Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Southern Pacific used Locotrol equipment to control mid-train slaves. These railroads ordered SD40-2s with extended noses to house the equipment and these units were called snoots. On page 55 of the August 2005 Trains is a picture showing a snoot in ATSF paint with the number BNSF 6862. Did the ATSF use snoots, and how many were there ?.
.
Yep , they used em. Not sure on how many though.
Alec
Ditto on above, I think more of the tunnel motors were snoots than not.
Adrianspeeder
As others have stated, yes there were “snoots” on the ATSF. Do a google search for ATSF SD40-2 snoots, you’ll get many returns with photos. Here is a photo of mine from Feb 1986:
Jim
And folks complain about how dingy SP locomotives got.
[#ditto]
Dingy SP locomotives make that (ATSF Snoot) look like the shiniest thing in the world.
But I do agree, that snoot is very dirty for ATSF.
Pics of dirty SP locos.
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=54014
That engine would be clean by SP standards.
Santa Fe had 40 snoots evenly split between transmitter and receiver units.
Canadian Pacific and Cotton Belt also rostered snoots. Canadian National has units that were rebuilt with snoot noses. Anyone know more about those?
Southern Pacific had 229 SD40T-2s and Cotton Belt had 10. Of these 84 were snoots, 74 Espee and the 10 Cotton Belts. That leaves 155 short noses to count, all Espee.
All 247 SD45T-2s were short nosed. Cotton Belt’s 84 and Southern Pacific’s 163. [8D]
Santa Fe’s 40 with the 116 Inch noses were 5020-5027 and 5109-5140. Even were locotrol Masters (Lead) and Odd were slaves (receceivers). Everything else had the more conventional 81 Inch nose until the 5200’s showed-up with the “tweeners”.
The scrubbers at Cleburne, Argentine and San Bernadino were down for the winter?
PS- Those are “Honorary Alligators” to go with the 40 RSD-20’s? (Anyone seen 9820 hidden away at Sacramento along with Uncle John’s other toys?
All Santa Fe snoots were 123" nose as they were all built 1977 or later. The data in the McMillan book is wrong.
I am guessing we can blame Athearn offering only a long nose SD40T-2 decorated for SP for many year for this common misconception. Since he never specified SP/SSW, don’t forget DRGW’s 73 SD40T-2s, all short nose.
I can’t resist the opportunity to pass on some SD40T-2 information.
SP 8230-8299 built 1980
SP 8300-8306 built 1974
SP 8307-8321 built 1978
SSW 8322-8326 built 1978
SP 8327-8341 built 1979
SP 8350-8356 built 1974
SP 8357-8371 built 1978
SSW 8372-8376 built 1978
SP 8377-8391 built 1979
SP 8489-8533 built 1978
SP 8534-8573 built 1979
DRGW 5341-5355 built 1974
DRGW 5356-5373 built 1975
DRGW 5374-5385 built 1977
DRGW 5386-5397 built 1978
DRGW 5398-5412 built 1980
Only the 8300s had long noses.
I am lost!
As you know, we have ATSF SD40’s here - lots of them. I know the snoot refers to a longer than usual nose - I think. What is the locotrol Masters and Odd?
Mook
Locotrol is an early remote control technology used to control helpers. The equipment required was big and bulky, necessitating the “snoot.”
Some locomotives were set up as masters (think transmitters) - they got even numbers (5020, 5022, etc). The others were set up as the slaves (receivers) and had odd numbers (5025, 5027, etc). I’m sure there was some two-way communication between them so the master could see how the slave was doing.
Ah yes, that rings a bell. Must fasten that in my memory bank a little tighter!
Canadian Pacific had Locotrol 1 masters 5815-5864 and slaves 5702-5715 and they had Locotrol 2 masters 5800-5814 and 5865-5879 and slaves 5758-5772 and 6055-6069. I’m not sure if they were all snoots.
CN’s SD40 “snoots” are SD40U’s #6000-6028 they were all originally CN SD40’s rebuilt with a longer nose with a larger washroom and improved crash bracing even though classified as SD40u they are technically SD40-2’s.
Mookie:
My introduction to Locotrol RCE/RCR masters and slaves was in the yard at La Junta in 1980…Seems that a radioman in the roundhouse took out a Master RCE set from a locomotive consist heading for Raton/Albuquerque work and proceded to make repairs on it. While he was in his shop, the slave consist (3 locomotives) was going back and forth in the back of the yard [unmanned] slowly as the locomotives shoved against the handbrakes set on the loco with much effort. The yardmaster (SO) and the switch crews saw this and were screaming on the radio for everybody to stop. The local ASDE (riding mechanic) jumped on the engines and pulled them offline before they found the roundhouse derail or a cut of parked engines. It took everyone a while to figure out it was the radio shop as the culprit![B)][B)][B)]
hope this wasn’t on Halloween? [}:)]
I had read that the CP units had the 102" nose and that this was a Canada only unit. U.S. snoots built for Union Pacific and the early Southern Pacific SD40T-2s used the 116" snoot. U.S. built snoots starting in 1977 used the 123" snoot nose.