Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!decwrl!ucbvax!daemon From: railroad@ucbvax.ARPA Newsgroups: fa.railroad Subject: Re: Sand Towers Message-ID: <9871@ucbvax.ARPA> Date: Tue, 13-Aug-85 08:59:56 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9871 Posted: Tue Aug 13 08:59:56 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 23:26:27 EDT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.ARPA Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 23 From: Dennis Rockwell[ ... ] I wasn't aware that these were still in use in todays engines, but, I can't think of any other reason of carrying a sand tower on an engine. Rick Smith As far as I know, they are still in use, but they are no longer so readily visible at the top of the locomotive. After all, there is still the need for additional traction (steel-steel is not the best match for adhesion). As backup evidence, I have a short article (anecdote, really) which mentions that the GG1 (the greatest locomotive ever) had sand available to the engineer and it was used routinely in accelerating away from stops; also, on a recent (business) trip to Stockholm, I spent an entire afternoon at the central RR station and the RC1 thru RC5 locomotives all had sand pipes leading to the wheels. The RC class locomotive is the basis for the AEM7 (?) currently in use by AMTRAK in the Northeast Corridor. Dennis