A question from the back of the Berkshire 101 class.

Looking at the picture of C&O 2789, what is the function of the taps(?) on the sides of the dome. I have seen these on the NKP Berks as well.

Thanks.

Wesley

Wesley,

Those are the "ports" where sand is drawn out of the dome and fed to the drivers.

In the photos of the freshly primed loco you can see the air manifold and sander control valves below the dome. And the sand delivery pipes running down to the wheels.

4 pipes go in front of the drivers to deliver sand for forward operation. The other two are for reverse operation. Backing up was less frequent, hence fewer sand pipes for reverse motion.

There are also special sand delivery elbows near the top of the sand pipes, these had lead plugs inside the elbow where the direction of sand flow changed. If you use a standard pipe elbow the sand (driven by air pressure) will quickly sandblast through the elbow. The lead plugs did not wear out as fast.

Cheers, Kevin.