CSX Locomotive Question

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Last Saturday I saw a train on CSX’s Keystone Sub with a unit that had some type of white “ball” protruding from it. It was on unit 8258 or 8458 (I can’t remember which it was) and was on a the end of a “stick” which was connected to the cab, just below the air horns. Any idea what this was?

2

Sounds like a GPS (Global Positioning System) system to me.

3

It is a defensive barrier generator newly installed to prevent UFO’s from crashing into them.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=66150

4

[:D] 10-4 Good Buddy, many of BNSF’s newer units also have this GPS dome on the roof of the cabs and that is exactly what it is for.

5

Quote by Zardoz:

[(-D] Thanks Mulder… I always knew the truth was out there. [(-D]

CC

6

Ok, here’s another one for you: saw a CSX SD40-2 in Manchester, GA that had an amber rotating beacon mounted adjacent to the DB blister on the engineer’s side…didn’t seem like the optimum place to mount it if the intent is to be a warning beacon, nad can’t say that I can recall seeing them on any other units…any ideas??

7

This is only speculation on my part, mind you, but could that beacon be intended to help the crew members on the ground in the yards determine how far ahead of them the locomotive is in a switching move? Or perhaps it is to help the operator of a remote control operation better see the unit(s) he is operating in remote fashion.

8

I would say those those are good guesses, but the beacon was only mounted on the one side…it looks like if it were for the reasons you mentioned there would be one on the other side as well.

9

The amber beacon indicates that the locomotive is equipped with an APU ( Auxiliary Power Unit), the rotating beacon is lit when the APU is running and the diesel engine is shut down. The APU keeps the locomotive coolant warm and the batteries charged.

10

Which means the one I saw headed up the tracks (as the trailing unit of two) with the light flashing probably wasn’t pulling it’s load…

I asked the local trainmaster the same question. And got the same reply.

11

actually the rotating beacon is a science project funded by nasa to see if they can help dispatch trains from outer space, this was prior to GPS. Also was a guide marker for interstellar travellers to know which engine the APU was on so they could get some juice.

12

actuly when the amber light is on…it means the APU has malfuntioned…it also emits a beeping sound to alert the engineer or shop people that needs to try to reset it to get it working proporly agin…
csx engineer

13

I guess that would be the case with the unit I saw, because the beacon was lit…now that I think about it, I do believe I did hear some sort of an alarm also, but at the time I didn’t connect the two…