As I mentioned in the Modeling Plans thread, I will be scarce around here for the next two weeks. So we will see if threads get going on time. For now, I will open this with an image from my ever shape shifting photo diorama.
Good morning from partly sunny and mild Northeast Ohio with a haze of smoke particles! Well, I got a few cars done this week. First, a Proto 2000 50' Double Door Boxcar with end doors, painted with Scalecoat II Mineral Red paint and lettered with Microscale Decals. I am showing both sides of the car as they are lettered differently. These were 1929 cars rebuilt in 1941 in Class FE-22. The FE class comes from the period when they did not ship autos in boxcars and the FE stood for FurniturE. Next a rebuilt and repainted NYC boxcar, using a Branchline kit but with Despatch Roof and Ends, painted with Floquil PC Green and lettered with Microscale Decals. Car was used in general service. Finally, a pair of Prepainted Bowser H21a hopper cars to add to the 18 cars already finished, but I did dull-coat the shiny factory applied paint. (Coal loads will be spruced up in the future.) Here are the brothers of the H21a's running behind a pair of Bowser RS-3's on the Strongsville Ohio Club Layout. Thanks for looking! Rick Jesionowski
Railroads once purchased cabless booster locomotives of all sizes to save some money and provide flexibility in locomotive assignments. Switching locomotives like you saw in @SP-Wolf 's photograph were called "cow and calf" sets and were once fairly common at large yards. I shot this one at John Sevier Yard in Knoxville, TN, 12/03/1977. If you see a cabless "locomotive" without exhaust stacks or hood louvers, it's a "slug". These have traction motors only and draw their current from a locomotive. These are best at slow speed lugging. I found this one in Knoxville as well, 10/1979.
Mostly concrete, with a little room provided for electrical components. BTW, no question seeking knowledge is "dumb". Of course a few of the responses might be considered dumb.
The best pulling engine set I have is a N scale ConCor SW1200. With a cabless dumby unpowered. Wisconsin Central 1230 & 1232.
Rumor says a third type of cabless booster powered by dilithium crystals is under development, but it could take many years to perfect.
Another cousin of the above, although not cabless, is the road slug. CSX has a number of these made from old GP30's and GP35's by removing the diesel engines and pouring them full of concrete to increase tractive effort much like the slug shown above. These do, so far as I am aware, retain their cab controls.They are mated to a powered unit and generally can be identified by the engine compartment doors having been welded shut. They also may be marked "road slug". Modeling one might be an interesting use for a dummy unit.
Fun fact. When working at Morrison-Knudsen, Mountaintop, PA, we built a pile of these for CSX.. It was a fun contract. Each unit has a fully functional cab, with full controls and cab amenities. There are large power cables connecting the two units providing electricity for the traction motors. A very large concrete block with cast in mounting tabs is placed where the engine block was, and bolted down to the same bolsters. These effectively provide for twice the traction, with a considerable fuel savings. A very interesting concept.
