The DMIR had orange boxs on the side of some loco’s called Fred Beds. As the name implies, the crews put extra F.R.E.D. and E.O.T.D’s there until they were needed. Whey did they not just put them in the cab?
Putting them in the cabs presents a possible tripping hazard, to mention nothing of a possible flying object that could cause injury, should some unfortunate event happen.
But wouldnt there be some cases where the Freds would fly out of beds?
Better it fly out on the walkway or the ballast, instead of the Fred landing on my head!
Most carriers now have rules in their timetable or safety rule book instructing you to place the EOT or Fred in a holder…often they are mounted in the long hood, on the truck frame, or the pilot plate.
They are incredible bad about tripping you if you leave them laying around on walkways or in the cab…they are very, very unwieldy and heavy, and the hose is an excellent tripping hazard.
You should look up Mookie’s “Yellow thingies” thread for a lot of good info about the holder, or Fred Beds…
Ed
I was told they did it to help prevent back injury. Obviously putting it at a lower spot helps not having to lift it.
I’m not sure who was the first to do it… The DMIR was the first I knew of. It’s interesting that the various steel roads came up with a lot of unique ideas in railroading.
Dave
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Ah - the 'Yellow Thingies" surface again!
Speaking of yellow thingies, CP here in Milwaukee has a habit of leaving an EOT or two on the top of a yellow concrete barrier block at Muskego Yard, I have a couple pictures somewhere…
How old is FRED?
FRED is 24 years old in my neck of the woods, I refer strictly to the time that the cabooses were removed and we started operating with End of Train devices. I can’t speak as to how old the technology is but know that the Florida East Coast was using a version of FRED well before that, although I’ve been told it wasn’t nearly as sophisticated, nothing more than a flashing device with an air gauge.
My guess is that FEC started with them in the 1960’s. They refused to go along with a national pay hike in about 1960 or 1961, were struck by the unions, and started running trains with management crews.