GWR Sand House

[88D]

Did small GWR engine sheds, say 5 locos or less, have sand houses? If not, did they have a ‘dry sand bin’ or suchlike? Was there ever a standard sand house/ furnace? Cheers, Dai Davies

[Steamport Southport]

My GWR Engine Sheds book is out of reach at the moment.

 

But I wouldn't have thought that a small shed would have anything substantial seeing as a medium sized one like Didcot only had a small brick built shed with a corrugated roof. Something like that would be ideal.

 

The small building just in front of the shed. Drawings of which are in the ET Lyons GWR Engine Shed book.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/historical-survey-Great-Western-engine/dp/0902888161

 

 

Photo from Wiki.

 

 

 

Jason

Edited October 11, 2018 by Steamport Southport

[JimC]

There were sand vans, used for storing dry sand. There's a photo of one in Russel's A pictorial Record of Great Western Wagons, which is an Iron Mink with wood doors. That one is marked "For use at Banbury Junc" and  "Not to run for more than 3 miles on the main line". Banbury shed had a sand furnace, so maybe this stored sand for brake vans at the marshalling yard? I don't recall seeing any pics of sand vans at small sheds, and can't imagine they'd get through enough sand to justify it  I would have thought branch sheds would just receive a sack or two of dried sand with other supplies.

[hmrspaul]

Sand van for STJ in BR days - an iron mink https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrvans/e1f56acc5

 

Paul

[M.I.B]

Sand sheds were an approved standard design for GWR builds, so they would all have matched the Didcot one.  Absorbed sheds may have had something different.

 

They contained a drying furnace so they were more than just a storage shed.  The Lyons book has maps of GWR Sheds and they show where each of the sand sheds are on diagrams IIRC.     

 

Sand vans could also be parked in or near "van kips" where TOADs lurked awaiting work.   I have one modelled on an old Isle  of Wight "road van" and it will find itself in various places on my shed such as near the ash pit, at the end of a storage road, and perhaps with coal empties from the coal drop.  Anywhere where the crews doing service could get to it easily without it being in the way of traffic.

 

I get the feeling that they were never made out of the best and most modern rolling stock, 

 

I'm not sure how small sheds got their supply, but I'm with Jim C - probably got a sack or two dropped off every now and then.

[JimC]

Sand sheds were an approved standard design for GWR builds, so they would all have matched the Didcot one. 

My impression is that the earlier sheds generally had a larger furnace of more elaborate design. Didcot's is the standard loan act era design. Also the rather cute iron coal bunker outside, which is sadly showing its age now.

[B15nac]

This is my sand house built from a townstreet model.

 

Regards Neil

[88D]

This is my sand house built from a townstreet model.

Regards Neil

Looks not too dissimilar to the one at Dicot; went there today. Thanks to everybody for their replies, Dai

[M.I.B]

This is my sand house built from a townstreet model.

 

Regards Neil

 

I like Townstreet stuff - I have alredy built the GWR coaling stage even though I don't have a baseboard down as yet.

 

But I can't find the sand house in their catalogue.

 

They don't have an email address either.

 

Is this a recent purchase or a very old kit?

[B15nac]

Hi

 

It's been available for about a year I think. They made it to go with there loan act shed like the one at didcot that I'm also building