white cab roofs

I've noticed that most of CSX's engine cab roofs are white in color. Is this done to keep the cabs cooler by having the white color reflect the sun's rays off of the cab? Maybe there is another reason?

Curious....

Paul

paulrail wrote:I've noticed that most of CSX's engine cab roofs are white in color.

have you seen any around here? I don't re-call seeing any lately. In Selkirk the 2437/2438 & 2439 have white roofs with a yellow strobe on each side, which identifies them as RCO capable. I thought I read somewhere that the white roof was another character used to identify an RCO engine.

The reason CSX paints the cab roofs white is to "supposedly" help cool the interior of the cab. It has nothing to do with RCO..........

That makes sense CSX ENGR, but as I said, I thought I read about the other.

What is "RCO"?????

remote controlled operated (not sure about the last one)

NJT Rider wrote:What is "RCO"?????

An RCO is a Remote Control Operator. I believe the original question should have been "does a locomotive with a white cab roof mean it's an RCL (Remote Control Locomotive)??? The answer is still NO----CSX believes in painting the roofs white in an attempt to cool the interior of the locomotive cab. After all, this is alot cheaper than installing air conditioning!!!

Here are some examples of white cab roofs:

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery/Bobs ... 5_07_30_05

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery/Bobs ... 5_07_30_08

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery/Bobs ... 5_07_30_10

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery/bobs ... 5_07_20_09

Bob

It doesn't make much of a difference with the heat waves we have had this summer But at least they try.

all the CSX units should have gotten the white roofs by now...

they were even being applied to the units still painted in kon-rail colors

I just noticed that most of the GP40-2's do have the white roofs, but I guess I never really notivced it.