My memory goes back as far as the late 1950’s, and I recall the front coupler on E units appearing as on any other loco or car. I have recently noticed old pictures of E’s, in which the coupler isn’t visually present, and appears to be enclosed behind two doors, much like retractable landing gear on an airplane. Was this something done for appearance? I can’t imagine the exposed coupler added much in the way of drag. Did this become a maintenance issue later, and they just removed the doors, and went with a conventional mounting of the coupler?
What you’re referring to was called a “drop-down” coupler that was meant to be folded down (for lack of a better term) and enclosed on diesels or left visible on steam locomotives. Some steamers had them too.
The idea wasn’t streamlining, but safety. The idea was in the event of a collision at a grade crossing the thing being collided with, car, truck, or whatever, wouldn’t get hung up on the coupler but would be pushed aside minimizing damage to the locomotive.
I suppose it didn’t work out as well as they hoped it would, which is why you don’t see drop-down couplers anymore.
Anyone got a pic of a folding coupler, on any diesel?
Maybe early E’s had some sort of extendable coupler, to reach beyond that long pilot?
Ask and ye shall receive…
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/emd-e-unit-builder-photos?repliesPerPage=20
Scroll on down and have fun!
UP even had cast, steam locomotive style pilots on early E-Units, with retracting couplers. A large version used on a PA1 was not a success. There are several photos in the old Model Railroader Cyclopedia.
Don’t see any folding couplers there. Extendable, maybe?
Guess he means some pilots had slots cut in them. Were they actually cast? How far did the couplers extend?
Would like to see pictures of these engines with the doors open. I don’t believe the couplers folded down - the doors just covered the coupler.
Scroll wayyyyy down until you get to the photo of the B&O EA. The front covers are open and there’s the coupler. It doesn’t look like a drop-down but does seem to be extended. So I’m probably wrong on the drop-down part.
Scoll a bit further and there’s a photo of the preserved Burlington E-5. The coupler doors are open but there’s a guy standing in front so you can’t see the coupler. I’m assuming it’s there just the same.
Keep going and there’s a shot of a Seaboard E-4 with the coupler doors AND the front door open.
Sorry, I went looking for diesel drop-down couplers or similar and this is the best I could come up with. Couldn’t find anything else.
Hello,
NYC E7 Manual_1 by Edmund, on Flickr
NYC E7 Manual by Edmund, on Flickr
NYC E7 Manual_April15-1945 by Edmund, on Flickr
NYC E7 Manual_2 by Edmund, on Flickr
I seem to recall mention of the slotted pilots as being an aid to traction motor cooling. As far as I can remember the NYC only had the two E-7s (4002 & 4003, the “black units”) with the slotted pilots so it apparently made no appreciable difference.
NYC E74002_pilot by Edmund, on Flickr
I believe the short life-span of retractible/drop/pivoted/covered couplers were intended to deflect debris, and the occasional automobile, rather than impale it onto the coupler, as Firelock points out. It would seem the mechanical departments won out — probably after demonstrating the high maintenance and operating costs of the various mechanical apparatus required.
Regards, Ed
Ahhhh, there we go! That explains a lot, perfectly.
Thanks Ed!
Glad to help any small way I can. [8D]
Cheers — Ed
I see the 4002 has been equipped with chains and hooks that were sometimes used with heavyweight cars that were not equipped with tightlock couplers. Belt and suspenders for a broken knuckle or draftgear back in the day.
I’d really like to find out exactly what the “back-story” is on safety chains. They often were applied to lightweight cars, too.
I believe most, if not all, of the cars in the 1948 Century and 1950 Chessie Pullman order had safety chains and tightlock type H couplers:
NYC_1948_Pullman by Edmund, on Flickr
'48 Century above and one of the 1950 (delivery date) Chessie cars below:
C-O_1950_Pullman by Edmund, on Flickr
It seems to me that the safety chains on the NYC E-7s (I don’t believe E-8s were so equipped) were only applied as needed as nearly all the on-coming photos of these locomotives I recall seeing had the chains removed but a small “socket” evident above the anti-climber.
And an effort to keep cars aligned in the event of a derailment. This is also the theory behind locking (bolster) center-pins and safety chains on the trucks.
Thank You, Ed
Oh man, you guys just made not being able to sleep worthwhile!
I had forgotten about the chains on the trucks. The Combines that came through Irricana had both the truck and end chains. They had a distinctive sound when the train would come to a complete stop.
I don’t know the backstory behind them, but thanks for reminding me of them.
Bruce
Next question: were all E7s built with retractable couplers? Did any later Es have them? Or other 1948-and-later diesels?
No freight diesels ever had them?
The RME article on the Rock Island DL109s mentions a “swivel” coupler on the front-- that means it pivots around a vertical axis?
Going back to the origianal question, some J3a New York Central Hudsons had drop-down couplers, and not only the Dryfuss streamlined ones for the Century, but some non-streamlined ones as well. Perhaps all, originally.
J1s also!
Ditto the four streamlined K4s PRR Pacifics.
An interesting catalog page:
Pilot_0001 by Edmund, on Flickr
An amazing amount of design and development was going on in the railroad industry through the War years and shortly after.
Cheers, Ed
I’d like to see some documentation on the grade crossing collision/debris theory. My own thoughts are they wanted the entire train to look as seamless as possible. Note in many publicity photos and paintings of the era, the lash-up is nearly always an “A” lead unit, with the trailing unit(s) all “B’s”. Under that operating philosophy, there would seldom be the need for using the front coupler on the “A” units. Also, there were still a good number of turntables in existence, which further enabled this philosophy.
At some point, the RR’s figured out the operational limitations of these couplers, and did away with them.
Some railroads operated A-A or A-B-A sets right from the get go.
While a A-B-B-… set looks nice, it requires extra effort to keep it that way and creates operational headaches, like not fitting on a turntable and having to switch or wye the power at the end of the run. From the number of early pictures of A-units and roadswitchers mixed up in passenger consists I’d say that operating employees clued in very early.
Drop couplers were found on many regular (non-streamlined) steam locomotives, before diesels or streamlining came along.