Two Sand Domes are Better Than One
The two “machines” (Morrill liked to call them that) which Monson bought from Vulcan in 1913 and 1918 had a very distinctive look to them. They didn’t have the same look as the reverse curve roofs of the Hinckley’s or the bold look of the Baldwins or the clean lines of the Porters that the other two-footers had.
But what makes them look different at first glance? The Monson Vulcans had TWO sand domes, not just one. This begged the question…. how many other two-footers had two sand domes? Out came all my two-footer books. It turns out just one. WW&F No. 6, a Baldwin, was the only other Maine two-footer with two sand domes. No. 6 was a big prairie type with a longer boiler and had room for those two domes.
But it turns out the Monson Vulcans were the only Maine two-foot forneys to have two sand domes. Kind of an interesting bit of useless trivia, but I’m sure the Monson was glad to be able to sand the drive wheels when running in either direction for those tough 5% grades!
