About the Author J. D. Santucci (a.k.a. "Tuch") began his railroading career in 1978 as a trainman on the Missouri Pacific. After a round of lay-offs in 1985, Tuch embarked on a railroad odyssey, working in many different situations for different roads. This column tries to explain some of the nuts and bolts of the job and also demonstrates what we have to deal with on a regular basis within and without the industry. Tuch currently works through freights out of Chicago for Canadian National/Illinois Central. ©1999, 2003-2007 JD Santucci. Logo ©2002 The Railroad Network. By J.D. Santucci

April 23, 2004
In part two of this lesson we will focus more upon some of the internal options. Most of these are options located within the cab itself.

For years some railroads used water coolers for drinking water in the cab of the locomotive. This was akin to what you would see in an office, only with a smaller bottle, and it was generally filled with ordinary tap water and not some nice triple filtered stuff. Other roads used the "Igloo" brand water can. This was a metal can with a plastic liner inside that was filled with water and ice. You dispensed it from a spigot at the bottom. Little triangular paper cups were provided. There were drawbacks to both systems. The water bottles tended to break or could easily be tampered with. The Igloos could (and did) get dirty inside and were sometimes used for other than consumable water. More than once, I heard stories about some sort of contaminate being found in the cooler instead of water. Over the years more than one employee came down with a little "reaction" to the water as it was not always being stored in the most sanitary conditions. In my days at the MoPac, an Engineer in Arkansas got deathly ill drinking the water from the Igloo, wound up in the hospital, missed a bunch of work and got a substantial settlement as a result.

From that point on, there were changes in how the industry provided drinking water for their crews; little bottles of water purchased by the pallet load. This was not (and continues today to not be) the best of water. Some brands of it taste pretty good while others taste like they just pumped right out of a coal mine and then bottled it. But there are some brands of water that really taste good. These little water bottles were placed inside the coolers on most roads. It was soon discovered that the Igloos filled with ice didn't have a great deal of room for water bottles. To provide for more room, some railroads began to purchase refrigerators designed for use on locomotives. They operated on the 74V DC electrical system of the locomotive or used air pressure from the locomotive air system to power the compressor. There were several different brands of locomotive refrigerators on the market. MoPac used two different models.

Other railroads decided to install larger coolers. CN's US operations don't use refrigerators like our Canadian cousins; on our former IC and WC units we have large Igloo brand ice chests (like you would bring to a picnic) with ice and water bottles placed inside. This requires ice machines to be located at all terminals. Each cooler has a drain on them connected to a hose that runs the water from the melted ice outside so that the cooler doesn't fill up with water. Refrigerators are required by law in Canada but not the US. UP has refrigerators on some of their units, and non-secured ice buckets that look like large pails on others.

Speedometers are another item that varies greatly from railroad to railroad. For years, the railroads were not required to have a speed recording device and some didn't. Others used a paper tape recorder. The speedometer had a stylus mounted inside at the top of the unit. That scrolled across a tape made of a type of paper. The tape was on a roll and worked like a reel to reel tape recorder with the tape advancing from one spool to the other as the locomotive moved. This type of speedometer was called a "speed recorder" and was totally mechanical in design. No electricity was required to for them to operate.

From time to time, especially after some sort of episode like a derailment, rules infraction or train/motor vehicle collision, the tape on such a speed recorder would be pulled and inspected to see how fast the Engineer was operating the train at the time of the episode. To this day, even in the era of the electronic event recorders, when the information is downloaded onto a card to be read in the computer, it is still often referred to as "pulling the tape."

As time passed, the event recorder was developed. The first ones used what looks just like an 8 track tape cartridge. This device recorder multiple functions the Engineer was doing in addition to just the speed. There was a cycle of 24 to 48 hours on the tape. Once it reached the beginning/end splice in the tape, it changed tracks or channels. If not removed by the time it progressed to the end of the last channel it just recorded right over the old data. In the event of an episode, the tape cartridge would be pulled and then put into a machine to play and read out the events recorded. Some railroads embraced this technology immediately. All locomotives ordered by MoPac beginning in 1980 all had event recorders. Some roads ordered some of their power with, some without them; some roads added them after obtaining new or rebuilt locomotives. In the mid 1990's the FRA required their use and most roads retrofitted all non-equipped locomotives with them.

Like everything else, the event recorder has evolved considerably. Today there are computerized versions that record the information into a small chip. The data can easily be retrieved using a laptop computer. There are several different brands available and the railroads may opt to go with all of them or stay uniform and just use one brand.

