2nd Generation diesel cabs

Maybe I missed one of Jerry's classes on this topic? I think a good thread would be on cab control stands on EMD & GE 2nd genration diesels ( SW/MP,GP,SD & U,B, C series GE). There seems to be confusion by many people on how the control stand sits in the cab and bi-directional operation. I've sent some photos to some people but my photo's are not good to explain things and it is difficult to find good interior control stand photo's on line (at least I can't find many). A birds eye view of the vista seen from the enigneers & conductor-brakemens chair outside all windows of the track and how operating in either direction looked with or without a train attached.

While were at it I bet some would like to see the inside of a E or F EMD looking back from the cab, as well as other cab features.

Also someone (Jerry?) needs to point out the many fine creature comforts in the cab - such as heat (LOL), neck brace and hemroid creme, ear plugs, gas mask, eye drops, ...and most importantly (even more important if you worked for CSX or CR) the can of air freshner to keep the cab from smelling like a port-a-poddy the day after Mardi Gras.
So I think many would also be interested in seeing the toliet space, and hope to the lord you never had to use it. One excellent feature about the HH - should you be forced to use it.

Mike
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

There is precious little that could fall under the definition of "comfort(s)"
in a locomotive cab. Switch engines and those used in local service
are dirty,nasty,oily,greasy,noisy,smelly machines. Road haul engines like the SD-40-2,while great haulers, are loose in every joint,colder than
a well diggers patoot in winter and noisier than a boom box stuck in overdrive.

Sidewall heaters, when they work, have only two settings, OFF and
hot enough to melt diamonds, the cab heaters have three settings, OFF
noisy, and loud enough to cause pain.

There is no known substance that will keep a loco john from smelling like a septic tank gone nuclear. They are ALL nasty and disgusting!
Even brand spankin' new locos come equipped with a complete library
of toilet graffiti. I AM NOT KIDDING! While working as a hostler, I have
helped in the acceptance preparation of new power AND the johns were
already graffiti-ed up!
The Super Power locos with the "quiet cabs" have heaters that are just
a streamlined version of the older models, ie the controls are labeled
differently, but the end results are the same. Those cabs also have
air-conditioning in them, but NOT for crew comfort. It is to protect the
I.C.E. electronics. Those computerized controls and info screens are
nice, however they are slightly more difficult to read and use than a Moto-Razr while weaing boxing gloves. Another thing about those "quiet cabs" is that you can actually hear the relays malfunctioning! It is a truly comforting sound!
The Dash-9s, & 70MACS have the desktop type control stand and for
some odd reason, they all come with a standard rattle and vibration
package. A hogger must carry a full supply of paper towels,paper clips,rubber bands, empty matchbooks and duct tape to deal with the
vibration and rattle.

A lot of CN locos come equipped with a microwave and a hot plate in them. We were told that this was because the CN operated through some pretty remote territory so the crews cook their own food on the engine. This may be true, but the fact is that the cooking gear was put in to keep the crews from cannibalizing the loco to find burnable materiel to start their cook fires.

As I have said oft before, If you are looking for the romance of the rails,
read the foamer mags or buy the foamer videos. A locomotive is a machine that moves a lot of heavy metal and merchandise it doesn't have to make a fashion statement. When you work for a railroad, you dont wear your Armani suit, you wear your durable blue jeans or bib
overalls. you wear dirty,beat-up work boots and a threadbare Carhartt
jacket. You have safety glassed with side shields, gloves and ear plugs.
you dont worry if you have mud on your shoes, a hostler helper is paid
to sweep the damn thing out in the diesel shop. You and your conductor are there to get the train from where you get on it to where you will get off of it. You dont care if its dirty, only that it runs, just kick the big clods of junk into a neutral corner and put them in the garbage bag if you are lucky enough to have one, oh and what do you read for entertainment? your track warrants, track bulletins and Forms A,B,C & D(if any) and your rule book. Keep your Playboys,newspapers and Sports Illustrateds in you grip for reading in your hotel room at your away from home terminal(just in case the cable TV doesn't work in your room.)

CT
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Charlie, that is amazing. I sometimes see SRT's engine crews buy their food before going up to the cab.

Question, I've heard that engineers sometime use free heat from the prime mover to cook/reheat their food is it true?
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

I would guess one could do it, if you enjoy your food reduced to carbon
and peppered with soot, sauced with diesel fuel,crankcase oil and krater!

