03-13-2009, 07:34 AM
I'm looking for information on Sand Towers. Specifically, older wood sand towers. i.e. how the locos were filled, where the hatches were/are located on locos, that kind of stuff.
Echoing complaints about the almighty Google and its endless supply of useless links, (perhaps we ask the wrong questions???) I'm hoping that some of the fine folks here can post some useful info and especially decent photos of these structures.
The plan in the near future for me is to build one of these structures as part of my loco facility on my layout. Weather it, show some of the old boards replaced with new ones to give it that "used" look.
The earliest set of plans I have are dated for 1945 so I could, I suppose, justify the presence of one on my 1950-60's layout era. I have not been able to come across any real detail on the construction of the sand pocket at the top nor the sway pipe which I could really use some design help on. Unfortunately while the CP Historical site tells me what plans I need, they do not have them in their data base.
Even if this is all just for my own interest and understanding on how it all fits together.
Also, I understand that the wet sand needed to be dried by a furnace in a small building underneath the tower, but how exactly did it get to the top? The plans I'm working from show a 2 1/2" pipe going up to the pocket, and a baffle on the ceiling directly over top of the pipe, so I am assuming that the dried sand was blown up there and stored until needed by a loco and fed to one via the sway pipe.
Thanks in advance!
Echoing complaints about the almighty Google and its endless supply of useless links, (perhaps we ask the wrong questions???) I'm hoping that some of the fine folks here can post some useful info and especially decent photos of these structures.
The plan in the near future for me is to build one of these structures as part of my loco facility on my layout. Weather it, show some of the old boards replaced with new ones to give it that "used" look.
The earliest set of plans I have are dated for 1945 so I could, I suppose, justify the presence of one on my 1950-60's layout era. I have not been able to come across any real detail on the construction of the sand pocket at the top nor the sway pipe which I could really use some design help on. Unfortunately while the CP Historical site tells me what plans I need, they do not have them in their data base.
Even if this is all just for my own interest and understanding on how it all fits together.
Also, I understand that the wet sand needed to be dried by a furnace in a small building underneath the tower, but how exactly did it get to the top? The plans I'm working from show a 2 1/2" pipe going up to the pocket, and a baffle on the ceiling directly over top of the pipe, so I am assuming that the dried sand was blown up there and stored until needed by a loco and fed to one via the sway pipe.
Thanks in advance!