Speedometers have also been improved with all electric or electronic systems being used. While older locomotives and those not equipped with high adhesion electronics, the speedometer is usually mechanically driven that measures wheel rotation. The high adhesion units use a radar speed detector. A radar gun is place underneath the front of the locomotive and it measures ground speed instead of wheel rotation. If you have a radar detector in your car and it suddenly goes nuts when you come near a train, that could very well be the reason; it is picking up the radar unit on the locomotive. The radar speedometer can and does sometimes go nuts when passing over an open trestle bridge. The radar beam hits the ties then the open spaces in between them to the ground or whatever is below. The needle on the speedometer or the digital readout will jump back and forth.

There are various models and brands of speedometers available and placement in the cab also varies. The Rio Grande used to place one speedometer on the control stand facing the Engineer. This was a small one. A large one was placed in the center of the cab just below the roof. This allowed for everybody in the cab to be able to observe the speed. In their early super cab units, CN placed the speedometer in the center of the cab mounted just like those of the Rio Grande. There wasn't a small one on the control stand for the Engineer though. Some roads in recent years have opted for a front and rear speedometer. This allows for a speedometer in both directions of travel so that the Engineer will not be required to constantly turn around and look at the speedometer at the front of the unit when operating the unit in the opposite direction.

And there are varying readouts on speedometers. Some use a needle over a screen with numerals and hash marks. Others use a digital readout. Still others use both a digital readout as well as a series of advancing or receding hash marks in a semi-circular pattern. These moving hash marks simulate a needle following the number grid. The size of the speedometer itself varies too. Some are very large; others are smaller, with the screen of the speedo itself about four or five inches in size.

Some models of speedometer will also include an accelerometer. This device measures acceleration or deceleration and reads it out on the screen. You can plot your rate of speed increase or decrease in real time.

Cab heaters were, for the longest time, of a hot water variety. They used water from the locomotive cooling system to provide heat. Multiple speed fans would force air through a series of piping inside the heater. This heated air would be forced into the cab and provide warmth. There were several drawbacks to this system. If the unit was sitting idling for hours on a very cold day, the cooling water didn't get very hot. This meant the cab of the engine also didn't get warm. On bitter cold days just to sustain heat in the cab when sitting for an extended period of time, the Engineer would have to throttle up to try to warm everything up which would heat up the water. There were times you had to have the throttle in run 5 or 6 just to keep the cab warm. Of course, this wasted a considerable amount of fuel. However, when it was really cold, fuel conservation was the least of your concerns.

GE units used a hot water run though piping like EMD with a different arrangement. There was a large vent at the front of the cab. A valve was used to regulate the flow of water through the system. The more the valve was opened, the more heat that came through the vent. There was no switch to regulate the speed of any air through the system though.

It was and is still pretty easy to spot a hot water heated EMD locomotive in the winter months. On older Geeps, one of the air intake vents behind the cab will often have a board placed over the opening to restrict air flow of fresh and cold outside air. Switcher units will have a large cloth apron over the front air intake. This apron resembles a window shade. Again, this apron restricts the flow of cold air into the system which would reduce the output of hot air from the heaters.

Then there was the plumbing to the heaters. Like any other type of plumbing, the pipes tended to corrode and leak. They would also build up with scale from the minerals in the water. This caused heaters to perform at far less than optimum values and you would freeze to death in the cab. In the event you had the unit die and it could not be restarted, you had to drain the cooling water from the system. This also meant draining the water from the lines to and from the heaters. There were separate drain cocks for them that also needed to be opened. To drain a locomotive, there is a drain valve in the engine room that may be operated while the locomotive is moving. To drain the heaters, you must stop the train and reach under the cab while standing on the ground outside to open the drain cocks. Many Engineers did not do this and of course, the water would freeze in these lines causing the piping to burst.

To assist the water based heating system, EMD eventually offered electric sidewall heaters. There would be two of these heaters, one on each side of the cab using an electrical grid that glowed and provided additional heat in the cab. This was an optional device and many roads did not go for it. In the mid 70's it became a standard feature. GE developed their own version of the sidewall heater in the latter 70's and also began offering it, first as an option and later as standard equipment.

The electric forced air heater was developed and offered first as an option. Some roads operating in the northern climates chose this option over the water based systems as they didn't require the locomotive cooling water for heat. This system also reduced maintenance costs. By the mid 70's the electric forced air heater became a standard feature. There are several different models of the forced air heater with some producing enough to practically blast you out of the cab.

