We suspend disbelief routinely in our hobby. I was running in compressed time, at the time.
I was under the impression that no FT B units had hostler controls because they were all manufactured drawbar-connected to A units and could not be seperated (as manufactured).
Someone correct me if this is wrong.
-Kevin
Works for me!
While still drawbar-connected, they were inherently MUed, so there was no need to control the two units from a ‘remote’ location when the cab – albeit with poor visibility – already had the expensive controls.
When they were made ‘separable’ with couplers is the case you want to investigate. Note that this would inherently involve providing some kind of MU connection, with harnesses connected to the various equipment including appropriate sanders, and a hostling stand might be a relatively small part of the required rebuilding, especially if anyone operating a ‘separated’ B-unit needed to hostle it separated from something with a cab.
I suspect this is a known and documented situation with ATSF tech historians, of which I am not one.
Yes, I believe Overmod is correct. As originally designed and built, the B units were connected to the A units with a drawbar and considered one unit - there wasn’t even a door in the vestibule between them, so if they were separated both were open to the elements on one end. The fifth window and hostler controls didn’t come along until EMD jerry-rigged a coupler to allow the A-B sets to be broken up (originally done at Santa Fe’s request I think?)