Please excuse my ignorance, but I have never noticed this hole/flap before, but now, nearly every photo I see of an F or E has it. Maybe I just overlooked it. Can you please tell me what it is for.
A new type of MU hook-up. Most MU hook ups are positioned at the same level as the air and steam hoses. I have no idea why this MU hook-up was changed. I was told it was for those F units that had been shopped. Possibly to MU with newer locomotives. That's all I got. Anyone with a better story?
MU receptacle for multiple unit operation. This was the standard location for many of the F unit series. I know Espee had a bunch like that.
Standard MU location on all ATSF F-units because the receptacle on the b-units was at the same height. F's did not typicaly come with MU on the nose of the A-units since they were intended to be run in 4-unit sets. The MU was located on the b's (and rear of the a's) across from the backup light so when it was decided to add MU to the nose of the a-units it needed to be level with the existing recepticle.
Am I blind or just blind? I don't remember this. Anyone know WHEN this was done on the Santa Fe? When was it first done (so I know it wasn't there before that)? When was it done (almost) universally, when my unit would not be "right" withyout it ?
You know, one could write a book detailing all the little nuances and changes added to the F units over the years. Some were federally mandated such as additional grab irons running up the side of the nose and above the wind shields. Others were for convenience like the lifting lugs that showed up on either side of the nose door. Most, but not all, of the Santa Fe Fs got MU doors beginning somewhere around 1960 and all the way up until they were run through the CF-7 program, depending on when they received major shopping. Some of them predated the lifting lugs. I suppose if you really wanted to be accurate you would have to rely on photos. Microscale had decals to simulate the closed doors in some of their ATSF decal sets.
Kenneth and of course all tuned in here. The best answer is as Russell, Wig Wag and I indicated. The change took place when the units were shopped. Early to mid 60's sounds correct to me. The thing is we would need to go back into the maintenance and shop records to know for sure when each F Type, A or C unit was modified. Some of those records have been saved as per certain Santa Fe Historical Groups. Most of the records were disposed by the railroads as a matter of housekeeping. Not every self ordained Rail Fan, train editor documented such changes. And, we can be thankful for what they did share with us. Dr. Cynthia Priest, I believe does discuss this added feature and she may be able to enlighten you, on the subject. She comes the closest to getting Santa Fe diesel history correct. With regard to the F units: This also allowed them to mix and match the units Ie. AABBC, ABABBC, CBABB or any other mathematical combination there of, as already stated. I hope this helps and isn't to poorly written...
Santa Fe's GP7's had the MU sockets mounted at handrail level (as done by Atlas) so they could MU with the F's without using a non-standard, long MU cable. The Cynthia Priest books are a must for anyone with a serious interest in Santa Fe diesels. I think a reason for there being not much detailed information about early diesels was most railfans of the day concentrating on the last of steam and looking on the diesel almost as something evil or at the very least something to be ignored if one came along while you were waiting for that steamer. It was only in the sixties/early seventies when fans started to live with the fact that steam was gone that you even started to see specific model designations appear in magazines let alone different 'phases' or noticing where the MU sockets were, before then it was just "an EMD cab unit" or an "Alco switcher". We are lucky that not all fans thought the diesel wasn't worth wasting their last frame of Kodachrome on.
Rick, even though we all know what you are talking about, Santa Fe had a "different" classification: "LABC" for their 4 unit sets.