As for storage of supplies needed by crews, this greatly varies from railroad to railroad. Necessities like spare air hoses, an air hose wrench, hammer, chisel and other tools require a place in which to stow them. Some roads used a locker in the air room portion of the engine room; others went with a rack mounted to the rear sand box or even on a car body door inside the rear of the engine room while others went with a stand up locker that could hold everything needed, including a spare jumper cable. With the super cabs many of the hardware supplies are stored in the front of the nose, just inside the exterior door and just outside the cab access door.

Many roads have opted for some type of crew vigilance systems. Alerters or dead man's pedals have been applied to many locomotives when they were built. At one point in time, a dead man's pedal was required by law. In the 70's this law was revised to only require passenger locomotives use this feature. Many roads immediately removed them from their freight engines. Other roads continued to use them as a safety feature and ordered them on new power. Conrail, Grand Trunk Western and South Shore are three roads that ordered new power with dead man's pedals on their new power after the law was changed. Although once they began using alerters, Conrail dropped the use of dead man's pedals. GTW likewise began installing alerters and also discontinued the use of them on most of their power as well.

Dead man's pedals require the Engineer to keep one foot on a pedal at all times when the brakes on the locomotive or MU Passenger car are released. On most locomotives so equipped, a whistle would sound if you took your foot off the pedal under such conditions. You had about five seconds to put that foot back on it or the train went into a penalty brake application. On the MU passenger cars, the train would go into emergency immediately.

Alerters require the Engineer to perform certain functions within a specific time period based on the speed of the locomotive or hit the reset button to prevent the alerter from bringing the train to a stop automatically. These functions include the throttle, whistle, bell, and air brake systems. This system, required by law in Canada since 1986, and on many passenger trains in the United States is a final level of protection should the Engineer become incapacitated while operating the train.

Passenger locomotives and MU electric passenger cars are also required to have either a dead man's pedal or an alerter. Metra's MU Electric Highliners are equipped with both devices.

Seats on the locomotive are also an option. The standard for many years was the "toadstool" or mushroom seat. This was a very basic seat with a round bottom cushion and a non-adjustable seat back. Their look resembled a toadstool or mushroom, hence the name. The seat back did come all the way forward and would make full contact with the bottom cushion to make it easy to get around the seat when it was unoccupied. The toadstool offered no lumbar support. It came in two styles, with or without armrests. The only adjustment possible with them was the ability to raise or lower their height. They weren't too comfortable and spawned numerous back injuries and nurtured many the backache.

Over the years better seats have been developed. More cushioning, lumbar support, reclining seat backs with higher backs to them and other features offer greater comfort and reduce lower back problems for Engineers and Trainmen. Cloth fabric instead of plastic offers cooler seats in the summer months. Canadian law requires cloth seats while the US is silent about this feature. There are also features incorporated on some seats that allow for the seat itself to move forward and backwards and on some, lateral motion upon the tripod or floor mount bracket.

Canadian Pacific went with an air suspension type of seat akin to that on semi tractors on their newest power. This helps to cushion some of the shock when operating on rougher rail.

"Smooth, real smooth."

Improvements in the mounts used for seats have also been made. There are two options for mounts; directly onto the cab floor or on a bracket on the side wall. And with these mounts come improvements for adjusting the entire mount forwards or backwards. These improvements have made it easier, thus safer for the seat to be adjusted.

Inside the cab, required forms needed a home as well. With the discontinuance of cabooses, the desk and supply drawer were gone. The Conductor could not be expected to carry around all the forms they may or may not need during a trip. So some roads went with a plastic rack inside the cab to hold the envelope or packet that contained the various forms. Sometimes these racks were tiered and could also hold track warrant and track and time pads. CN placed a little desk with a top that opened inside the cab. The forms could be placed inside the space under the desk top.

Some other roads opted for a fold away type of desk top. This was basically a counter top mounted in a bracket or housing on the wall to the left of the seats on the Fireman's side of the cab. You just pulled the counter top all the way and laid it on end. The housing for it became the bracket to hold it in place.

Then, there is the need for storing necessities such as fusees (flares) and torpedoes. A metal storage bin is mounted on a cab wall. It holds fusees in an open rack or one that has a top and latches shut. Torpedoes were stored in a bin right next to the fusees. They required a bin with a latching top as a safety feature. This storage rack could be placed in just about any spot in the cab where it wasn't in the way. Some roads have even placed them down in the dungeon by the toilet.

