Modeling the late 70's

[Anonymous]

I am starting to model CONRAIL in it's infant years. Engines had a box mounted on the right side of the nose, I've been told they are tool boxes, some say elctrical equipment. What were they [?]

[emdgp92]

That box held the cab signal equipment on former Penn Central units.

[Anonymous]

these boxes are also on E-L and Reading engines also.....After the Conrail merger[?]

[Anonymous]

I've heard they were batteries for something but I can't remember what they were to.

[Anonymous]

It's cab signal equipment as emdgp92 says.

You can model that in HO easily enough by adding Details West part #235-170 ("auto train control box for hood units") to the locomotive.

Long Island Railroad GP38-2s (now they belong to the New York & Atlantic) also has a cab-signal equipment box in front of the engineer's window, but they are bigger than the Conrail boxes... Can't find a good detail part to represent it. [:P]