I'm getting ready to detail my new Atlas DM&IR SD9, and I'm hoping somebody can tell me what this gizmo on the cab roof is. It shows up in prototype photos from the '50s until the '70s. Any help appreciated!
You have me curious. Never noticed that in photos. With the information you provided, it pre-dates electronic bells. Looks kind of like a siren.
If you like the Missabe, I'd highly recommend buying a copy of "Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway - In Color" by Dave Schauer. From page 53 of said publication "The device on the cab roof was a speaker for an early radio paging system utilized by the DM&IR (after being paged by the yardmaster the conductor on the ground would use a radio handset located under the walkway on the left front engineer's side of the diesel to talk directly with the yardmaster, a practice made obsolete with the introduction of portable radios).
Thanks for the info, Missabe204! Now I just need to figure out how to make a reasonable facsimile of the speaker in N scale.
