Sandhouse

I think the sandhouse was in use as late as 1998, but as of last October they were loading sand into the locomotives by hoisting sand bags up to the sand dome with a frontend loader. I asked former CMO Walter Rosenberger about it and he said it was a cost-cutting measure, explaining that it took considerably more manpower to use the sandhouse.
Although I understood the rationale, I was also disappointed. One of the charms of Chama is its timeless nature, both in terms of the physical plant and the work that is done there. I hope that the economics of the railroad can improve to the point that the sandhouse is used again. And while I'm wishing, it would be neat to see the coal tipple used as well.
Curt