One option Conrail acquired on their locomotives was a wheel slip buzzer. While virtually all locomotives have wheel slip indicator lights, Conrail locomotives had a buzzer that sounded in addition to the light. This feature can be a double edged sword though. In situations where there are significant wheel slip conditions, that buzzer can quickly become annoying.

The handle for operating the whistle could also vary. The standard handle was a lever that you pulled towards you to sound the whistle. This opened a valve that allowed air to pass from this line to the whistle. Some roads went with an electric operation of the whistle. Southern used a knob that resembled a ball. You had two settings with this, whistling or not whistling. Now the air operated levers would usually allow the Engineer to not have to pull the handle all the way in order to produce a sound. You could pull it part way and get a lower decibel producing sound. With a five chime whistle, if you pulled the handle just right, you could get different sounds out of it as you could have less than all five chimes sounding depending upon how hard you pulled that lever.

I mentioned in part one about the electronic bells. Most locomotives used a brass knob known as the bell ringer to activate or turn off the bell. Some roads like Soo Line used a toggle switch instead. Many Milwaukee Road units also used the toggle switch. Of course those with the electronic bell all used the toggle switch. With today's super cab units, the bell ringer is a button that electronically controls the bell.

And speaking of the bell, some roads opted for a feature that automatically operated the bell anytime the whistle is sounded. Chessie was the first I ever saw to have this feature. Locomotives purchased by Seaboard System also had this feature as did some of their "Family Lines" power built in the 1980's. Anytime you operated the whistle, the bell would automatically ring. You still had to shut it off manually though.

Some roads, particularly those that operate in the northern climates might opt for additional insulation on the locomotive cabs. They would also go with a thicker, heavier grade of glass for the windows too. Virtually all CN and CP units came with window defrosters. This was an electronic device within the windows, similar to the rear window defroster on your automobile, only you don't have all those lines in the glass. Today most all new power is being equipped with the in glass defrosters.

As for the cab itself, there became several versions available. The Canadians developed the so-called Canadian Cab. Today's version is known as the super or comfort cab. The original comfort cab is vastly different than today's model. More efficient use of space is made in today's version. In fact, the cab itself is actually a bit larger than the first designs. For many years, it was mostly Canadian locomotives that were built with the super cab. The F45 type of unit of the late 60's and early 70's, the ill-fated SDP40F locomotives purchased by Amtrak and the F40 series purchased by Amtrak and many commuter railroads were about the only wide cab locomotives in the US. The super cab didn't reach into the US for any freight applications until the latter 1980's. The US freight railroads began experimenting with the larger cab more widespread in the mid 90's.

At first, the super cab was an option. But by the latter 90's it became the standard and the standard cab then became the option. By 1999 the standard cab was dropped from the locomotive builder catalogs as an option. The IC 1039 holds the distinction of being the last standard cab locomotive built for North American service.

Then, there is the WhisperCab. This revolutionary design was created by EMD and they have numerous patents on it. Unlike the standard cab or even the regular super cab, the WhisperCab is isolated from the rest of the locomotive, hence the "I" letter in any locomotive built with this option. The cab itself is a separate entity held to the nose and car body with special brackets. There is a boot of rubber between the front of the cab and the nose and the rear of the cab and the car body to keep everything sealed. It is also not bolted directly to the frame like other cabs.

This design greatly reduces noise and vibration in the cab. Even in run 8 under a heavy load, it is much quieter in the cab and the use of protective hearing devices is not required, except when the windows are open and you are sounding the whistle. Now when in dynamic braking, there is more noise in the cab, but it is still a bit quieter than other cabs. The only drawback I find to them is the rougher ride. Being the cab is isolated from the rest of the locomotive; it tends to wiggle and rock more on rougher rail and can be brutal on jointed rail.

Then there is the desk top control stand. While there was a type of version of it used on Amtrak Electric locomotives that operate on the Northeast Corridor, the desk top for freight locomotives found its first use in Canada. At first, CN embraced it. However, most of their Engineers despised it. CP did not go for the desk top control stand at all until they received their order of SD40-3F's in 1989. With the advent of the super cab in the US, some US railroads began to order it as well. With the exception of a small order of SD70m's, all Norfolk Southern (proper, not units acquired from Conrail) super cab units have the standard control stand. All of CN's SD70I's, SD75I's and Dash 9-44C locomotives also have the standard control stand.

