Getting really desperate to find some info on cab curtains for steam, I’ve tried every photo group on the 'net, can’t find anything at the library, exhausted my pea-sized brain and cannot find any decent photos of cabs from the rear, how were they attached? were they in 2 parts? made of canvas? how long were they? did they attach to the tender in any way or strictly to the back of the cab,(I have many more questions too) maybe, just maybe this is a forbidden subject on MR, no? h e l p p l e a s e
The two Canvas curtains were attached to a long rod that runs horizontal and were mounted just above the rear opening of the cab. This allowed the two separate curtains on each side to pull together and prevent wind from blowing in to the cab from the gang plank between the tender and engine. They were not very flexable and took some effort to close or open.
Most models do not have the horizon rod running accross the back of the cab, but some of the brass ones have it without the curtains. If you have the rod on the cab, you could attach the two curtains to the rod. Some of the latest Samtech models have the curtains already mounted on the models. I have one of those, but the curtains do not move as they are folded and mounted, but cannot be closed.
Cheers
These help any?
tatans: on 2716 a C&O Kanawa class K-4 2-8-4 the cab curtains are bolted to the sides, bolts hold a metal bar and then through grommets in the canvas to hold them in place. Then the tops are supported on metal hoops through grommets and hung on a bar across the top which is bolted on each end and in the middle. Saturday I will be at the Kentucky Railway Musuem and will take you some photos during our lunch break and email them to you this weekend.
Dale
I agree with all the above but I suspect that every railroad did it differently. Some railroads had fully enclosed cabs and some didn’t do anything. I suppose the farther north you went the more likely to find something to keep the cold out. I can’t imagine anybody in the south wanting to keep the heat in! The PRR had a dipragm on the T1 that connected the engine and tender. I have no idea how the crew entered or exited but they probably did an excellent job of stopping winds that would wrap around the cab and come in from the sides.
The PRR T1 had a fully-enclosed cab with side doors at the extreme rear corners, both sides.
What I would like to know is how the fireman on the D&RGW narrow gauge snowplows were protected from the elements. IIRC, the backhead of the boiler was only a few inches forward of the plow’s rear end sill.
Ditto for the poor souls who had to fire camelbacks during winter in anthracite country.
Chuck