Dreyfuss Hudson question

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Ok, this is one of those stories so bear with me. I found this really cool photo of the NYC Dreyfuss Husson pulling the 20th Century Limited. I never really noticed it before but it looks like it is missing the front side panels.

this got me wondering. so I went looking for more photos to see if the photo I liked so well

was somehow not as good as I first thought. sure enough they all look like panels are missing.

I looked at my Lionel 221 and it is the same. I looked at the MTH Dreyfuss Hudson and it has the missing Panels.

does anyone know if there ever were panels for the front of these engines.

why would they design them without them?

here’s the Lionel

here’s the MTH

2

Round house crews were given permission to permanently remove some of the forward cowl and rear skirts to assist in servicing the air pump and fire box areas. This is from the book: Thoroughbreds by Alvin Stauffer

I have also read elswhere two other reasons for removal:

1: Heat build up on the air pumps

2: Shortage of sheet metal due to the war.