The gauges and system monitors in the cab are also available in several formats. There is the standard analog system. This system is the mainstay of the industry and has been around forever. It is totally low tech by today's standards. Analog gauges, the bank of indicator lights and regular speedometer are pretty reliable.

Then there are the high tech systems. In the 90's, Rockwell developed its "Integrated Cab Electronics" or "ICE." This system used video display monitors in place of mechanical analog displays. There were digital readouts along with graphs. These readouts included an electronic speed display, electronic amp gauge and dynamic brake gauge, tractive effort gauge on alternating current propelled units, integration of air brake functions and support including air gauges and controls for the system to cut it in and out and even head end telemetry controls. There are other functions available as well including all of the indicator lights being incorporated onto the screens. All of these systems are displayed on one or two screens in front of, or to the left side of the Engineer. With this system, the need for satellite or companion boxes or components is eliminated. It is supposed free up space in the cab allowing for less distraction and intrusion to the Engineer.

In the mid 90's, EMD developed their own system calling it "Functional Integrated Railroad Electronics" or "FIRE." Cute eh; Fire and Ice. The FIRE system replaced the Rockwell ICE system that had previously be applied on EMD built locomotives. General Electric, not to be outdone, introduced their Integrated Function Control or IFC. It is similar to the Fire and Ice systems, only manufactured by GE. There are some differences though but we are not going to get into them here. All of these high tech systems can and have been integrated into the standard control stands as well as the desk top stands. The final order of Conrail SD70's uses the electronic systems on the standard control stand.

CN has not embraced these high tech systems and continues to use the good old fashioned analog systems. Union Pacific's 1100 plus SD70m's built over the past few years also have the standard analog systems as opposed to FIRE. Sometimes high tech is not all that it is cracked up to be I guess.

The standard control stand continues to be offered. Prior to the desk top, the standard control stand was it. As I had mentioned earlier, some roads used dual control stands in the cab while other had just one. When N&W dropped the use of two control stands, they followed Southern's lead of the bi-directional control stand. This version was the standard control stand mounted in a different fashion. Instead of being mounted at an angle facing the Engineer, it is mounted parallel to the side wall on the Engineer's side. This mounting makes it much easier for the Engineer to operate the controls when operating in the opposite direction of the front of the locomotive. This makes life much easier as you are not reaching almost behind you to operate most of the controls but rather, along side you.

On the bi-directional control stand the speedometer is usually mounted on the control stand itself. This makes it easier to observe your speed as you do not have to turn around and look behind you to see the speedometer. Although on some units, there is a rear speedometer mounted on the high voltage cabinet to eliminate having to turn at all. On some older units, this was applied well after the locomotive was built.

Some items found on locomotives are after market components that are applied to the locomotive after it is delivered to the railroad. MoPac used to not have radios installed at the factories on their new locomotives. The new units would be sent out of Chicago as working units in a consist, but always in the trailing position. Items like the radio, rear view mirrors and wing windows were applied when the units reached the Pike Avenue Shops in North Little Rock after their maiden voyage. By 1983, that philosophy had changed a bit. Some of the new MP15DC switchers acquired were ready for use as lead units when they arrived at Yard Center, and several of them were assigned there immediately after being placed into service. I was able to operate several of them being the very first Engineer to use them in revenue service.

For many years, new locomotives were shipped dead and drained of all cooling water and lubricating oil from the factories. They were delivered to their respective railroads and factory reps would come out to the location where each railroad was to place them into service. Various functions were performed to prepare the units for service including fueling, oiling, watering and sanding them. Other mechanical and electrical items were tested and checked. After starting them for the first time, the units would be checked for leaks and other problems and then load tested. Once approved and accepted for use, they were then placed into service.

In the latter 80's this began to change, some railroads paid the builders to perform these functions at the factory sending railroad reps to LaGrange, IL, London, Ontario and Erie PA. Once accepted, these locomotives would be delivered running to the railroad or railroads that would transport them to their new home. They were frequently used as working power on trains while in transit. Brand new BNSF Dash 9-44C's have been observed over the years operating as working power on Conrail and NS trains after being released from GE's Erie, PA plant.

There are numerous companies producing after market items for locomotives. Many times these items are installed on locomotives years after their being placed into service. Sometimes the items are upgrades to improve what the builders offered at the time of manufacture of a particular model of locomotive.

