I have been watching a lot of the videos on Model Railroader Video Plus lately.
In one of these in the South Branch series, Cody details a GP locomotive. As part of this, he installs Detail Associates lift rings on the upper panels.
He makes it a point that the lift rings should be installed so the open part is parallel with the side of the hood. He installed them all very neatly, and sure enough, they all point in exactly the same direction in perfect order.
In my experience this is not how lift ring installation goes. I have seen these installed three ways.
1) If the panel they attach to is very thick, they can be threaded directly into the panel.
2) If the panel is thin, there will be a piece of steel about 1/2" thick bolted to the panel, and the eye will thread into that.
3) If there is a piece of steel channel or angle reenforcing the panel, the eye will be in a hole drilled through both the panel and the reenforcement bar with a nut on the bottom holding it in place.
Obviously 1 and 2 will result in the eyes pointing all directions entirely at random.
With the third style, the top of the eye could be held carefully in line while the nut is tightened, then all the eyes would face the same direction. This requires more labor effort.
I have been around hundreds, maybe thousands of pieces of heavy equipment, and I have never seen any panel lifting eyes in alignment. They all point whatever random direction they end up at, and it makes no difference in their use.
I have very little experience with actual locomotives, and I never did take notice of the lifting eye orientation.
Here is my question (finally): I know these GPs (7s and 9s) came from a different era when craftsmanship was more valued. Did EMD really have their workers carefully align all the lifting eyes so they pointed the same direction?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190...Did EMD really have their workers carefully align all the lifting eyes so they pointed the same direction?
I have no idea if that's true or not, but the hooks used in those lift-rings would have been on the end of chains or cables, so it wouldn't matter which way the eyes faced. Some-such chains and cables had swivel-mounted hooks, too.I was looking through some photos, posted by a friend who does volunteer work at Steamtown (electrical & mechanical) and the eyebolts on the restored F-units do not appear to all be facing the same way.Looking at some of my own photos of geeps, the situation appears the same, with little or no uniformity in their alignment.
Perhaps, in those earlier times, the factory may have aligned them, but I doubt when those panels had to be removed from a loco in order to remove assemblies for repair, that the shop workers would bother...get 'em in, get 'em fixed, get 'em out.
Wayne
I looked through a few of my "file" photos and came across this overhead view of several F-type locomotives from EMD. "The eyes have it", as they say.
F_horn_NYC by Edmund, on Flickr
I'd have to dig deeper but I seem to recall some Alco and/or FM units used welded staples for lifting roof panels off — but my recollection may be fuzzy.
Painting by Dan Mackey, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
SeeYou190Here is my question (finally): I know these GPs (7s and 9s) came from a different era when craftsmanship was more valued. Did EMD really have their workers carefully align all the lifting eyes so they pointed the same direction?
Yes. When I worked in a diesel shop back in the 1980's, they were all pointed the same direction.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Wayne: Your thought process is identical to mine. It doesn't matter which way they face, just get them back on the road.
Ed: I wish you would not have posted that picture of the NEW YORK CENTRAL F units. Not only are all my lift rings on my F units turned 90 degrees from that, I put too many of them on the roofs! All mine have 4 extra lift rings.
Dave: Thank you for the answer. Real world knowledge wins every time. If you know... Were the lift rings threaded into parent material, or were they secured with a nut from the bottom? Perhaps they used a system I am not familiar with.
I should have known Cody would not steer me wrong.
Thanks!
On to another question, because sometimes answers lead to additional questions...
What is this thing between the windshields on one of the F Units in Ed's picture?
The lift rings on the cooling fan section of the NYC F units appear to be parallel to the side of the units rather than at a right angle to the sides like the other lift rings.
Mark Vinski
SeeYou190What is this thing between the windshields on one of the F Units in Ed's picture?
That's a cover over the windshield washer tubes, Kevin.
NYC_4024_crop by Edmund, on Flickr
Not all Fs or Es had them. I am of the opinion that the sheet metal cover is actually intended to duct warm air onto the washer tube to prevent freezing but I can not find difinitive info on this. Many engines lost their covers over the years and I'm guessing the washers were eventually removed as nose grab irons were later applied to aid in windshield washing.
It would appear that the eye bolts on the dynamic brake units are slightly larger than the others as well
Here's a good overhead look at Larry's Truck Electric and you can see the general trend for newer EMDs is to have the rings parallel to the engine length. Note the smaller welded staples on the dynamic brake units — and there are several eye bolts slightly akimbo.
LTEX 243 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr
(Click twice to really zoom in)
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanThat's a cover over the windshield washer tubes, Kevin
If you would have given me 1,000 years I never would have guessed that.
Thanks for the great pictures. Lots of interesting details to look at.