Question regarding diesel sanding facilities .......

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Hi!

I am looking to get a second sanding facility for my HO 1950s era layout, to be used by 1st generation diesels.

One of the model kit offerings is the Cornerstone sanding facility that offers two types of sanding towers. The “early” version is certainly from the steam era, and the “modern” is what one would see in diesel facilities. It is a single tower with two sanding hoses suspended on either side.

My question is, when would one of these “4 track” sanding towers have appeared in the real world?

Thank you!

2

Actually its a two track sanding tower. The tracks run between the pairs of hoses so there is a hose on either side to fill the sand box on either side. If you look at an F unit it has a sand filler hatch on both sides,

That style would have been used from the late 1940’s through today. In the 1950’s they would have been more common at larger, newer facilities and less common at older facilities.