sander

1. (rail transport) A device which spreads sand on the rails in wet, snowy, icy, slippery conditions to improve traction.Examples: "Grass growing on the track made the running far from easy, and only frequent use of the sanders enabled us to breast the 1 in 50 gradients between Letterkenny and Kilmacrenon [sic]."; "Traditionally, sand was used to aid grip, being released onto the track in front of the wheels from a special 'sandbox'. However, the Slough accident led to two trials on the use of train-borne sanders to aid braking: [...] Now, all new stock is fitted with automatic sanders, as have most of the pre-1994 units still running."

2. (historical) A small device resembling a salt shaker but containing sand that was shaken over a document to remove excess ink.historical