Wisconsin Central locomotives

[Bruce Frierdich]

WC had a small fleet of SD40-2s from what I have read. Photos show what looks like a roof extension running maybe 5-6' back on some of the units. Wondering if anyone knows what purpose they served.  Thanks.

[rdamon]

Is this what you are referring to?

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/409908/

I believe this was for the folks in Canada to offer a little weather protection 

[Backshop]

I think it was more weather protection for the engine air intake than the crew members.

PS--Here's a little personal WC story.  One morning, I was railfanning the WC between Ishpeming and Escanaba.  There was a NB train stopped in a siding and I was waiting for it to get light enough to get some pictures.  When it did, I noticed that diesel fuel was dumping down the side of the lead SD45's hood.  I walked closer and motioned for the engineer to open the cab window.  When he did, I said "do you know you're dumping fuel oil everywhere?".  He got an "Oh s**t" look on his face and immediately shut it down and reported on the radio to the dispatcher (I had a scanner). A few months later, I was going to the Soo Line Historical Society convention in Stevens Point and wanted to visit their engine facilities.  I wrote them a letter and included my "good deed" and they gave me a Release and gave me the run of the property.  It turned out the locomotive was fresh out of the shops and someone had stripped the fuel drain bolt on the fuel filter.

[Leo_Ames]

That's my understanding as well. The snow shield were to keep rain and snow out of the inertial filter screens for the air intake.

[Bruce Frierdich]

Hi, Thanks for the replies.  I kind of assumed it was for protectonic from the elements but some of the photos look like an extension of the roof and some like an extended air intact vent. 

[Bruce Frierdich]

Protection not protechtonic

[BaltACD]

Bruce Frierdich

Protection not protechtonic

You do have the ability to go back and edit a post you have submitted once you observe a mistake in it.

[YoHo1975]

The snow shields were not entirely uncommon on the Dash 2 series. One of those things that every diesel detail article in Model Railroader in the 1980 had...alone with the cover on the fan. 

[Backshop]

Did any US railroad besides the Soo Line have the cover over the forward radiator fan?  My mind is drawing a blank.

[rdamon]

The Oakway SD60s on the BN did

[SD70Dude]

The roof radiator fan covers are called 'winterization hatches'. 

As mentioned the 'snow shields' over the side air intake are to prevent rain and snow from getting in.  A similar shield was also tried on at least one SD75I but it obviously didn't work well enough to catch on. 

https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40304

[Overmod]

SD70Dude

 A similar shield was also tried on at least one SD75I but it obviously didn't work well enough to catch on. 

https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40304

That's pretty lamentable if it was expected to keep heavy snow out of the inertial-filter intake; it is on the level of aerodynamic understanding of those elephant-ear wings that were supposed to substitute for tunnel-motor radiator cooling with 'low intakes'.  I can almost see the little flow arrows in the patent drawing, just like in Angus Sinclair's discussion of patent devices which neatly indicated the flow of the steam -- with the problem being that the steam was too dumb to read where it was supposed to go and did something else...