Im in the middle of building a NW high hood SD40-2. I need to fit all weather windows.
Were they used aswel as the existing cab windows (giving a sort of double glazing effect) or were the cab windows removed and the all weather windows used instead??
Also, what purpose do these extra windows serve?
Thankyou guys.
Looking at this photo, it appears that the existing cab windows are still in place. The all-weather window did act as a sort of “storm window”, but I think that its main purpose was to provide an enclosed area around where the engineer would normally stick his head out the window for a better view. This was especially useful in colder climates. [swg]
Wayne
What the honkey[D)]??? What is that thing!!![:O]
That’s CN’s full-size kitbash of a GP9 with an SW1200RS. They’re officially known as SW1200RMs, but railfans have dubbed them “Sweeps”. Here’s a photo of one with an un-modified SW1200RS:
The latter is an SW1200 with Flexicoil trucks and some other modifications. The “RS” stands for “Road Switcher”, while, I believe, the “RM” stands for “Re-Manufactured”.
Wayne
that is what you get when you drink Canadian beer. the replies about giving the engineer a place to stick his head out are correct. of course some of the guys i worked with wouldn’t stick their head out no matter what. you always had to step back away from the track so the lazy bum could see your signals. solution; run him into a standing cut of cars at about 10 mph once or twice and he will get so tired of getting knocked of his seat box that he will pay better attention. then you don’t need storm windows either.
grizlump
All weather window. Sometimes called a bay window, or window box.
They usually freeze solid in winter. Gives a little extra protected looking room, maybe about 6 inches, and usually a fairly nice large armrest. Good place to keep water (or soda pop) cooler in winter.
I love the all weather windows.
The few times I get the urge to smoke a cigar at work they make it real easy for me to enjoy one without disturbing my coworker.
They’re also a great place to put the cooler/lunchbox depending on it’s size, a 6 pack of pop, a sub sandwich, etc.
So, you can shut the cab windows and the all weather windows leaving some drink in between the 2 to create a sort of cool box?!!
I get it about visability though, you can look back along your train without actualy having to stick your head out into rain and snow etc. Maybe why i see alot of these fitted to switchers or smaller road units that are used for alot of switching!
Engineers traditionally have hung out the window to look forward too, even now with low-nose diesels. It’s mainly designed for northern climates like mine (Minnesnowta). If it’s -20F and you’re rolling along at 50 MPH the wind chill would be around -70F or so, enough to give you frostbite in a few minutes.
I seem to recall that early on they were removed by the railroads in the warm weather months, but soon they started leaving them on year around and set them up so they could be opened up in warm weather.
Generally “bay windows” are something different, although the MN&S had some cabooses that I saw back in the sixties that were (IIRC) older cabooses with the cupolas removed, and an all-weather window (or something similar) put in place of the middle side windows to create a sort-of bay-window caboose.
Doctorwayne’s photos of the CN SW1200RM show that all-weather windows were applied to both sides of those units, but some roads only put them on the engineer’s side (for example some of Algoma Central’s rebuilt GP7s had them put on one side), so if you’re detailing a unit with all weather windows, make sure you have photos of both sides.
Thanks very much for all the helpfull info guys[tup]
Ha-Ha…we had coolers on some of our engines here in the UK.
We called them cabs…[;)]
Steve
Yeah, like a Class 37 in the winter with bad nose doors. Cab, one big chiller!
Anything with front doors were real draught machines,even in the summer,and it did’nt matter how much duct tape the fitters put around them.
All the English Electrics, Baby Sulzers and Brush 2’s suffered from this-strangely enough our Cromptons at Holbeck (D24 onwards) never did,on the other hand,when I transfered to Old Oak the Hydraulics you would sweat your nuts off,summer and winter.
Even later engines were’nt too good;the 60 was a favourite of mine,quiet,rode like a coach but some of them had very temperamental cab heaters.
Ah well that’s all in the past now
Steve
those cn switchers sure are neat, they look like a modern alco high hood switcher.
A Canadian beer is like moonshine eh? I have had the “luck” to work with an Engineer who would get visibly upset if he had to put his feet down once. The all weather windows we called switch windows were applied to just the engineers side lately, and the old units had them on both sides. they were a GREAT place to put a can of pop, or a couple sandwiches. really didn;t help with visability much they always were in place outside the cab and the normal windows were still there. mostly just there to rattle and squeek as I can tell.
I liked em for food storage as mentioned, but for switching… I look out the windows when doing that. Or use that large lovely mirror.But when i go to lean out of an old clunker with an all weather window,KERRRRWHACK! Cuss Cuss Swear threaten bodily harm to the makers of them,cuss some more. I always had to be like a pretzel as I am too tall to get a goo view I had to half duck twist backsideways and be like an acrobat to get a good view.
Stories from the roundhouse is they would take off winterization hatches and the windows come spring. But leaving them on the units worked much better and cut down on " Wonder what that would bring at a scrap dealer?"Plus just having a place to store them at smaller shops was sometimes rather tough.
when installing these windows on a proto 2000 model must you remove the other windows? rambo1…
That’s up to you: the “glass” of the model’s original windows won’t be noticeable unless you plan to model the all-weather window in an “open” position.
Wayne
Not needed. Leave the main windows in place.
Sometimes the window box will lose a piece of glazing somewhere. Not a big deal, as the main cab window is still intact and closeable.