Complaints that the forum is dead lately and the resulting discussion got me thinking about what kinds of questions I could ask. One that came to mind is, how often and how much is sand used on the modern locos to help get things rolling or keep them rolling? Isn’t it hard on the rails and the wheels, sorta like taking sandpaper to them?
I wonder the same thing. With the exception of 1 hill here in town, most rail lines around here are fairly flat. The local BNSF has a bir ol’ sand tower at the yard, so they must go through some sand. Are there places and times, other than on a hill, where sand gets used?
On slick rails due to snow, rain, ice, etc…
Getting a heavy cut moving, either a shove or a pulling move, even on a flat surface can require sand.
No, it does little damage to the rail…
Don’t know the exact volume of the sand boxes on our locomotives, about six foot tall, two feet deep and four feet wide, one on each end.
The MK1500D has a built in sanding feature, if the wheels slip, it turns on the sander on the leading truck, then shuts it off when the slip goes away…
They get filled ever other trip to the fuel rack.
Ed
From reading some EMD operators manuals (on the net, I can give you the link if you want) it sounds like sand is hard on the gears and traction motors, which is why its use should be kept to a mimimum.
ugh, the sandman is my greatest enemy when i’m waiting for MSSPR to show up in altoona on saturday night.
good question. i would think it does small damage to the tracks, but it doesnt become considerable or noticeable until a bunch of other problems arise in the track anyway and the RR will just end up replacing said rails. but i do wonder…
Sand in switch and retarder mechanisms is no picnic, either.
Same with piles of the stuff that eventually filter through ballast. MC probably has scratched his way through problems of this sort!