawableTile(tile)) {
+        tile = tile.getInterimTile();
       }
       if (drawableTile(tile)) {
         tilesToDrawByZ[z][tile.tileCoord.toString()] = tile;
diff --git a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/tilelayer.js b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/tilelayer.js
index 2581d2e2df..0a4f084a1a 100644
--- a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/tilelayer.js
+++ b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/tilelayer.js
@@ -252,8 +252,8 @@ ol.renderer.webgl.TileLayer.prototype.prepareFrame = function(frameState, layerS
         drawable = tileState == ol.Tile.State.LOADED ||
             tileState == ol.Tile.State.EMPTY ||
             tileState == ol.Tile.State.ERROR && !useInterimTilesOnError;
-        if (!drawable && tile.interimTile) {
-          tile = tile.interimTile;
+        if (!drawable) {
+          tile = tile.getInterimTile();
         }
         tileState = tile.getState();
         if (tileState == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
diff --git a/src/ol/source/tileimage.js b/src/ol/source/tileimage.js
index dba039aa93..cd84284492 100644
--- a/src/ol/source/tileimage.js
+++ b/src/ol/source/tileimage.js
@@ -302,26 +302,16 @@ ol.source.TileImage.prototype.getTileInternal = function(z, x, y, pixelRatio, pr
       // can use it then we use it. Otherwise we create a new tile.  In both
       // cases we attempt to assign an interim tile to the new tile.
       var /** @type {ol.Tile} */ interimTile = tile;
-      if (tile.interimTile && tile.interimTile.key == key) {
-        ol.DEBUG && console.assert(tile.interimTile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED);
-        ol.DEBUG && console.assert(tile.interimTile.interimTile === null);
-        tile = tile.interimTile;
-        if (interimTile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
-          tile.interimTile = interimTile;
-        }
+      tile = this.createTile_(z, x, y, pixelRatio, projection, key);
+
+      //make the new tile the head of the list,
+      if (interimTile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.IDLE) {
+        //the old tile hasn't begun loading yet, and is now outdated, so we can simply discard it
+        tile.interimTile = interimTile.interimTile;
       } else {
-        tile = this.createTile_(z, x, y, pixelRatio, projection, key);
-        if (interimTile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
-          tile.interimTile = interimTile;
-        } else if (interimTile.interimTile &&
-            interimTile.interimTile.getState() == ol.Tile.State.LOADED) {
-          tile.interimTile = interimTile.interimTile;
-          interimTile.interimTile = null;
-        }
-      }
-      if (tile.interimTile) {
-        tile.interimTile.interimTile = null;
+        tile.interimTile = interimTile;
       }
+      tile.refreshInterimChain();
       this.tileCache.replace(tileCoordKey, tile);
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/ol/tile.js b/src/ol/tile.js
index 55e34f0842..9da13fa24e 100644
--- a/src/ol/tile.js
+++ b/src/ol/tile.js
@@ -72,6 +72,17 @@ ol.Tile.prototype.getKey = function() {
   return this.key + '/' + this.tileCoord;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Get the interim tile if it exists, otherwise returns the tile itself.
+ * @return {!ol.Tile} The interim tile, or the tile itself
+ *
+ */
+ol.Tile.prototype.getInterimTile = function() {
+  if (this.interimTile) {
+    return this.interimTile;
+  }
+  return this;
+};
 
 /**
  * Get the tile coordinate for this tile.
diff --git a/test/spec/ol/imagetile.test.js b/test/spec/ol/imagetile.test.js
index 3986c7c4ff..82de601437 100644
--- a/test/spec/ol/imagetile.test.js
+++ b/test/spec/ol/imagetile.test.js
@@ -60,7 +60,73 @@ describe('ol.ImageTile', function() {
 
       tile.load();
     });
+  });
 
+  describe('interimChain', function() {
+    var head, renderTile;
+    beforeEach(function() {
+      var tileCoord = [0, 0, 0];
+      var src = 'spec/ol/data/osm-0-0-0.png';
+      var tileLoadFunction = ol.source.Image.defaultImageLoadFunction;
+      head = new ol.ImageTile(tileCoord, ol.Tile.State.IDLE, src, null, tileLoadFunction);
+      ol.getUid(head);
+
+      var addToChain = function(tile, state) {
+        var next = new ol.ImageTile(tileCoord, state, src, null, tileLoadFunction);
+        ol.getUid(next);
+        tile.interimTile = next;
+        return next;
+      };
+      var tail = addToChain(head,ol.Tile.State.IDLE); //discard, deprecated by head
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.LOADING); //keep, request already going
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.IDLE); //discard, deprecated by head
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.LOADED); //keep, use for rendering
+      renderTile = tail; //store this tile for later tests
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.IDLE);  //rest of list outdated by tile above
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.LOADED);
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.LOADING);
+      tail = addToChain(tail,ol.Tile.State.LOADED);
+
+    });
+
+    it('shrinks tile chain correctly', function(done) {
+      var chainLength = function(tile) {
+        var c = 0;
+        while (tile) {
+          ++c;
+          tile = tile.interimTile;
+        }
+        return c;
+      };
+
+      expect(chainLength(head)).to.be(9);
+      head.refreshInterimChain();
+      expect(chainLength(head)).to.be(3);
+      done();
+    });
+
+    it('gives the right tile to render', function(done) {
+      expect(head.getInterimTile()).to.be(renderTile);
+      head.refreshInterimChain();
+      expect(head.getInterimTile()).to.be(renderTile);
+      done();
+    });
+
+    it('discards everything after the render tile', function(done) {
+      head.refreshInterimChain();
+      expect(renderTile.interimTile).to.be(null);
+      done();
+    });
+
+    it('preserves order of tiles', function(done) {
+      head.refreshInterimChain();
+      while (head.interimTile !== null) {
+        //use property of ol.getUid returning increasing id's.
+        expect(ol.getUid(head) < ol.getUid(head.interimTile));
+        head = head.interimTile;
+      }
+      done();
+    });
   });
 
 });