With no front porch, Why have a front door. I would not like to be the windshield washer either.
Denver Zephyr With no front porch, Why have a front door. I would not like to be the windshield washer either.
I asked a similiar question about the U50 series cab design recently and got the answer that it's because the dual prime movers and other equipment took up so much room on the frame that there was no room for anything like a conventional cab arrangement with the porch.
Looking at Pics on the web it appears to me that the SP U50s were built with the nose door but not the UP's units?
I'm guessing the door was there to allow quick access from the cab to the ground but I suspect it presented safety issues...
"I Often Dream of Trains"-From the Album of the Same Name by Robyn Hitchcock
carnej1 Looking at Pics on the web it appears to me that the SP U50s were built with the nose door but not the UP's units? I'm guessing the door was there to allow quick access from the cab to the ground but I suspect it presented safety issues...
You're forgetting that the U50 was built when cab units were still fairly common on the SP. Since the U50 wasn't always going to be the lead unit in a lashup there had to be some way to get into the cab from an adjacent unit without getting down on the ground. SP's hood units from this era - even switchers - always had the optional gangways installed on the ends. It wouldn't surprise me if the U50s had the headlight/oscillating headlight/mars light assembly on the back as well, as if someone expected them to be run long hood forward.
Appears to be no mars light on the back. The only rear shot I could find.
Denver ZephyrI would not like to be the windshield washer either.
Actually, if anything, I would think that the grabiron access to each side right where the windshield outer edges are would facilitate washing more than many others -- F units, for example -- where I always though you'd have to work the swab and squeegee at an angle from the front, or lean waaaaaaay over from the gangway or those little excuses for side platforms that some units had.
O5 Hopeful Appears to be no mars light on the back. The only rear shot I could find.
I couldn't find any other shots. The GP9E 3786 refelects the 1970s practice of removing the separate mars light (top unit has both red and white lenses). It looks like the U50 might actually have had one since the plate is there over the hole.
rcdryeThe GP9E 3786 refelects the 1970s practice of removing the separate mars light (top unit has both red and white lenses). It looks like the U50 might actually have had one since the plate is there over the hole.
If I remember the story correctly: SP at one time had a sort of safety fiesta, installing all sorts of Mars lights and beacons on its locomotives. At some point, however, the ICC noted that if ANY of those fancy lights broke, it had to be treated as a critical light repair, and kept in good order all the time (or, of course, there would be not-so-cute little fines). SP's response was to disable and plate over anything that wasn't strictly required for running. It was sad, but I didn't blame them.
I have no doubt there was an alert light of some kind on the back of a locomotive so long with restricted rearward vision. I also have no doubt it was removed by policy at some point.
SP photographers in the 1970s seem to have had an aversion to the back ends...
Here's what I can say from looking at old SP Motive Power Annuals:
GE U-Series had the mounting holes for back-end mars lights but they were not installed. All units, even the U50s, had a dual sealed-beam on the rear.
EMD second generation units got dual sealed beam only on the rear, except for the SD39s which got the full package. The DD35s, arguably with two rear ends (the hostler control was in the middle between the two hoods), got dual sealed-beams on each end.
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