The model 9502 sand house, sand tower, and sand bins are modeled after the prototype structures of the D&RGW at Chama, New Mexico! As shown in the first photo, it is not an exact reproduction of the prototype; however, by adding the optinal full length sand bin and selecting a tarpaper roof, one then has an exact reproduction.

   The sand house is made of California redwood featuring a board and batten design secured to an inner wall to provide structural support. In addition, all of the corners and inner walls are reinforced with 3/8" x 3/8" redwood. The subroof is made of 3/4" thick redwood, which has 1/8" mitered and inlayed eaves. This provides a very durable roof that can take abuse while maintaining a prototype look! The entire roof is hand shingled and capped with cedar shingles. The actual prototype structure used a simple tarpaper roof, but we feel that our choice of cedar shingles gives this sand house more charm and durability to the great outdoors! We hope that you agree. As of June of 1999, the sand house is also available with a corrugate metal, or tarpaper roof, instead of the cedar shingled roof. It can be obtained in our standard colors (link to Color Selection), or it can be obtained as raw redwood.

   The front two doors on the sand house both swing open using handbuilt brass hinges. The door on the sand bin end of the house slides open to provide access to the bin of sand. The hatch on the bin end of the house does not open, due to structural constraints of the roof. Inside the sand house, is a stove that models how sand was dried, prior to transferring it to the sand tower. The stove flue, along with the vents on both ends, are made of brass and spray painted a rust color. Finally the sand house and the sand bin sit on two independent PVC bases to prevent ground water seepage into the structure.

   The sand bin timbers are also made of redwood along with the vertical piles, attached to a heavy PVC base. Just like the prototype, the bin features tie rods between the piles, which we make from brass rod. The normal sand bin shipped with each structure is one half the length of the actual structure. However, if you have the room, we offer a longer sand bin that matches the prototype length.

   The sand tower features a brass sand hopper painted a rust color. The sand release lever actually moves, but does not actually dispense sand. Since the tower is the most fragile part of the group, it has been designed to be removable from the sand house by removing two pins at the roof and lifting it off two additional pins placed in the ground. This allows one to remove the tower after an operating session without having to remove the sand house and sand bin.

   To accompany the sand house, we have designed and built the Model 9803 D&RGW Coal Tower that stands to the north of the sand house.

   The sand house requires a space that is 12" long and 9" deep. The overall height of the house is 9". The standard length of the sand bin is 12" long and 8 1/2" wide. The long sand bins are 21" long. The sand tower is 15 1/2" tall and sets 3 1/2" in front of the house. We recommend that the base of the sand tower be placed 4" from the center of the track. The weight of the group is about eleven pounds. We do not ship sand with these structures due to the cost of shipping! As with all of our structures, each sand house has a stamped serial number.