railroad@ucbvax.ARPA (08/13/85)
From: Dan_Bower%RPI-MTS.Mailnet@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA A few points: I'd always heard them called "sand domes" when referring to the supply of sand on a steam locomotive. The sand dome was always placed atop the boiler so the heat would keep the sand dry. (Wet sand will not flow, just like wet sugar.) On diesel locomotives (and electrics, and streetcars...) I've always heard the sand supply called a "sand box". Most diesels have two or four sandboxes (one for each truck or one for each side of each truck) so as to minimize the length of pipes needed to carry the sand. The shorter they are, the steeper they could be, minimizing the chance of clogging. Also, for many years now, locomotives have had pneumatic sanders. With these, air pressure actually blows the sand between the wheel and rail. Railroads found out long ago that a hefty crosswind would blow the sand off the rail before the wheel would run over it. PS. I have heard the term "sand tower" used to refer to an overhead supply of sand at a locomotive servicing track. Typically sand towers are found near fuel racks (for diesels) or coal tipples (for steam). Some railroads also had combination coal and sand tipples.