Fuel saving equipment such as "Select-a-Power" or "Kim Hot Start" would be two of those items. Microprocessors applied to pre-high tech era locomotives are often applied as well. EMD and Quantum produce aftermarket systems for retrofit onto existing locomotives. The microprocessors improve wheel adhesion and overall performance of locomotives.

Ditch lights, strobe lights, and other lighting systems are also marketed for existing locomotives. In fact, when ditch lights became mandatory in the mid 90's, all of the US railroads had to either create their own ditch light systems or purchase after market systems to comply. When cabooseless operations were initiated, the required equipment had to be purchased and installed on all locomotives to be used in this service. Locomotives ordered after cabooseless operation was introduced often had the required hard and software applied when they were built. Locomotives with the high tech FIRE, ICE or IFC systems had this equipment integrated right into it.

Then there are options for remote control slave units. In the 60's, Harris developed "Locotrol." This was a system that allowed the Engineer to operate mid or end of train helper units remotely from his controlling locomotive. As initially offered, some units had the controls to be "master" units. They featured all the required controls on a panel that sent commands to the helper units. Those units that were to receive these radio signals were called "slave" units.

To allow for any unit to be a remote slave or helper unit, Southern Railway developed the radio receiver car. This car resembles a boxcar and is coupled to power located in the train. The use of electrical connections sent the control messages to any unit coupled to the radio receiver car. The use of such cars reduced Southern's costs for such locomotives as they didn't require as many of them to be dedicated for such service.

Advances have been made by leaps and bounds for remote controlled helper service, In fact now it is referred to as "Distributed Power." The use of microprocessors has made the equipment required for remote helper operation much more compact. What used to fill up much of the short nose of a locomotive is now contained in a box a little bigger than the size of a box in which a medium sized TV would be packed. Today's equipment is also far more reliable, although not perfect. The system is still a radio communication based system and subject to the nuances of man made and natural barriers and atmospheric conditions. Locomotives equipped with such equipment would have at least one or two additional radio antennas on them, which could usually be the only spotting feature to indicate such. Southern used to use different number boards on their locomotives so equipped. Union Pacific and Santa Fe SD40 series locomotives that were equipped had longer front short hoods. They were often referred to as "snoots." This allowed for all the Locotrol equipment to be placed in the nose while leaving plenty of room for the toilet and equipment supply bin.

Then there are toilets. There are several different types of systems available as well as varying styles of toilets themselves. While most new power these days uses some type of flush toilet, there have been other systems out there. Some roads used an incinerator toilet for those "number two" situations. These things literally incinerated the stuff. The smoke and smell from such treatment would about kill you.

There are several types of flush systems. There is a vacuum system that uses water and literally sucks everything out of the bowl and into a retention tank. There are several types of flush toilets available as well. Some are like the standard home toilet holding water in the bowl at all times. Others have an empty bowl but use treated water to flush everything clear and into a holding tank.

The cab interior paint is also an option. The standard paint for standard cabs for years was the trusty industrial gray. This is as harsh and sterile as you can get. Some roads opted for more eye appealing colors. Lighter shades of green and blue have been used for some cabs. CN has used tan and beige shades as well as some lighter browns. The super cab units come in a beige sort of color. In years past, many early diesels were delivered with the cab interior painted a dark green.

Finally, the last option we will discuss is air conditioning. For many years most railroads avoided this option. Santa Fe was probably the first road to make wide spread use of A/C on their locomotives. UP had some engines equipped as did Western Pacific. Virtually none of the eastern roads went for it. The times have changed and A/C is now standard on some models, particularly alternating current units. Most roads order A/C on their new direct current units. After all these years of forcing us to sit in extremely hot and incredibly uncomfortable cabs, somebody figured out that this may not be the safest method of operation.

Many railroads have resorted to retrofitting older units with roof mounted A/C units in addition to ordering this feature with new power. It is amazing how much better one can feel by the end of the day if they are not being slow roasted by the summer heat and humidity. What is even more amazing is how long it took for railroad officials to embrace the safety benefits obtained from air conditioning the locomotive cab. They install it in signal cabins to that the signal system will work properly, why was it not thought to give it to the crews as well? Didn't they figure we needed a little comfort to work properly?

While there are many more options we could discuss, I figure this is a good spot to end this topic. I could go on for probably two more columns if we tried to discuss it all. And I think this one has already gone quite a long way already, so we leave it at that.

And so it goes.

Tuch