Western Railroad Discussion > How does sand get into these things?

I have several pictures of "modern" sanding towers such as this one on the Santa Fe at Stockton, CA. Unfortunately, it's always been like this, never in use or being filled. I more or less know how they get sand out of the thing into the locomotive, but how does sand get into the tower? Older, larger sanding racks had tracks with grates where covered hoppers would dump loads of sand, which then proceeded to the drier and finally up to the storage bins via compressed air. This tower (so far as I can tell) doesn't have an unloading track, nor any other grate for dumping sand from trucks. How does sand get into it? Also, I see a "stack" of some sort at the top of the tower - did this tower have a drier built-in, or did it rely on the sand delivered to it already being dry and ready to use?

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Glad I'm not the only one that wonders about these things. How do they do it?

Easy to answer.......they blow the dryed sand up into the tank, the 'stack' is probably a separator....the sand goes down into the tank and the air goes out the stack.

DaveL

AIR the sand is blown up!!!
Or vacume

I should have been more specific, or less long-winded. I don't see a loading track or a grate for dumping a truckload, so how does sand get into the tower in the first place?

The "OLD" ones, worked like this: They usually had a "Sand House" that was covered, full of Montery No. 1. They hook up a hose to the main res on an engine or an outside air source with enough CFM. There is usually an underground tank that you shoveled fill with the sand, about half way. Then you close it up, fill it with air and blow the sand up and into the top hopper.

The new type one, like in the picture is done much the same way but in a much smaller scale. There is no storage below, but bags are used to fill the hopper.

Nudge

I believe some of them used an Auger to move the sand from the dump-pit to the tower
Shortliner(Jack) away up here in the Highlands

Oompa Loompas ;+)

Those that I have been around have a 4" hose connection at the base that allows a truck to be connected to it. The truck then unloads the sand via air pressure through the hose and up into the tower.


Chris Toth

damn I thought Evan knew everything. My whole image of him is forever changed....

lol

There was a subterranian, covered sand "pit" at West Oakland Diesel Shops, reached by a ladder. Word has it the diesel track laborers, electricians and pipefitters used to show porno movies down there on third shift, until one guy fell down the ladder and got hurt, thereby calling attention to the practice... Something about pneumatics reminded me of this story... ;-)

UFO's come in around 1 in the morning every night and dumps the sand. by this time most everyone is asleep. the only one that are up are usually the furture jerry springer guests...

Trucks are mentioned for hauling sand, there were also dedicated railcars labeled "Dry Locomotive Sand Only" that had the pneumatic connections for the sand towers. The sand
being dry was essential to loading the tower, and having it function well in the
locomotive. Nothing like having sand freeze into an iceberg in the sand reservoir.

any one have any other pictures of the diesel sand facility. I am trying to model one...using the Deluxe Innovations version as a start...

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BearCat Wrote:
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> any one have any other pictures of the diesel sand
> facility. I am trying to model one...using the
> Deluxe Innovations version as a start...
>


In your photo I assume the hopper is delivering sand but in that case the sand would come out the hopper in the bottom of the car, or am I not understanding?

Evan, the one in Stockton at Mormon Yard is filled with a special truck, using it's own air preassure to blow the sand through a hose to the Sand Tower. I have seen it done once. It dosen't get filled often as it dosen't get used much. There are no roundhouse machinists at Stockton anymore, and BNSF dosen't allow operating employees to sand locomotives.

Brian

Some almost got it correct. Trucks haul the sand since the railroads don't have the equipment or desire anymore. The truck trailers have blowers on them ( NOT compressors ) and they are running a huge amount of air up the stand pipe on the side of the sand tower and carrying a smaller amount of sand in the air current. The smaller cylinder at the top is nothing more than a separator which lets the sand drop out into the storage tank and the air to vent out. I have done it hundreds of times with sand as well as other products.