Sometimes,If you are brave enough, you can heat water for tea,soup
or coffee on the sidewall heaters. I was not kidding when I said that
those things get really hot! if you have your food wrapped in several
thicknesses of insulating material you can also heat it up prior to eating.

Many crews will buy their chow prior to the start of a trip. On the few
occasions that I worked the long pool(Chicago-LaCrosse WI) we would
have the transport van stop at a local market in La Crosse so that we could buy food for the trip home. The railroad would allow the van company to do this. I preferred a large supermarket about a mile from the terminal, the "Festival"(?). Great store! they had their own fresh bakery and they baked some absolutely kick-a** cinnamon sugar croissants! I would buy a dozen of them to eat on the train and to take home. They made good sandwiches and hot food. They also had a sushi bar! Several times I wanted to buy sushi but deferred to the rest of the crew since most guys dont like the smell of fish in the loco cab.

Another rule of etiquette(at least on the BNSF-but I'm guessing most RRs)regarding the "sanitary facilities" and I will try to be most delicate about this...

I mentioned how nasty that loco johns are, well... if one feels the need
to go #2, one will repair to the trailing loco and use the facility there.
If there is no trailing loco,then you are excused to use the john in the
lead loco(if you are brave enough!). I will not go further on how most
guys will satisfy their normal eliminating needs. Those of us who are railroaders know how it is done!

CT

Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

A friend once asked how we relieve ourselves and when I told him "outside', he asked what would someone think if they saw me doing it. I told him they would wonder why an elephant was riding on a train. Seriously, MOST of us try our best to be discrete.
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Reading Charlie's and Rick's latest posts about cab/loco cleanliness, I remember an experience that I had at a Paris, France station (Gare d'Lyon IIRC?) in 1970.

One weekend I was at the extreme outer end of the platform next to the brand-new electric loco that was hauling Le Mistral, French Railways extra-fare sleeper train from Paris to Marseille. I assume the loco was brand-new because it was spotless and shiny. At any rate, I saw a man dressed in a precisely pressed dark suit, white shirt, tie, and vest, wearing highly polished shoes, and carrying a briefcase. I quickly assumed he was a high official of some sort.....NOT! The man reached the head end of the loco, greeted me with a smile, took out a set of keys, and unlocked the cab door. He entered, leaving the door open for my full view, laid his briefcase on the console, took off his suit jacket, opened a hanging locker, and took out a wooden hanger on which he hung his jacket. He then removed a crisply starched white smock similar to a lab coat, put it on, and closed the locker. He then opened his briefcase, took out the throttle/reverser lever, and installed it. I'm sure you've already guessed that he was the driver, but his looks and bearing were that of high management or a stock broker.

After he had arranged everything, he invited me aboard and we had a wonderful conversation until about five minutes before train time. Sadly, I didn't have camera, and don't remember much of the conversation. Other than the loco was about a month old, having just been built by France's major electric locomotive manufacturer, Fives-Lille-Cail (sp?).

BTW, there were clocks at the ends of every platform, about 3 feet in diameter, each with a sweep second hand. Le Mistral was scheduled to depart at 15:00. The driver released the brakes and the wheels started to turn when the clock displayed 15:00 and the second hand was exactly vertical! :shade:

Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

I used to run with a guy who was a master at sidewall cookery. It didn't matter if it was 112 deg. outside in the summer, he had the strips on and a hot sandwich wrapped in tinfoil or a container of soup simmering on the heater every trip. He was good at it and never blew up a can of anything in the cab...unlike another associate who exploded a can of stew on the exhaust manifold back in the engine room when he left it heating a tad too long.
mg:
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Liquid refreshment in the steam era.

I've seen more than one boiler backhead with a bracket added to hold a coffee percolater. Also, one time on the Long Island, I watched the engineer extract a string of cold Pepsi-Colas from the water gauge opening right behind the fireman on the wings of the tender, remove one, and open the bottle on the front coupler while in the hole to let an MU train pass.!
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

If you want a dirty loco cab, you can make sure it is dirty. Things can be done to tidy them up a bit. That is not to say that every cab is spotless. You make the cab and the job what it is.

If you want to know about cooking............

http://www.nebraska-locksmith.com/articles/MM.pdf
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Doofus, Thank you for finding the "sidewall/manifold/oil cooler cooking".
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

It's funny how creative we get on engines! the sausage with cheese in it is great sidewall food. on another note, I hate it when I get on an engine that has peanut shells, sunflower seeds, chicken bones, etc on the console. I always try to leave a clean cab for the next crew.
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene